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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 ICE-HOUSE. 



Mr. Ruffin, — As you requested I send the follow- 

 ing specifications for an ice-house : 



Select a site upon inclined ground, with face suffi- 

 cient to carry off all surplus water from the build- 

 ing, and as near to the dwelling-house as will make 

 it convenient of access. Upon the ground chosen, 

 lay off a square plot 14 feet on a side, and excavate 

 it to a depth of 6j feet, throwing out the earth in 

 equM bulk upon each side of the pit. Then con- 

 struct a frame of 4 locust posts 12 inches in diame- 

 ter, and 13 feet in length, tenoned on the small ends 

 to receive the wall plates ; which plates are cut 12 

 feet in length, and hewn to 8 inches by 12 in thick- 

 ness, and framed together upon the top of the posts. 

 About one foot from the bottom of said posts, frame 

 in (by mortise and tenon) 4 pieces of locust or 

 white oak timber, 4 inches in diameter, hewn to a 

 face on the inner side. Midway between these 

 pieces and the wall plates insert, in like manner, 

 other four pieces of timber of the same dimensions. 

 The frame work is then set into the pit and the 

 wall plates laid on and pinned together. The in- 

 side of the frame is boarded up with oak plank one 

 inch thick and 10 inches Avide, placed vertically 

 and fastened with ten penny nails. The space be- 

 tween the planking and earth wall of the pit is now 

 filled with spent tanbark (slightly rammed) to the 

 wall plates. The earth embankment packed around, 

 neatly trimmed and sodded, Avith steps cut in the 

 approach to the door. The roof is put on in the 

 usual method, with a pitch about one-third of the 

 span, the cover projecting 18 inches over the wall 

 plate — gabler boarded vertically Avith inch pine 

 plank 10 inches in Avidth, the joints battened. A 

 door is hung in one end, and a small opening for 

 ventilation in the end o])posite. Place on the bot- 

 tom of the pit a grillage of timber, consisting of 

 two courses, crossing at right angles, and about one 

 foot in thickness. When filling Avith ice line the 

 bottom and sides with straw. The size given Avill 

 contain about 500 bushels. 



If no shade trees are contiguous to the locality, 

 transplant some of rapid groAvth, and ornamental. 



Yours, &c. S. F. C. 



P. S. — Dry straw, dust, or pulverized charcoal 

 will be as suitable as spent tanbark. 



From the Rural New Yorker. 

 EXPERIMENTS IN BUTTER MAKING. 



Five experiments in making butter from milk 

 and cream under different conditions, were tried, 

 some years since, by Professor Traill, of, Scot- 

 land. A condensed account of tlie same will 

 not be without value to our readers, 



Tiie milk in each experiment was that ob- 

 tained from four cows, and three quarts of the 

 same, set in each of the five earthen vessels, 

 for 39 hours. No. 1 was the cream from one 

 of these portions, still sweet, which, with the 

 addition of half a pint of cold water, was 

 churned for 27 minutes, raising the tempera- 

 ture from 62 to 70 degrees, and producing 

 1386 grains of good colored, well flavored but- 



ter. No. 2 sweet milk and its cream, at the 

 same time, were churned together for three 

 hours, with occasional additions of cold water, 

 but no butter was produced. No. 3, was skim- 

 jned and the cream kept two days longer, and 

 then with the same addition of cold water as 

 No. 1, churned for twenty minutes, raising the 

 temperature from 54 to 63 degrees, and pro- 

 ducing of well w^ashed butter, 1756^ grains of 

 good taste and color. No. 4, sour milk and its 

 cream — at the same time with No. 3, and with 

 the same addition of cold water, was churned 

 one hour fifty minutes, producing 1968 grains 

 of butter, paler than the last but of good fla- 

 vor. No. 5 was prepared as follows: after 

 standing with the rest thirty-nine hours, the 

 vessel was placed in another containing warm 

 water, and heated until the temperature of the 

 milk rose to 156 degrees. The cream was then 

 taken off and on the following day churned, 

 and produced 1968 grains of rich, yellow, agree- 

 able flavored butter. The milk remaining was 

 very poor, and no butter could be churned from 

 it. 



The general result of these experiments, con- 

 firmed by many similar trials, show that most 

 butter is produced from the scalded or Devon- 

 shire cream; the next in quantity from churn- 

 ing the milk and cream together, when they 

 have become slightly acid; the third quantity 

 is given by cream kept until it is slightly sour ; 

 and the least is obtained from the sweet cream. 

 The experimenter was unable to obtain butter 

 from sweet milk and cream churned together. 

 The quality of keeping fresh Avhen exposed to 

 the air was found by trial to be in inverse pro- 

 portion as to quantity — No. 1 keeping the lon- 

 gest, and No. 5 the shortest time. The casein 

 or curdy matter of each samjjle followed the 

 same rule. Over churning added largely to 

 the quantity of butter, but detracted more from 

 the quality. The addition of hot water had a 

 similar, though less perceptible, effect. 



The principal conclusions derived from the 

 full course of experiments were, 1st. That the 

 additition of some cold water while churning, 

 facilitates the process, especially in cold wea- 

 ther or Avhen the cream is very thick. 2d. 

 That cream alone is more easily churned than 

 cream and milk together. 3d. That butter 

 produced from fresh cream has the finest flavor 

 when fresh, and will keep longest without be- 

 coming rancid. 4th. That scalding the cream, 

 yields the largest quantity of butter, which, if 

 intended for immediate use, is agreeable to the 

 palate and readily saleable, but by keeping is 

 most liable to acquire a rancid flavor. 5th. 

 That the keeping qualities of butter appear to 

 depend on its being obtained as free from un- 



