PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS* CLUB. 273 



February 2, 1864. 

 Mr. Nathan C, Ely in the chair. 



Turnips. 



The Chairman exhibited two sorts of round turnip, one of a yellow color, 

 and the other a red-top white. The first, he said, a neighbor assured him 

 was valuable for feed, and gave a yellow color to butter ; but the other 

 was not esteemed, and he called for an expression of members on this ques- 

 tion. 



Dr. Trimble said that he grew a large crop of turnips one year, too far 

 from market to make it an object to sell them, and he was afraid to feed 

 them to cows on account of the taste imparted to milk ; but upon the rec- 

 ommendation to try a very small quantity at first, and gradually increase 

 it, he had adopted that plan, and they did the cows good and did not injure 

 the milk. 



Prof. Mapes said that the practice upon his farm for a number of 

 years had been to grow a large crop of turnips, and they were regularly 

 fed to cows without injury to the milk, by simply adopting this rule — to 

 feed immediately after milking, and at no other time. Both of the varieties 

 upon the table are valuable — the red strap for early and the yellow for late 

 feeding. 



Mr. R. H. Williams said that it was the tops, and not the roots that 

 affected the milk ; to which Prof. Mapes replied that he had never found 

 any bad effect from tops, which, at the time of pulling, formed almost 

 exclusively the feed of cows, simply observing the above rule, 



Mr. Solon Robinson. — " What nice, sweet, yellow butter. How do you 

 make it in winter ?" This remark has been repeated at my table this win- 

 ter. The answer is by feeding turnips — just such turnips as that red top 

 one. Such I have fed for several years, and find very valuable feed. We get 

 rid of the turnip taste in the milk, by reading agricultural papers. Some 

 one wrote in The Country Gentleman, that niter (saltpeter) would disinfect 

 the milk of all turnip odor and taste. Make a solution of niter ; keep it in 

 a bottle and put a table spoonful in the pail before milking. That is 

 enough for a pailful of milk. We tried it — found it effectual, and now 

 have nice, sweet butter. 



Residuum in Port-wine Bottles. 



The Chairman exhibited a lump of plum-colored substance, with a 

 strong port wine odor, which appeared as though it might have been com- 

 posed of finely ground logwood and clay, moistened and made into a mass 

 and partially dried and then broken into lumps. He stated that it was a 

 sample of the residuum several inches deep, found in a port-wine cask, and 

 wanted to know if that was what such wine was made of. 



Prof. Mapes said that this was no certain sign of adulteration, as it may 

 be a crude cream of tartar, combined with" the fine portion of the grapes, 

 which are mashed somewhat finely to make port-wine, which, when first 

 brought into market, is not in a drinkable condition, being too astringent, 

 and somewhat muddy. In its then pure condition, it would show a very 



[Am. Inst.] S 



