RENSSELAER COUNTY SHOW. 
243 
nets. Here, however, great care is required, or 
he will lose. The cheese must not be too large, 
from 40 to 50 pounds when well cured is the fa¬ 
vorite size, and they must be deep, mildly flavored, 
Well pressed, and so cured as to keep their shape. 
A great deal of cheese is spoiled upon the voyage, 
simply because the whey has not all been pressed 
out. The hold of a ship is generally very warm, 
and the cheese gets heated, and unless well cured, 
materially injured. In preparing it for market, 
casks are preferable to boxes, because it will keep 
quite as well if properly packed, and saves expense, 
as each package has to be weighed into the cus¬ 
tom-house, and it costs as much to weigh a box 
as a cask, besides it is easier handled in casks. In 
packing it into casks two things are of prime im¬ 
portance. 1. That all the cheese in the cask be 
as near alike as possible in color, taste, and weight. 
2. That there should be a thin board, the size of 
the cheese, between each one. Half-inch would 
be thick enough. Some put only a narrow strip 
of board, but this indents itself into the cheese, 
and injures them. When nothing is put between 
them, the cheese get stuck together, and are in¬ 
jured in separating. 
Lard. —Lard is worth so much for oil, and oil 
is in such good demand, that the export will cease 
in a short time, or nearly so. A good article of 
bladdered lard will generally pay. Sometimes also 
in kegs, and a very fair article in barrels. The 
bladders should be hogs’ bladders, and cleaned 
when taken from the hog. The process is very 
simple. The bladder is first blown up to its ut¬ 
most capacity, then turned, washed, returned, and 
put into a strong clear brine for twenty-four hours; 
changed again into fresh brine, and in about two 
days it will be bleached perfectly white, and the 
end sufficiently cured to keep after the bladder is 
filled. Much depends upon getting the bladder 
well bleached. When filled, it is turned inside 
out, suspended in a tub of cold water, and filled 
from a cask into which the lard has been strained 
long enough to get below the boiling point. As 
soon as filled it is tied up, and thrown into a large 
vat of cold water to cool. When put up for mar¬ 
ket, casks of the size of flax-seed tierces should be 
used, smaller would be preferable, and the blad¬ 
ders carefully packed between and among layers 
of clean chaff. In Ireland they use oat-hulls. 
Great care should be taken that they are kept dry, 
and do not get burst in the package. None but 
the very best lard should be put into bladders. 
Method of Selling.— The manner of doing 
business now is to consign the article to some 
house in Liverpool. After the consignment has 
come to hand, it is in due time landed, weighed, 
&c., and taken into the custom-house if bonded, 
which is the usual course. The consignee em¬ 
ploys a broker to sell. He advertises it for sale at 
public auction, at some future day. In due time 
it is put up and sold. 
Some little experience in that market satisfies 
me such is not the best way. Nine times in ten 
it is in the power of a few dealers to combine and 
have it at their own price* Besides, the expenses 
are materially enhanced—because you are com¬ 
pelled to pay all the broker’s charges extra. The 
true way for American dealers is to establish an 
agency in Liverpool or London, to whom thev 
should send their consignments. He could push 
them into the market as the price would warrant, 
and in a very little time have his channels which 
would be sure and safe. Until such a thing is 
done, our people will do business very much to a 
disadvantage. 
T. C. Peters. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
RENSSELAER COUNTY SHOW. 
Three Hills Farm, , October 3, 1843. 
Dear Sir : I attended the second meeting of 
the Rensselaer county Agricultural Society, which 
took place in the village of Lansingburg on the 
27th and 28th of September. The morning of the 
first day was cool, cloudy, and a breeze from the 
north rendered it rather unpropitious; but soon 
after 12 o’clock it cleared off, and the afternoon 
was clear and pleasant. At an early hour the 
roads leading to the village were thronged with 
pedestrians and vehicles of all kinds. The large 
number of the hardy farmers of the country, with 
their wives, sons, and daughters present, was evi¬ 
dence of the interest manifested in the fair, and a 
favorable ometi of the future welfare and success 
of the society. This is as it should be; for with¬ 
out the aid and countenance of the practical and 
working farmer, these societies would avail but 
little. The interest of agriculturists are insepara¬ 
ble from the permanent prosperity of every nation, 
and closely connected with the welfare of every 
individual of the human race. On agriculture all 
are directly or indirectly dependant for the means 
of subsistence, and toward its improvement all 
should be willing to contribute. 
The exhibition of stock was not what I expect¬ 
ed ; Rensselaer can do better; it was good what 
there was on the ground, but the number was 
small. Few counties in the state can show more 
or superior animals than Rensselaer. The town 
of Hoosick alone, I am confident, could make a 
good display in numbers as well as in quality of 
very superior animals of all kinds; but on looking 
over the list of entries, I found but one animal en¬ 
tered from that town ! This is not right, it should 
not be so. Every farmer, and particularly every 
member of the society, should contribute something 
to the exhibition; if it is but one animal or one ear 
of corn, it would iucrease the interest, and make 
them, by comparison, judge of its merits. We 
have often heard farmers, on viewing specimens 
exhibited, exclaim, “ Humph! I have a better 
animal, better cheese, or better corn, (as the case 
may be,) at home.” Now, we ask, in the name 
of common sense, why do they not bring them 
forth, and let others know what they have got ? 
There could be nothing lost, but something may 
be gained by the exhibition. 
The society were much indebted to our mutual 
friend George Vail, Esq., and two or three other 
spirited individuals, for the show of cattle. Mr. 
Vail had twelve head of his Durhams on the 
ground, among which was his imported bull Duke 
of Wellington, whose portrait you published in 
