208 
fkye% Lactometer. 
mixing two or more perfectly barren earths to¬ 
gether. 
Clay land should also be underdrained when it 
can be done advantageously. When this is im¬ 
practicable, the land should so be thrown up with 
the plow, as to allow all the surface water to run 
off quickly, as this species of soil is peculiarly te¬ 
nacious of moisture, and one of the greatest diffi¬ 
culties in its cultivation is the keeping it sufficient¬ 
ly dry. The best system of plowing is to lap one 
furrow on to the other, thus, 
(Fig. 49.) 
Always plow in the fall for a spring crop when 
practicable. The advantages of this are many and 
great. The principal obstacle to vegetation in a 
strong clay, is the great adhesiveness of the earth, 
by which the rootlets of the plants can not pene¬ 
trate so as to extract nourishment for the support 
of vegetation. By plowing in the fall in the above 
form, the frost and air crumbles it into a light 
mass of earth, and without any further plowing 
the grain may be sown upon it and harrowed in, 
or it may be plowed thus, 
(Fig. 50.) 
a, a, surface of the soil unplowed. 
b, b, by portions of the soil untouched by the 
plow. 
c, c , c, furrows turned on the surface of the land. 
d, d, d, furrows turned on top of the first fur¬ 
rows. 
By the last system of plowing, we have equal 
advantages from the action of frost and air, with 
the additional one of having the general surface 
thrown somewhat higher above the wet than in 
the first example, and for roots or gardens, or any 
object requiring replowing in the spring, perhaps 
it is preferable ; the plow and harrow then giving 
to it such surface as may be required. 
Sandy land must receive a treatment just the re¬ 
verse. It should be rendered as compact as possi¬ 
ble, and for this purpose after plowing, seeding, 
and harrowing, it should be rolled as often and 
thoroughly as time will permit. All the intersti¬ 
ces between the particles of sand should be closed 
up as much as possible, so as to give a foothold 
for the roots, prevent the two rapid escape of mois¬ 
ture, and the evaporation of the gases from the 
manures. Those manures should be added that 
have a tendency to produce compactness and mois¬ 
ture, while clays should have such applied to them, 
as tend to separate the soil and give it dryness. 
Excessively coarse and unfermented manures are 
adapted to the latter; while for the former, the 
short manures, lime, gypsum, and ashes, are the 
most appropriate. 
The productions of these two soils should be 
somewhat different, to afford to the farmer the 
greatest amount of profit. Rye, Indian com, beans, 
clover, vines, &c., are the best adapted to sandy 
soils; while barley, wheat, oats, grass, &c., are 
best suited to the heaviest clay. 
By much the largest proportion of land is remo¬ 
ved far from the extremes, and with proper man¬ 
agement may be made to grow successfully, near¬ 
ly all the varieties of products claiming the farm¬ 
er’s attention. Such admits of more varied culti¬ 
vation, and are congenial to almost every variety 
of manures. Perfect success in the cultivation of 
any soil, can only be achieved by the closest atten¬ 
tion on the part of the farmer, who must watch 
carefully what is, and what is not, adapted to the 
peculiarity of his soil, manures, and climate. 
R. L. Allen. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
FRYE’S LACTOMETER. 
This cheap, simple, and readily-applied instru¬ 
ment can not fail to be of great utility to all per¬ 
sons who purchase or are concerned any way in 
the use of milk. It will enable the farmer to de¬ 
termine the quality of his dairy, and to select such 
breeds of cows, and give them such food as will 
yield a rich supply of milk. To heads of families 
and venders of milk in cities, it will prove equally 
advantageous in detecting frauds practised by milk¬ 
men in feeding their cows on slops, and in adul¬ 
terating their milk with water or otherwise. And 
above all, to mothers and nurses it will be invalu¬ 
able in affording them the means of testing the 
purity of the milk on which they feed their chil¬ 
dren. Medical writers afford innumerable proofs 
of ill health, disease, and even death itself in chil¬ 
dren and adults, where impure milk has been ta¬ 
ken as food. 
According to Berzelius, the obvious components 
of milk are cream, curd, and whey. 1,000 parts 
of cream of cow’s milk of a specific gravity of 
1.024, contains of 
Butter 
. 
- 
45 
Curd 
- 
. 
35 
Whey 
- 920 
1,000 
The remaining skimmed milk has a specific 
gravity of about 1.033, and consists of 
Water ------- 929 
Curd with a trace of butter - 28 
Sugar of milk - 35 
Lactic acid, lactate of potash, and a trace of 
lactate of iron - - - - 6 
Muriate and phosphate of potash, and earthy 
phosphates.2 
1,000 
If we extract the curd, the remaining substances 
constitute whey. The curd of milk, or caseous 
matter, partakes in many of its chemical proper¬ 
ties of the nature of albumen ; in other respects it 
resembles vegetable gluten, more especially in the 
fermentation which it undergoes when kept in a 
moist state. Hence it may be considered as par¬ 
taking of the nature both of vegetable and animal 
food. 
The quality of milk, and, consequently, the pro¬ 
portions of the several constituents above mention- 
