THE LACTOMETER, OR CREAM GAUGE. 
157 
existence of the metal. Similar deposites have 
been found in various places both in the old and 
new world. Many that at one time yielded im- 
mense quantities of the precious metal, have long 
since become exhausted, and are now wholly aban- 
doned or wrought at a compensation less than is 
received for any equally laborious occupation. 
New Mexico, Brazil, and various other sections 
are examples in point. The washings from the 
mountains in the interior near Rio Janeiro furnish- 
ed $10,000,000 annually, a century and a half ago; 
but for years, the memory of their existence has 
been lost to the inhabitants. 
The placers, or washing*, of California are rich, 
probably as much so as any that ever existed ; but 
as all similar deposites, hitherto discovered, have 
become nearly exhausted, we are forced to the con- 
clusion that the same result will eventually follow 
in this country. Of the mines that may now be 
locked up in the bowels of the earth, there may 
remain inexhaustible stores, which will continue 
to give out their reluctant hordes for ages to come. 
But, in the meantime, the placers are better suited 
to reward the efforts of frontier life, than any mines 
could possibly be. The adventurous, hardy pio- 
neers that now flock to the country, can go out 
single-handed, with their bowl and pitcher, or what 
is better, in w T ell-arranged companies,and each gather 
enough to satisfy a reasonable ambition ; while the 
deeper and more inaccessible deposites, now hid- 
den in their original veins, will be yielded up only 
at the call of patient, scientific research, aided by 
the resources of accumulated capital and an elabo- 
rately-perfected, mechanical skill. [We have here 
to omit a large and interesting portion of our cor- 
respondent's letter for want of room and appropri- 
ateness to our columns. We add, with great plea- 
sure, his conclusion. — Eds.] 
Having thus given you an outline of the current 
intelligence respecting the gold of California, 
which you doubtless will have amplified an hun- 
dred fold from other sources, I shall confine myself 
in future, principally to topics connected with the 
geography and scenery of the country, and its cli- 
mate, soil, productions, and agricultural capabili- 
ties. * * * 
San Francisco, Feb. 2<ith, 1849. 
SUPPOSED INJURY FROM PLOWING- UNDER 
GREEN CORN STALKS. 
In a communication from Andrew Nichols, of 
Danvers, Massachusetts, published in the Agricul- 
tural Transactions of that state for the year 1847, 
he says : — I once had as much corn fodder, that is, 
as many corn stalks as would grow without ma- 
nure, at least five or six tons to the acre, carefully 
covered by the soil in the month of September ; 
and the result was no benefit to the land, the loss 
of the crop plowed in, and half the cut crop of corn 
planted thereon the succeeding year ! 
Did the buried crop then really injure the soil 1 
Perhaps not. I account for the last-named loss by 
the fear I had of losing much of the fertilizing 
quality of the rich mass which I supposed was rot- 
ting below, should I turn it up by the plow, and 
expose it to the sun and air by so doing, and con- 
sequently planting the corn on manure in holes, 
without plowing the land at all, presuming — mis- 
taken man that I was — that the roots of the corn 
would find no difficulty in permeating a soil so rich 
and spongy, as I supposed that must be. But in 
reality, the soil was neither rich nor spongy. The 
stalks, instead of rotting, had fermented and had 
been converted chiefly into alcohol and vinegar — the 
former flying off by evaporation, and the latter unit- 
ing with the alkaline or ferruginous earths, form- 
ing salts less fertilizing, perhaps, than their bases, 
as they existed in the soil previous to their union 
with the acid. Whatever theory on this subject we 
may adopt, I presume it will be generally admitted 
that alcohol and vinegar are poor, very poor food 
for animals or vegetables. And consequently, such 
vegetables as produce these most abundantly — 
those containing much sugar — such as corn stalks, 
especially when green, are not the best articles for 
the purpose under consideration. Buckwheat and 
clover are probably better. 
• 
THE LACTOMETER, OR CREAM GAUGE. 
This useful instrument consists of one or more 
plain glass tubes rather more than 10 inches long, 
and of uniform diameter. The upper part of each 
tube is divided into inches and tenth parts, begin- 
ning at the height of 10 inches, and counting from 
0, downwards, for the space of three inches. Then, 
each division will, of course, represent one per 
cent, of the whole. 
Fig. 41. Lactometer, or Cream Gauge. 
When it is required to test the quality of an 
evening or morning's milk, all that is necessary to 
be done, is to fill the tube until it reaches 0, and 
allow it to stand 10 or 12 hours, by which time the 
cream will have separated itself from the milk, 
and be distinctly seen floating on the surface to a 
depth, perhaps, of 2 to 3 inches, according to its 
richness. In the same manner, by having six tubes, 
as represented in the above cut, the comparative 
value of the milk of six different cows may easily 
be ascertained, and their usefulness for dairy pur- 
poses more correctly determined than by any other 
means. 
Care must be observed to fill the tubes as soon 
as the milk is taken from the cow ; for, should any 
delay take place, a portion of the cream will have 
