1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
331 
tity of butter, should have a cool well ventilated 
cellar in which to store it while awaiting a 
market. No fish, onions, or other strong fla- 
vored articles must be kept near it, as butter 
very soon absorbs any rank effluvia, and its 
quality is injured. 
It is generally found most profitable to send 
butter forward regularly through the season, 
while it is fresh and sweet. This, however, will 
depend upon the rates of the price current. 
Western butter is the principal supply for ship- 
ment during the warm months, and it usually 
brings better prices then, than if held back until 
cold weather, when better grades are in market 
and Western is not so much sought after. In 
the Winter, store butter ordinarily sells at 
higher figures in the original rolls, with a clean 
piece of muslin wrapped around each, and 
nicely packed in barrels. 
How to Pack Eggs for Market 
The following directions for preparing eggs 
for market were furnished to the Agriculturist by 
Messrs. Surfleet, Meadors & Co., Commission 
dealers in this city, to whom we are also in- 
debted for some of the hints on forwarding but- 
ter, in another column. The profit of shipping 
eggs to market depends more upon proper 
packing than to an}- other circumstance, and 
it is important to know the best method : 
Eggs skillfully packed are received from Ohio, 
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, in 
good order, with but few if any broken, and 
sell more readily and at better prices than those 
from nearer, which are not so well handled. 
In the first place, it is a matter of great import- 
ance to procure good sound barrels, which will 
stand the usual hazards of transportation; 
those who make a business of shipping eggs 
have barrels made to order, strong and well 
hooped, rather larger than ordinary size, to hold 
about 75 to 80 dozen ; 05 to 70 dozen is as many 
as can be well packed into an ordinary barrel. 
Rye straw, cut into about half inch lengths, 
or wheat chaff, are more solid, are not so slip- 
pery, and are better than oats or any other ar- 
ticle in which to pack. Oats as packing are ob- 
jectionable for many reasons, and except in ex- 
tr< me hot weather, should not be used, if rye straw 
cau be had. And even in extreme hot weather 
the straw would be sufficiently cool, and pref- 
erable for eggs shipped by express. Both ship- 
pers and buyers generally lose money on the 
oats ; they are also much heavier than straw or 
chaff, and add considerable to the freight bill, 
which shippers would do well to consider; in 
fact those who ship largely and understand the 
business best, do not pack in oats. A mixture 
of wheat and chaff and cut rye straw is very 
much liked by dealers, and much used. What- 
ever is used should be perfectly clean and dry, 
to prevent spoiling the eggs by sweating. 
Commence by putting two or three inches of 
packing in bottom of barrel; place the eggs on 
their sides with butt ends toward the staves and 
not nearer to sides of barrel than half an inch. 
Do not crowd them too close together, but 
separate by at least one eighth of an inch from 
each other in every direction. Sprinkle the cut 
straw or packing over the eggs, and rub it well 
into all the spaces ; even off each layer with a 
circular piece of board or some proper leveller, 
made for that purpose, separating one layer 
from another, by about one inch of cut straw. 
Proceed in this manner with each layer until 
the barrel is full, when you heap cut straw on 
the top, and while you press down the head 
with one hand rock the barrel backward and 
forward on end, which will settle the contents 
as much as they will be likely to. This rock- 
ing is particularly important, as the eggs settle 
into a position from which the}' will not shift 
during the whole journey. Fill up with pack- 
ing, and press the head firmly into its place, and 
secure it. Be careful not to use too much pow- 
er, as eggs are iu that way often badly broken 
before leaving the shipper's hands. A levei- 
generally acts with more force than a person 
thinks, and is not so good as a screw, which is 
more gradual in its pressure, and the effect more 
apparent ; it also holds the head firmly in its 
place until fastened. A carpenter or person of 
any mechanical skill would know how to ar- 
range uprights of proper hight, with crossbeam 
and screw passing through, for this purpose. 
Keep correct count and mark the actual con- 
tents plainly on the head. A good way is to 
first count out as many dozen as the barrel 
should hold, say 75 dozen into a basket or half 
barrel. A reputation for accurate count is 
greatly to the advantage of the shipper, besides 
saving much time and annoyance in correcting 
errors, and a shipper's marks soon become either 
favorably or unfavorably known to buyers. 
It is usually advisable to make shipments by 
Express, especially in hot weather, as the extra 
cost of transportation is quite equalized by the 
eggs reaching market quicker, fresher, and in 
better condition, commanding better prices. 
There is no charge here for cartage on ship- 
ments by express, which of itself on small lots 
nearly saves the additional express charge. 
Always be sure that your eggs are fresh and 
sound when packed, as they are carefully ex- 
amined here, and it is unprofitable to pay freight 
on rotten eggs. 
Mummy Wheat, 
In the American Agriculturist for September 
(page 201) we stated that no reliance could be 
placed on the story that wheat found in Egyp- 
tian mummy cases had been grown and the pro- 
duce disseminated. In a recent number of the 
Presse Scientifique des Deux Mondes (France), is 
published a description of a series of experi- 
ments made by Figari-Bey, on wheal found in 
the ancient sepulchres of Egypt, and by him re- 
ported to the Institute of Alexandria. Two va- 
rieties of wheat were tried. The form of the 
grains had not been changed, but their color 
both within and without, bad become reddish, 
as if they had been exposed to smoke. On be- 
ing ground, they yielded a good deal of flour, 
but were harder than common wheal, and not 
very friable ; the color of the flour was some- 
what lighter than that of the outer envelope. 
Its taste was bitter and bituminous; and when 
thrown into fire, it emitted a slight but pungent 
smell. On lieinsf sown iu moist ground, the 
grains became soft and swelled a little during 
the first four days ; on the seventh day decom- 
position was apparent, and on the ninth day it 
was complete ; no trace of germination could be 
discovered at any time. Both wheat and barley 
from several different sepulchres were tried with 
similar results, and the experimenter is of opin- 
ion that wheat hitherto reported as obtained 
from mummy wheat, had proceeded from grain 
accidentally contained in the mould in which 
the former was sown, or at any rate not from 
seed "more than two thousand years old." 
During several years past we have from time 
to time received specimens of wheat, said to 
have been derived from mummies, and for which 
extraordinary qualities were claimed. Adver- 
tisements of such wheat have been sent to us, but 
of course declined, as we have no faith in any 
stories of the kind— manufactured as wanted. 
Hints on Wheat Culture. 
We gather the following from an address by 
Joseph Harris, Esq., of Rochester, N. Y., before 
the Monroe Agr. Society. He claims that 
wheat should continue to be the staple crop of 
the " Genesee Country," despite the midge, or 
the competition of the Great West. The rem- 
edy for the first, is found iu high culture that 
shall make the crop sufficiently abundant to 
give a good yield per acre, after deducting the 
amount destroyed by insects ; but more par- 
ticularly bringing it to such early maturity that 
the midge has no opportunity to work among 
it. The Mediterranean wheat remains uninjur- 
ed because of its earliness ; if a white wheat 
ripening at the same time could be found, it 
would be worth millions of dollars to the 
country. Much has been said about the ex- 
haustion of the soil, but as long as we can 
grow good crops of clover, the soil is capable 
of yielding good crops of wheat. So far as 
merely enriching the soil is concerned, it makes 
little difference whether we plow under the 
clover, or feed it to animals and apply the man- 
ure. If we plow in the clover instead of eating 
it off witli sheep, we furnish the soil with a 
large amount of carbonaceous matter. But 
this carbonaceous matter is not needed for 
wheat. In fact, the wheat would usually be 
better without it, as it has a tendency to retard 
the ripening of the crop. It is probable that 
the immense quantity of clover which has been 
plowed under in Western New-York, lias been 
one reason why the wheat crop has been in- 
jured so much by the midge.* Had the clover 
been eaten off the land by sheep, or made into 
hay and the manure returned to the land, the 
wheat would probably have ripened earlier and 
escaped the midge. It is desirable to see more 
wheat raised in that section during the next 
twenty years than at any former period, but it 
should be done by sowing less land instead of 
more. Plowing in clover has an undoubted 
tendency to produce an excessive growth of 
straw, and the use of poor manure will produce 
the same result. On rich land salt will check 
this tendency. In some experiments made re- 
cently on the farm of the Royal Agricultural 
Society in England, an unmanured plot of wheat 
produced 29 bushels per acre, and a plot dress- 
ed with 3 cwt. of common salt yielded 38! 
bushels, or an increase of 9i bushels per acre. 
John Johnston of Seneca Co. thinks there is 
nothing better than salt for stiffening the straw. 
He sows a barrel per acre, j usl before sowing the 
wheat. Lime is also a splendid manure for pro- 
ducing plump heads of wheat and a stiff straw. 
In regard to competition at the West, there 
need be little fear. Our soil is better adapted 
to wheat than most of the laud in that region, 
and the freight is equivalent to a protective 
duty. In the production of beef, pork, mutton 
and wool the West has the advantage of us, and 
we shall be obliged to submit to a much keener 
competition in the production of these articles. 
* It is tlmiutful whether farmers in Western N. V. wilt 
agree with Mr. Harris. Our own experience in crowing 
wheat in that region was decidedly in favor of turning 
under a good growth of clover, especially on moderately 
compact land. It bolh lightened the soil and furnished 
the nitrogenous elements, so useful to wheat. Let ns 
hear from practical men.— Ed. 
