258 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



of cold water, then I poured about one quart of the 

 hot water on the cahhage head so as to hit every 

 worm, iuiniediately applying aljout two quarts of 

 cold water to the cabbage head. It killed the 

 worms, but did not injure the cabbage. But the 

 cold water must be applied immediately after the 

 hot is, to prevent the head of the cabbage being 

 cooked. Subscriber. 



Greensboro' , Vt., May, 1871. 



lUTTEH MAKING. 



Perhaps you think the butter question is about 

 used up, but as I have read the diti'erent opinions 

 of others I want to express nunc. I have sold con- 

 siderable butter for one that has not had a large 

 dairy, liut has had a large family, and as my butter 

 has seemed to give satistaction generally,"! think 

 that I know what good butter is. 



As to coloring butter, I prefer annotto. It gives 

 no taste to the butter, as carrots do. It is much 

 easier prepared, and when we can get it of a reli- 

 able druggist, it seems to be pure. I use no potash 

 or salsoda with it. A lump one-fourth of an inch 

 square will color one gallon of cream suthciently. 

 I put it in a rag and ruli it all through in a little 

 warm water, and then strain it through another 

 rag or cloth kept fur the purpose, and after my 

 cream is in tlie churn I add the coloring water. 



The past winter we have not had to churn our 

 cream over twenty m.inutes, and many times not 

 over ten, to bring the butter. I never scald my 

 new or old milk to get cream from it. I think that 

 I can get more cream not to scald it. I keep my 

 milk and cream where they do not freeze. I keep 

 a smooth stick in my tin cream pail to stir my 

 cream with every day, and am careful not to leave 

 any cream on the sides of the pail, as it 'would be 

 likely to mould. 



After we have made good butter, washed and 

 salted it once, and the next day woi'ked it over, in 

 order to keep it good, it must be kept from the air 

 either under brine or with a wet cloth covered with 

 salt, .for if exposed to the air too long it will spoil. 



I have made butter for the last thirty-four years 

 and I never had a mess of bitter butter. ' I once 

 tasted of some at a neighbor's, but could not eat it. 



Windham, Vt., April, 1871. m. v. b. 



HEN MANURE COMPOST FOR CORN. 



I have about four barrels of hen manure. Now 

 will you, or some of your correspondents, tell me 

 the best way to prepare it to manure coi-n in the 

 hill, and ol)lige at least one subscriber ? 



Orange, N. H., April 29, 1871. J. Fernald. 



Remarks. — Moisten the droppings, and let them 

 lie in a heap a few days, so that they will the more 

 readily pulverize, and then mix thoroughly with 

 two or three times their bulk of soil, muck or earth, 

 and you will have a tine com starter. We recol- 

 lect of seeing or hearing the statement of some 

 farmer that after softening the droppings he put 

 them through a threshing machine to break all 

 lumps, &c. 



BARREN riG TREES. 



In answer to Mr. E. Bailey's inquiries about his 

 wife's fig tree, I would advise smoking, while in 

 full blossom, with old boots, shoes and woolcTi 

 rags. We have smoked plums and cherries with 

 good effect. If that don't do any good set out one 

 or more trees with the one you now have, another 

 year. 



BUTTER MAKING. 



I have been very much amused by the remarks 

 about butter making. I will give a little of my 



experience for about forty years. We have a large 

 pantry with board shelves, on which are two strips 

 of boards to set the pans on, and the shelves are a 

 little distance from the ceiling, to let the air circu- 

 late around the pans. In warm Aveather we have 

 the window out, but have lilinds to darken and 

 keep the pantry cool. Very much light I think 

 gives the cream a lighter hue. We color with car- 

 rots when necessary, putting a little new milk with 

 the carrot juice. This adds\ery much to the fla- 

 vor. Every time I skim my milk, I stir the cream ; 

 but not ever.v time I skim one pan. We never 

 have white specks in our butter, nor trouble about 

 its not coming (piick. In cold weather we give it 

 warmth and in warm weather keep as cool as pos- 

 sible. H. s. E. 

 Uuttifigsville, Vt., April 29, 1871. 



MANAGEMENT OF HENS. 



AVill Mrs. E. Cooper of Winchester, Mass., please 

 state her way of managing hens — the feed, &c. I 

 have a flock of twenty-seven which have done well, 

 but not quite equal to hers. I began the winter 

 with thirty, but three died of a disease which man- 

 ifested itself in dullness, and in a stiffness and par- 

 tial disuse of the legs, — for a prevention and cure of 

 which I would be thankful. I have kept corn by 

 my hens continually; and some of the time wheat 

 sci-eenings, the last lot of which was so adulterated 

 with foul seed and dirt, that I concluded to supply 

 its place with a mush of shorts. My hens will not 

 eat oats, unless starved to it. They also liave 

 scraps, and chicken bone (Darling's fresh crushed,) 

 for shells; and fresh water all the time. To pre- 

 vent lice, I keep two boxes of ashes, one wood, 

 and one coal, in which thej' wallow. I sprinkle 

 lime in the nests once a week, and occasionally 

 whitewash the roosts. For the sake of health, com- 

 fort and economy, I sprinkle dry loam on the ma- 

 nure, under roosts, every few days. When the 

 weatlier was cool I fed boiled fresh fish heads in- 

 stead of scraps, but in warm weather tJiey soon 

 spoil. Coal ashes, old plasteilng and gravel are 

 lying around out doors for them. My worst 

 trouble is, in not having a good hen house. This, 

 however, will be entirely removed before next 

 winter, when I shall try to eipial Mrs. C.'s success. 

 They go where they please, but my way of feeding 

 limits their propensity for travel and mischief. 



Franklin, Mass., May, 1871. 11. A. Fisher. 



Ogden Farm. — The manager of this farm, who 

 fills several columns of each number of the Ameri- 

 can Agriculhirist with the details of his operations 

 in scientific agriculture, has been asked, by some 

 one who wishes to know if it will be safe for him 

 to try similar farming, to give his annual balance 

 sheet. After intimating tliat this is more than the 

 public have a right to demand, he says : — 



Some years hence, when I can show a profit, I 

 shall have no hesitation in making a public ex- 

 hil)ition of my accounts, for it would do good as 

 an encouragement to others; but until I can show 

 a )iro(it //( iiKiiicy, there would be no good end 

 subscrvcil by parading my balance-sheet. 



Harrowing Corn. — An Iowa correspondent of 

 the Western Rural says, as soon as the corn is up 

 big enough to follow the row, take an "A" harrow, 

 knock out the forward tooth, put a bow in the 

 rear end of the harrow to manage it with, put on 

 two horses, and straddle each row with the har- 

 row, which will pulverize the ground, loosen it up, 



