47 
THE WHEAT OF TAOS.—BUTTER-MAKING IN ORANGE COUNTY. 
t&era. If they want this stock let them go to 
England and fetch them, they will then know their 
true value; at present I intend to make steers of 
all. Nor do I intend to show another animal in 
this country for a premium as long as a combined 
prejudice exists. 
William H. Sotham. 
Hereford Hall , near Albany , 
December Qth, 1843. 
(a) As our Mark Lane Express is not at hand, 
we can not quote the prices of the Short-Horns to 
which our correspondent refers. We can say, so 
far as our acquaintance extends, that there is every 
disposition to do the Herefords even more than 
justice; and we hope that Mr. Sotham will not 
regard the expressions of a few, as the opinions 
of the public in general. We know that several 
of the Short-Horn and Devon breeders much re¬ 
gretted that Mr. Sotham did not exhibit his stock 
at the State Show at Rochester last year, and they 
will be more disappointed, as well as the great 
body of the farmers, if he do not appear in strong 
force next September. We hope the Society will 
have the fairness the present year to class the dif¬ 
ferent breeds by themselves, and not put Herefords, 
Devons, and Short-Horns, as heretofore, against 
each other. They might with as much propriety 
arrange Cotswold, Merino, and South Down sheep 
in one class. 
THE WHEAT OF TAOS. 
Allow me, through the medium of your jour¬ 
nal, to direct the attention of agriculturists to a 
very peculiar kind of wheat to be found only in 
New Mexico, at least so far as I have been able 
to ascertain. I allude to the wheat of Taos, which 
is a small hamlet situated in a deep, narrow valley, 
between lofty ranges of mountains 60 miles north 
of Santa Fe. 
The peculiarity of this wheat consists in the 
plurality of heads or ears, differing from our com¬ 
mon wheat heads only in size, being a trifle short¬ 
er, and thicker, but equally well filled out. The 
berry is quite as large, the flour as white and good 
as the wheat cultivated in this country. The stalk 
also is stronger and thicker, and but a very few 
inches shorter. About eight inches below the top 
and immediately above a joint, a small seed-stalk 
is sent out two or three inches long, terminating 
in a head or ear. At a proportional distance, say 
1 2 inches above the first seed-stalk, another is sent 
out in the same manner as the first, and so on con¬ 
tinuously for six heads; the main stalk or straw 
terminating also in a head like the common varie¬ 
ty. It produces in all seven heads or ears of the 
same size and character. By the Mexicans it is 
generally distinguished from the other wheat as 
El trigo de siete espigas, (seven-headed wheat.) 
The stalks on a field of this wheat, appear to 
a casual observer, to be nearly as thick as other 
wheat; but as this condition, with its multiplied 
heads, would have produced something like five 
times the quantity of an ordinary wheat-crop, it is 
probable that it stands much more scattering. I 
am satisfied, however, it produces much larger 
crops than other wheat, and that it is well worthy 
a trial by our American farmers. 
I procured about a pint of the seed, which I 
took with me on my route to California, but which 
I subsequently lost on my perilous journey, or per¬ 
haps it was consumed amid the extremity and pri¬ 
vations to which we were subjected. 
Mr. George Gold, a raiser and distiller of wheat 
at Taos, above, is the first person who directed 
my attention to it. From him, the seed can prob¬ 
ably be procured, through Mr. John Scully of San¬ 
ta Fe, who is well acquainted with Mr. Gold. 
J. H. Lyman. 
BUTTER-MAKING IN ORANGE COUNTY. 
I have delayed until now a compliance with 
your request, to furnish to you a statement of the 
progress of butter-making, as pursued in our coun¬ 
ty, with a view to obtain from a number of our 
best butter-makers, the details of their process. 
As the statements received do not materially differ 
from each other, or from my own mode of pro¬ 
ceeding, I shall give you that. 
The Milk-Room.— It is all-important that this 
should be cool , dry, and moderately light , with a 
free circulation of air. Mine is in the cellar of 
my farm-house, ventilated by means of two win¬ 
dows about two feet square on the north side, and 
a like window, and a lattice-door on the south 
side, all covered on the outside, with wire-gauze, 
fine enough to exclude the flies. The floor is 
formed by a layer of small stones, six inches deep, 
well grouted , (that is, a mortar of lime and sand, 
thin enough to run freely, is poured upon the 
stones until they are entirely covered with it,) and 
when dry, a thin covering of water-lime cement is 
put upon it, and made smooth with the trowel. 
This costs little, if any more than a plank floor, 
and effectually keeps out both rats and mice; and 
as water does not injure it, it is easily kept perfect¬ 
ly clean and sweet. The milk-pans stand upon 
marble slabs, raised upon brick-work, about two 
feet from the floor, and the butter is worked upon 
a marble table. A pump is placed at one end of 
the room, bringing the water through a lead-pipe 
from the bottom of the well, and the water dis¬ 
charged, runs the whole length of the cellar in a 
channel prepared for the purpose, when the floor 
was cemented, and escapes through a fine iron 
grate, cemented into the floor, over the mouth of 
the drain. The churn stands in the milk-room, and 
is worked by a dog-power machine, on the outside 
of the building. The milk-room should be used 
exclusively for dairy purposes. 
Dairy Utensils. —The cows are milked into 
wooden pails, not painted on the inside, and kept 
perfectly neat and sweet. They must be thorough¬ 
ly cleansed, dried, and aired, morning and evening; 
and never be used for any other purpose. The 
pans should be shallow, with sides much more 
slanting than the usual pattern of pans which we 
