222 
PLANTING CUTTINGS IN VINEYARDS.-ITEMS. 
longest; and in one instance they had never lost a 
single can. On asking the reason of this, I was 
told that, the milkers must have filled the cans of 
cold milk with warm milk directly from the cows, 
which causes it to sour. “ This,” said the woman, 
“ is always the effect of mixing the two.” Ano¬ 
ther cause of souring, she said, “ is in consequence, 
of not immediately depriving the milk of its ani¬ 
mal heat. Some farmers set the cans of milk in 
cold water, and there leave them. The water soon 
becomes warm, and is but little better than if they 
were not put in at all. Others draw off the water 
as soon as it becomes warm, and replace it with 
cold, until the milk is sufficiently cooled; while 
others place their cans in a cold spring or vat of run¬ 
ning water, where it soon becomes perfectly cold. 
But the best way,” said she, “ for T was brought up 
on a dairy-farm, is to put the milk in large pans 
placed in running water, which will cause it to 
cool immediately; and then pour it into the cans, 
leaving off the lids or covers, for all the gases to 
escape, until they are ready to convey to market.” 
By this time the husband came in, and I turned 
my attention to him, as his wife and daughter were 
busily engaged in waiting upon their customers. On 
asking him whether some lots of milk from the same 
cows do not make more butter at one time than ano¬ 
ther, he replied that he had churned through the 
hot weather with his own hands; that he had 
measured the milk and weighed the butter produced 
from it; and that he had found it would require 
from 11 to 20 quarts of milk, brought from the 
same farm, to make a pound of butter, but could 
give no satisfactory reason why it was so. 
New York , June 1st, 1847. A Traveller. 
PLANTING CUTTINGS IN VINEYARDS. 
In the report of the proceedings of the New York 
Farmers’ Club, in the May number of the Agricul¬ 
turist, I perceive some remarks by Dr. Underhill, 
which seem to contain rather a sweeping denuncia¬ 
tion of the article on “Planting the Isabella Grape 
Vine,” published in the February number of the 
same journal. Dr. Underhill, I think, very deser¬ 
vedly enjoys a high reputation as a successful 
grower of grapes, and his opinion is entitled to con¬ 
siderable weight, which I cheerfully concede; but as 
he is not infallible even in regard to the grape, and 
as his opinion on this subject passes with many 
for “ law and gospel,” it seems to me unreasonable, 
that his mere assertion, particularly when it conflicts 
with the experience of hundreds of others, should 
be given to the world without some qualification. 
That the good-natured Doctor means well, and 
believes what he says, I am perfectly willing to 
admit; but in the heat of debate his enthusiasm 
often carries him much further than he would be 
willing to go in his cooler moments, and he is the 
last man to recede from a position he has once taken. 
It is one of the Doctor’s foibles that he believes he 
Das discovered the only true method of cultivating 
the grape, and that all others are wrong; and conse¬ 
quently he denounces in strong terms every system 
which is not a fac-simile of his own. I have read 
your article with much care, and though my own 
views on the subject differ a little from yours, I 
must say that I consider your remarks, on the whole, 
as being very judicious and much to the purpose. 
Now I, for one, should like the Doctor to tell us 
why your directions are not adapted to this country. 
His naked denial is nothing to the purpose, unless 
he can back it by some good and substantial rea¬ 
sons. But I do not design to enter into a discussion 
here; what I more particularly wish to notice, is, 
the Doctor’s broad assertion that cuttings will not 
succeed in the vineyard. Now I venture to assert, 
that I have had more experience than the Doctor 
himself in striking cuttings in this country, and I 
take upon myself to say that, as a general thing, 
they will succeed; and a person who understands 
their nature, with ordinary care, will generally 
lose as few in the vineyard as the Doctor frequently 
does in his nursery. If he had said the practice 
would not succeed on Croton Point, he would have 
said a fact within his own experience, and one 
which no one would have felt inclined to doubt 
who had ever seen that place; for the soil of his 
vineyards is little else than pure sand, which the 
wind plays with at pleasure. This statement is 
made on the authority of a person who is perfectly 
familiar with Croton Point, and there is no reason 
to doubt its correctness. In such a soil it would be 
difficult to make cuttings of any kind strike, except 
in a wet season, and then they would strike 
nowhere better. The Doctor makes a great mis¬ 
take in supposing that what will not succeed on 
Croton Point will not succeed anywhere. It is 
absurd to make Croton Point the standard, as it 
were, of the whole country. The Doctor will have 
to yield the point in this case, for experience is 
strongly against him. But perhaps I have said 
enough for the present. I will just remark in con¬ 
clusion, that there may naturally be a difference of 
opinion as to the relative advantages of striking 
cuttings in the nursery and in the vineyard, and 
this subject I am quite willing to discuss with the 
Doctor. I leave him to choose which side he 
pleases. The fact, that cuttings will generally 
strike in the vineyard under ordinary circumstances, 
seems past dispute. Pax. 
Improved Candle-Wicks. —An improved candle 
may be made by steeping cotton wicks in lime- 
water, in which a considerable quantity of salt¬ 
petre (nitre) has been dissolved. By this means 
is obtained a pure flame and a superior light; a 
more perfect combustion is ensured; snuffing is 
rendered nearly as superfluous as in wax-lights; 
and the candles thus made do not run nor waste. 
The wicks should be thoroughly dry before they 
are covered with tallow, otherwise they will not 
burn with a uniform and clear light. 
Exhibition of the N. Y. State Agricultural 
Society at Saratoga. —Those who intend to com¬ 
pete for premiums should remember that all the 
animals and articles must be ready for examination 
on the first day of the exhibition, Tuesday, the 
14th of September. The first day will be devoted 
exclusively to the examination by the judges of the 
animals and articles exhibited, and no persons will 
be admitted within the enclosures on that day but 
the officers of the society, judges, and exhibi¬ 
tors. 
