68 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 1 



For the yeu Gsnescc Farmer, 



To prevent Bad Taste in Milk, Batter & Beef. 



Hiving observed tbal one of your correspondenta 

 wiebes to know if there ie any method of feeding rii- 

 ta bags to milch cows, without having the miUt and 

 butter taste of the turnij), I am happy to say, I can 

 give you an answer, which I think, upon trial, will 

 prove satisfactory. Never allow the cow to taste 

 of the roots within 6 or 8 hours of milking ; but feed 

 her immediately after each milking, and do not give 

 her any more of the roots at a time than sLe will eat 

 in 2 or 3 hours; and be careful that she does not get 

 any more till alter she is milked again. By this meth. 

 od cows may be fed on ruta baga or other turnips, and 

 and no person will be able to discover the taste in the 

 milk or bu;ter. 



Upon the same principle, those who wish to feed fat- 

 ting cattle upon turnips, may do so without any dan- 

 ger of affecting the taste of the beef, provided they 

 will omit feeding this kind of food, two or three days 

 previous to killing. I have heard of coses where the 

 beef was rendered unfit to eat, on account of the ani- 

 mal's eating a few turnip tops or cabbage leaves just 

 before being slaugDtered. The dilEcully may be obvi- 

 Bted, ae mentioned above. Your friend, 



Jonathan Dennis. 



Portsmout/i, Newport Co., It. I., March, 1840. 



To prevent the Taste of Turnips in Butter. 



Messrs. Editors — One of your correspondents 

 wants to know how to prevent the taste of turnips in 

 the butter from cows fed on these roots; and having 

 had some experience in the matter, I will give you 

 an answer to the inquiry. If it meets your approba- 

 tion, I may hereafter give your readers some further 

 observations relating to the dairy. In some of the 

 best districts in England, the taste of the cream and 

 butter is affected by tlie manure used on the pastures, 

 and the following means are adoiited to prevent it. — 



The first method is almost universally practised on 

 the milk and cream brought into the London Market, 

 in order to prevent the taste being affected by the dif 

 ferent kinds of food on which their cows are fed. 



\st Method — Dissolve an ounce of nitre (Salt Petre) 

 in a pint of pure water, and put a quarter of the pint 

 into every fifteen gallons of milk as brought from the 

 cows. This will effectually prevent any bad flavor, 

 and cause the milk and cream to keep sweet a longer 

 lime. The quantity of nitre is so very small, that it 

 does not at all affect the wholesomenessof the milk. 



2d Method— hel the cream get well sour; and be- 

 fore churning, takeout a quarterof apintof the cream 

 and put it into a well scalded pot or jar, into which 

 gather the next cream, and stir it well; do the same 

 with each successive gathering, until enough is saved, 

 and well soured, ready for a second churning; then 

 take out a small quantity and commence anew as be- 

 fore. 



The cream being sour before churning, is no detri- 

 ment to it, and this method will prevent any bad taste 

 in the butter. Yours, &c., 



Rochester, March, 1840. W. R. 



The taste of Turnips in Milk. 



A correspondent in your 'M number asks informa- 

 tion for preventing the flavor of butter being afl'ected 

 by the turnips upon which the cows are fed. I 

 have had occasion to feed the Ruta Baga in large quan- 

 tities to my milch cows, and have seen several remedies 

 for the turnip flavor, some conlidenlly recommended, 

 but none have proved effectual. I have found how- 

 ever, that very thorovgldy working the butter, and 

 Baiting it as much as a regard to itj taste will admit, is 

 by far the beet remedy. In moat cases, it has nearly, 

 if not entirely, removed the unpleasant flavor, even 

 when the cows have been fed upwards of half a bushel 

 per day. I suppose from this, that the turnii> fla- 



vor is chiefly in the buttermilk and not in the pure 

 butter itself; and that as the buttermilk is removed 

 from the butter by successive workings, this flavor 

 gradually diminishes, until, as the process is perfected, 

 it entirely disappears. 



Persons of reputed acutcness of taste in this respect, 

 whom I have supplied with butter from tumip-fed 

 cows, and which was thoroughly treated according to 

 the preceding mode, have pronounced it of first-rate 

 excellence, and have been unable to detect the pecu- 

 liar flavor of the turnips. T. J. 



Seed Corn. 



Every farmer should be very particular to select the 

 most perfect corn for his seed, for the more perfect the 

 seefl the more vigorous will be the plant. Seed corn 

 should be selected in the fall, before the crop is cut up. 

 By walking between the rows, the earliest and most 

 perfect ears are easily seen, and in a very short time a 

 supply can be gathered. A few of the husks are to 

 be left on each ear, then braided together, ond hung up 

 in a dry and safe place. When planting time arrives, 

 the seed is ready and the time and trouble saved of 

 overhauling some forty or fifty bushels in the crib, to 

 make a selection. 



The earliest verieties are undoubtedly in the main, 

 the moat profitable. The yellow and white Canada, 

 perhaps, would generally be considered too small. If, 

 however, the soil is rich and it is planted one way 

 much nearer than the large common corn, a medium 

 crop can be obtained. 



The Dutton corn is considered to be an excellent 

 kind by most who have cultivated it. It was obtained 

 by Judge Buel, in Vermont, of a gentleman whose 

 name it now bears. It is yellow, twelve rowed, and 

 earlier than the common twelve rowed varieties. 



The eight rowed yellow is an early kind, qiute pro- 

 ductive, and is now pretty generally raised in our 

 section ot country. The true name is not known to 

 the HTiter. The kernel is large, broad, and of a pale, 

 yellow color. 



Preparing the Ground. — If the soil is not naturally 

 rich, it should be made so, by a good dressing of ma- 

 nure. Much depends on the richness of the ground. 

 Good seed, and the best of attention, will not secure a 

 good crop, if the soil is worn out, or poor. A farmer 

 had far better plant but half, or one-third the number 

 of acres, if, by so doing, he can thoroughly manure 

 his corn ground. He will save much labor, and have 

 more and better corn. 



The ground should be ploughed no earlier than is 

 necessary, to be in readiness for planting, and then the 

 work ought to be well done. The furrows cut narrow, 

 in order more finely to pulverize the earth. If the 

 ground is naturolly low and wet, it shonld be drained; 

 if not, ploughed in narrow lands, not to exceed one 

 rod in width; then thoroughly harrowed and marked 

 out one way. Great care should be taken in planting, 

 to cover the corn with fine earth. Corn, well planted, 

 will be ready for the Cultivator, one week earlier than 

 that carelessly planted, or covered with stones, lumps, 

 or coarse, dry earth. If the soil is clayey, avoid, if 

 possible, planting in wet weather. The practice of 

 planting when you have to cover the corn with mortar, 

 is a very bad one. When the weather becomes dry, 

 the soil bakes, and it is almost impossible for the young 

 plants to force through its crust. As soon as the rows 

 are readily seen, the cultivator should be started, the 

 weeds and grass destroyed, and the earth lightly stirred 

 around the hills. If hoed but twice, and on old or 

 stubble ground, the plough should be used the last hoe- 

 ing, possing the right way the last time, to drain off" 

 the water after heavv rains. 



JOHN B. BOWEN. 



Messrs. Editors — Will you, or some of your cor- 

 respondents give a description of the Italian Spring 



Wheat? Whether it is, or is not bearded, and thcj, 

 color of its berry? I purchased some for seed ihisj,,, 

 spring, said to be the Italian. The berry is red,j' 

 whether bearded or not, I do not know, I have no. „ 

 ticed since, in the old Gen. Far., ond also been in- j,, 

 formed by some of my neighbors, that the Italiar , 

 Spring ^Vheat ie unbearded, and the berry is white ^. 

 resembling the White Flint. J. B. B. ui 



Ledyard, April 20, 1840. 



Ucmarks — The Italian Spring Wheat is heavilj 

 bearded. The berry is rather dark colored, and ap 

 pears somewhat transparent. The common Siberia} 

 is very similar to the Italian, but does not grow si 

 strong or produce as well, and the flour is said not ti 

 be as good. The variety called Bald Sii/crian, differ 

 from all other kinds of spring wheat with which w 

 are acquainted, in its being almost entirely destitut 

 of beard. The berry is rather lighter colored tha 

 either of the preceding, and is said to make very goo 

 flour; but it bears no resemblance to the flint whea' 

 and if there is any kind of real Spring wheat answe) 

 ing the description given by friend Bowen, we ahoul 

 consider it "something new under the sun." — Eds, 



Disease in Cattle. 



Messrs. Editors — A neighbor's ox was taken sic 

 when in good flesh and died. The symptoms were, 

 want of appetite, constipation, and a cautious mov 

 nient of the head. His horns, at first cold, were i 

 terwards warm; his eyes were shrunken and dim, ai 

 he gave strong manifestations of severe pain in t! 

 head. During the whole course of his sickness ! 

 eat but two ears of corn and three or four potato) 

 and drank but little water. Several gentlemen pt 

 nounced the disease to be the "Hollow Horn." Ti 

 Dentine was put upon his head, his ttil split, phyi 

 given him, and his horns bored. When the horn w 

 penetrated, there issued a thin liquid, nearly theco 

 of water and mixed with blood. The physic did i 

 operate, and all that was done, seemed not to allevi 

 bis sufferings. The ninth or tenth day of his iUn 

 he suddenly expired. It may not be improper to sta 

 that he had been able to lie down and rise ot pleasu 

 until within o few hours of his death. Upon a p 

 mortem examination, it was found that a portion 

 the pith of both horns, was in a fluid state, and ot 

 portions softened, and of a yellowish color. BetW' 

 the two plates of the skull was a fluid, resembl 

 that found in the borne, and olto matter, onalagoui 

 pue. Between the dura mater and arachnoid mi 

 branes, was a quantity of water, and also in the T 

 tricles of the brain. The membranes on the poste 

 lobes of the brain, were highly injected with blc 

 and somewhat thickened. His tongue was consi 

 rably swollen towards the base, but no lesions of 

 kind were discovered. The lungs crepitated throi; 

 out their greater part, but the lower lobes were 

 gorged with bljiod as to be jmpermeable. In a wi 

 there had been inflammation of those lobes. On 

 pericardium wos found quite o quantity of f 

 growths, quite unnatural to it. The whole Circ' 

 ference of the heart in its largest diameter, presei «_^ 

 a knobbed apppearance,and when these were cut, ^ 

 presented a mi.vture of tatty matter, and red, part: 

 organized subslanc.:. The whole heart was in a i 

 of hypertrophy, and its ouricles, ventricles, am I 

 the vessels leading from it, were distended with fii : 

 coagulated blood. .The intestines were not exom li 

 for wont of time. 



Now the question arises, w hat was the disease ? .i- 

 where its original seat? I am not familiar wit i' 

 diseases of brutes, but from the sympton:S while lii g, 

 and the post mortem appearances, I do not hesitt "> 

 state my belief, that its original location was ii b* 

 membranes of the brain, and by a rapid exlei w 



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