THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
99 
doubt, iau. mere is, anuually', ten times as much : 
soil an i (itter washed trom our fields, as is taken j 
off in the torm ol produce. Now, if this can be 
prevented, the period of /ruitiulness will be 
lengthened out for years, even under bad hus- 
bandry. Ditching will accomplish this end — 
and then ahat manure may be put on “is there,” 
and will there remain, increasing the productive- 
ness, from year to year, in proportion to the kind 
and quantity annually used, the mode of its ap- 
plication, and the skillfulness ot the tillage. 1 
know that duelling "■per se” cannoienricli land, 
any more than the President, “pe/-ss”can annex 
Texas. But let one be “ backed” by manure, 
and the other by the Senate, and both objects 
will be accomplished; and I may add, as in aie- 
public, rotation in office is right, so in agricul- 
ture, rotation in crops is useful. 
Where is the manure to come from, to be ap- 
plied to our whole farms 1 From every where. 
Decayed or decaying vegetable matter is ma- 
nure, give me this matter, and the fertilizing 
salts (so much talked of) will be there. If you 
think not, add more, and no harm will be done. 
In addition to the places where manure is usu- 
ally sought, go to the wood-yard, fence corners, 
pig stye, hog beus, and peradventure the mansion 
yard, these may all furnish some. The woods 
and branches furnish it largely. Look at the 
drifted leaves, intermixed with soil, in swamps 
and vallies, where they have been : ecumulating 
for ages ; look at the soil in places inaccessible 
to the plow ; look at the marsh mud — muck you 
call it; look at all ot these, and then say if we 
have not the elements of prosperity at our com- 
mand. And don’t look only, bu’ gather up, and 
have it upon your fields: and don’t haul by the 
day or two, or week or two, but make a business 
of it. Start, as when with axe and mattock, the 
forest was invaded to clear a field or “open a 
farm.” Next let deep furrows be made at the 
proper distance for planting. The deeper they 
are made the better. Fill them with such ma- 
nure; break the balks deep with that good old- 
fashioned sub-soil plow, the coulter; then with 
good cultivation it will be seen that labor thus 
bestowed on old land, will yield a larger profit, 
than the same amount devoted to clearing. 
If I live, Messrs. Editors, ymu shall have the 
result of such an experiment. Far be it from 
me to say any thing against well-meant or 
promising plans or exertions to promote the in- 
terests of agriculture. Hence I will not con- 
demn the various new-fangleds method of mak- 
ing manure by humid fei mentation or other- 
wise. Thus made, it is doubtless richer and 
more stimulating, but also more cost^in labor 
and money, than manure produced ny spon- 
taneous decay, or by the agency of animals; but 
I will venture the opinion, that twice as much 
land may be equally enriched, with a given 
amount of labor on the plan I suggest, as can be, 
on the tedeous, manipulating process of Jauffret, 
adopted substantially by Boramer, If, however, 
this process is a good one, I wish it success. 
Of this we shall doubtless soon be informed, as 
some are testing its virtues by experiment. In 
the mean time, I shall content myself with the 
oldrfashioned process of humid fermentation, to 
wit, the teeth of cattle in lieu of crowbars, and 
their stomachs for vats. But for such materials 
as they will not lend their inner organs to reduce, 
I assert ray sovereignty, and demand the use of 
their heels and hoofs, in trampling them to the 
proper state. Colonus. 
Cavinglrm, June 15, 1844. 
For the Southern Cultivator. 
BEES. 
Mr. Editor — In perusing your invaluable 
agricultural periodical,” I occasionally see 
short paragraphs concerning bees. As we de- 
rive one of our greatest luxuries from them, per- 
haps it would not be amiss to tell how the in- 
dustrious little laborers should be treated. 
In the early part of the spring season, as soon 
as they commence flying out, the hive should be 
placed in a cool, shady situation. During the 
j whole spring and summer, the hives should be 
I laised from the bench on which they sit, at least 
! once a week, and brushed under to remove the 
webs which are formed by worms that are high- 
ly destructive to bees. As soon as they cease to 
labor in the fall, the hive should be exposed to 
the cold, but kept dry. In a cold place, they 
soon become torpid, and of course they consume 
but little food; also, they are not “ in vited out” 
in the open air, where they would soon perish. 
In “ robbing,” or taking the honey from them, 
it should never be taken out lower tha” half way 
down the hive. It is improper to “drive” them 
from the hive they inhabit into another, unless 
the hive is defective; for, in doing so, we de- 
stroy hundreds of young bees in the embryo 
state. Yours, &c., Unus. 
Camp Ground, Monroe Co., June dth, 1844. 
NEW METHOD OF OBTAINI.NG CREAM. 
We extract the following from ihe valuable 
Report of the Hon. Mr. Ellsworth, Commission- 
er of Patents, 
Ne^o Method of obtaining Cream from Milk ; by 
G. Carter of Nottingham Lodge, near EUkam, 
Kent. 
The process of divesting the milk of its com- 
ponent portion of cream, to an extent hitherto 
unattainable, has been effected by Mr. Carter, 
and is thus detailed by that gentleman in a pa- 
per presented to the Society ot Arts ; 
A peculiar process of extracting cream from 
milk, by which a superior richness is produced 
in the cream, has long been known and practis- 
ed in Devonshire; this produce of ihe dairies of 
that country being well known to every one by 
the name of “ clotted” or “ clouted” cream. As i 
there is no peculiarity in the milk from which ! 
this fluid is extracted, it has frequently been a 
matter of surprise that the process has not been 
adopted in other parts ot the kingdom. A four- 
sided vessel has been formed of zinc plates, 
twelve inches long, eight inches wide, and six 
inches deep, with a false bottom at one half the 
depth. The only communication with the low- 
er apartment is by the lip, through which it may 
be filled or emptied. Having first placed at the 
bottom of the upper apartment a plate ofperfo- I 
rated zinc, the area of which is equal to that of ! 
the false bottom, a gallon or any given quantity 
of milk is poured (immediately when drawn 
from the cow) into it, and must remain there at 
least for twelve hours. An equal qtianii.y of 
boiling water must then be poured into the low- 
er apartment through the jip. It is then permit- 
ted to stand twelve hours more, (i. e. twenty- 
four hours altogether;) when the cream will be 
found perfect, and ot such consistency that the 
whole may be lifted off by the finger and thumb. 
It is, however, more efleclually removed by 
gently raising the plate of perforated zinc from 
the bottom, by the ringed handles, without re- 
mixing any part of it with the milk below. 
With this apparatus, I have instituted a series 
of experiments, and, as a means of twelve suc- 
cessful ones, I obtained the following results : 
Four gallons of milk, treated as above, pro- 
duced in 24 hours, 4j pints of clotted cream ; 
which, after churning only 15 minutes, gave 40 
ounces of butter. The increase in the cream, 
therefore, is 12^ per cent,, and of butter upwards 
of 11 percent. 
The experimental farmer will instantly per- 
ceive the advantages accruing from its adop- 
tion, and probably his attention to the subject 
may produce greater results. 
Prom Mr. Foy on Preserving Batter, 
Hartford, Jan. 12, 1844. 
Sir— In answer to your inquiry. What has 
been your practice inputting up butter, especial- 
ly for preservation in hot climates, or for long 
voyages I I will cheerfully state that I have had 
considerable experience on this subject, and in 
some particulars, good success. There are ma- 
ny things required to insure good butter. The 
butter itself must be well made; that is, worked 
enough and not too much, and salted with rock 
salt. This being well done, and the buttermilk 
ail expelled, the butter may be packed in good, 
white-oak, well seasoned casks, well filled. In 
cool climates larger casks can be used. In hot 
climates it is best to have small casks — say from 
25 to 30 lbs. — so that too much need nut be ex- 
posed while using. Then put these smallcasks 
into a hogshead, and fill up the same with a 
strong pickle that will bear an egg, and the but- 
ter may be shipped to the West Indies or Eu- 
rope, and kept perfectly sweet. I have never 
found saltpetre or sugar of any benefit. Butter 
of my packing has opened as good in the West 
Indies as it was in Connecticut. I will remark, 
that to keep butter in ice-houses, when it re- 
mains frozen, will answer, if the butter is to be 
continued in the same temperament; but if itis 
exposed to warm weather, after being taken 
from the ice-house, it wil not keep as long as if 
it had not been exposed to so cold a temperature. 
Yours, respectfully, G. Fox. 
Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, 
Commissioner of Patents. 
From the Mains Farmer. 
CO.MPOST MANURE. 
A correspondent, who has just commenced 
farming, desires to know the “cheapest method 
of making compost at the shortest notice.” This 
! is a desideratum to the farmer; a question in 
which every one is interested, and which is inti- 
! mately connected with the fertility of his soil, 
the abundance of his harvests, and the profit on 
his expenditure in money or labor, or both. An 
answer to the question, however, cannot be giv- 
en, which will kit every case, because of the dif- 
ferent location, and of the abundance or scarcity 
of the means, which will exist in different situa- 
tions, We would advise our friends to seek out 
a place, if such an one can be found in his pre- 
mises or neighborhood, where swamp muck can 
be found in abundance, and of easy access. 
This word, "muckf is a general term, and is 
usually applied to any deposit of vegetable mat- 
ter in a moist situation. Sometimes it occurs 
in a sta'e of dark, finely divided matter, which 
is, more properly speaking, muck. Sometimes 
it occurs in the form of fibrous matter, matted 
and interwoven together, when it is called peat. 
In each case it contains a large quantity ol that 
peculiar substance which is now called humus, 
and which contains one of the essential elements 
of the food of plants. It is, however, in an in- 
soluble state, and while in this state, that is, as 
long as it cannot be dissolved in the water or 
moisture which is in the soil, it cannot be taken 
up b} the pores of the roots, and converted to the 
substance of the plant to which it is applied. 
Theexperimentsof Dr. Dana, of Lowell, Mass., 
have proved that the best substance which can 
be added, in order to change this muck from an 
insoluble to a soluble state, is alkali. A mix- 
ture, therefore, of ashes with it, will bring about 
the desired change. Leached ashes will answer 
very well for this, but unleached ashes are bet- 
ter because of their containing more potash, 
and, of course, require a less quantity of them. 
The cheapest mode, therefore, of making com- 
post, is, when muck and ashes can be easily ol> 
lained, to mix them together in suitable propor- 
tions. But our friend wishesto know the quick- 
est mode, as well as the cheapest. Whether 
this dispatch and cheapness can be combined 
together, depends very much on circumstances. 
By hauling muck and ashes into our cattle yard 
or into the hog-sty, and letting them be there to 
undergo the changes which will inevitably take 
place during a six month’s exposure to the ope- 
rations which must act upon it, we get a first 
rate manure, at a cheap cost. If we mix the 
muck and the ashes together, and occa«ionally 
shovel them over so as to intimately incorpo- 
rate them, we get a cheaper compost, but not so 
rich in the nutritive ingredients as if it had been 
exposed in the cattle or hog yard. The most 
expeditious mode of decomposing muck, straw, 
sods, and such like materials, will be to combine 
them together in a heap, or large mass, and wa- 
ter them occasionally, with what we call a rot- 
ten liquor, or in other words, water which is 
impregnated with vegetable and animal matter, 
