STEEPING SEEDS.-MAKING CHEESE* 
151 
one-third of an acre only, rather a strong loam, 
with an easterly slope, from a field that had carried 
a corn crop two years in succession, and was more¬ 
over pretty well worn down by previous hard crop¬ 
ping, with but scanty manuring. 
When the com stumps were harrowed down, 
three bushels of bone-dust were sown over it, then 
plowed and harrowed again. Early in June, two 
waggon loads of dirt from the wood-pile ground 
were spread on it, and the piece was divided into 
three equal parts, each, of course, one-third of an 
acre. On the first division was spread unleached 
wood ashes, at the rate of 50 bushels to the acre. 
On the second, lime rubbish (old house wall) at the 
rate of 250 bushels to the acre; on the third, coal 
ashes at the rate of 60 bushels to the acre. A 
short time after, it was plowed and harrowed 
smooth, and planted with mercer potatoes (from 
down east), cut rather small, on the 18th of June, 
in rows three and a half feet asunder, and eighteen 
inches apart in the rows. 
The weather continuing very dry, after the mid¬ 
dle of July, the first and only hoeing, a thorough 
one was given without plowing between the rows. 
The vines did not grow large, but during the dryest 
weather looked green and healthy. 
Before digging (which was on the 17th Oct.) I 
took up half a peck from each division, that I 
might be able to test the different qualities, if any, 
produced by the three last applications. The result 
was, the coal ashes gave one per cent, more than 
the lime rubbish, and the wood ashes two percent, 
above the coal ashes. The quantity was only at 
the rate of 120 bushels per acre. No difference in 
quality could be discovered ; but they were alto¬ 
gether the best of the kind I have ever grown. 
Not a potato was affected by the rot, and not one 
was found hollow in the centre—a consequence 
unexpected, as heretofore my large mercers have 
very generally been unsound. Arch’d Jayne. 
Setaulcet, March% 1846. 
We should be pleased to learn from our corres¬ 
pondent what kind of soil it was on which he 
planted his potatoes, as coal ashes have been ap¬ 
plied by several of our friends to the light gravelly 
and sandy soils of Long Island without effect. 
But on clayey soils, as detailed pages 55 and 107 of 
our current Yol., it seems that they were productive 
of considerable benefit. 
Steeping Seeds. —The agricultural papers, from 
time to time, recommend the steeping seeds before 
planting, to facilitate tl;eir germination. This is 
always well when the ground in which they are 
planted is sufficiently moist. But when the ground 
is so dry (as is sometimes the case) as to extract the 
moisture from the steeped seed, it delays germina¬ 
tion, if, indeed, it does not kill the seed. During 
the drought of last year, dry seeds generally sprouted 
sooner than soaked ones, and in some cases the 
latter dried and died in the ground. Hence the 
above caution (a). T. 
Ohio, March, 1846. 
(a) When it is very dry seeds should be planted 
deeper than ordinary; they will thus be in the re¬ 
gion of moisture, and pretty sure to generate. 
MAKING CHEESE. 
Two years ago I was unacquainted with the 
practical part of cheese-making, and in order to 
hold on to the knowledge gained by experience, 1 
commenced entering in a book the heat of the milk, 
and the heat of the air at the time the runnet was 
put in ; each cheese was numbered, and any other 
remarks made which might be called forth by cir¬ 
cumstances during the process, or until cheese was 
safely deposited on the shelf. On referring to my 
book for the past season, I find that all the cheeses 
from No. 76 to 106 (at which number we quit 
making), were of an excellent and pretty uniform 
quality. The variation of the atmosphere was 
from 60 to 90 degrees—the heat of the milk from 
83 to 90, when the runnet was added, but mostly 
85 or 86. I also find by referring to my book, that 
the cheeses from No. 1 to 75 were made from 
milk coagulated at a greater degree of heat, some¬ 
times even as high as 96. The weather was 
mostly hot during the time these cheeses were 
made. They were not, however, of uniform good 
quality, some heaved up and became like loaves of 
bread in shape, others cracked, making excellent 
harbor for flies and other insects, and one or two 
landed in the hog-trough, not, however, from 
poverty, for richness seemed to be rather a fault of 
my cheese. 
The only material difference between the cheeses 
made after No. 76, and those made before it, is, the 
different heat of the milk when the runnet was 
added. During the time our cheeses were good, 
our process was as follows : The milk 85 degrees 
—a small handful of salt to be added to every 10 
or 12 gallons of milk. Let the runnet be strong 
enough to do its office in one hour, then cut the 
curd into squares with a long knife reaching to the 
bottom of the tub—spread a clean strainer over it, 
through which in ten minutes begin carefully to 
dip off' the whey, by gently forcing down a bowl 
or tin pan—heat some of the whey first dipped off, 
when the curd has become somewhat compact, pour 
in some whey at such heat as will make the mass 
in the tub 90 degrees, after the curd has been 
coarsely broken by the hand to allow the warm 
whey to mix with it. At this stage of the process, 
wait five to ten minutes, then commence dipping off 
the whey, and get the curd pretty dry as soon as 
possible—take it out in handfuls and put it in a 
strainer and vat, and put it under a screw-press for 
about fifteen minutes, pressing very gently at first, 
but with considerable force before the expiration 
of the fifteen minutes, when it should be taken out 
and broken up till there are no pieces of curd 
larger than a kernel of corn. This should be done 
as quickly as possible, and in a warm place if the 
day is cool; if this is not attended to, the particles 
of curd may not unite well, and the cheese might 
be unsound. 
While the curd is in the fine state, a portion of 
salt, to the taste of the maker or his customers, may 
be added and mixed well with it; or the salting 
may be done after the cheese is finished pressing, 
by keeping it twenty-four hours or longer in a tub, 
rubbing it frequently with salt, and turning it over, 
taking care to pour off the brine daily. We have 
practised both these methods of salting with suc¬ 
cess (our cheeses are about 12 lbs.), but I prefer 
