184 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
^mmcsit ^jricuttoriat 
New-York, Wednesday, May 31, 1854. 
Subscriptions Expiring. —As we have before 
announced, the Agriculturist is sent no longer 
than ordered and paid for; so that any one re¬ 
ceiving the paper need not expect to receive a 
bill for it afterwards. With the last number of 
any subscription we send a notice that the time 
is up, or what is equivalent, we generally send a 
bill for another year. The bill is made out at 
the full price $2 a year. Those belonging to 
clubs will of course remit only the club price. 
-- 
PRACTICAL HINTS ABORT KEEPING MILK 
FROM SOURING. 
Milk is a compound substance, made up of a 
mixture of oil, (butter,) sugar, caseine (curd) and 
water. If allowed to stand still, the oily matter 
will rise to the top in the form of cream. There 
is a little free alkali (soda) in the water of all 
sweet milk, and without this soda the water 
will not have the power to keep the caseine or 
curd dissolved. The sugar of milk is also dis¬ 
solved in the water. If the sugar can get access 
to air it is constantly inclined to change to an 
acid, (lactic acid,) just as sweetened water 
changes to vinegar when exposed to air, and we 
can see just why milk curdles, and how it may 
be kept sweet. 
We all know that acids destroy or neutralize 
the effects of alkalies, (such as soda, potash, 
lime, &c.) As before stated, when the milk is 
new, there is some free soda in it, but when 
some acid is formed from the milk sugar, this 
acid neutralizes the soda, and the water without 
the soda cannot dissolve the caseine, but it sepa¬ 
rates into a mass of curd. More sugar turns to 
more acid, and in time the whole becomes quite 
sour. Now there are two ways of preventing 
this souring. The first is, 
Keep the air away from the milk as much as 
possible. We cannot very well keep the milk 
covered air-tight, but the oil or cream which 
rises to the top forms a very good cover if it is 
kept unbroken. If, then, it is desired to keep the 
milk some length of time, great care should be 
taken to keep it still, and preserve the cream un¬ 
disturbed. Those who get milk but once a day 
should divide it into several portions, each por¬ 
tion to be kept undisturbed till it is wanted for 
use. The second method is, 
Put into new milk a little extra soda to neu¬ 
tralize the acid as fast as it is formed. A bit 
of soda, say the bulk of a marrowfat pea to a 
quart of milk, will not injure its taste or quality, 
while it will often keep it sweet for a day or 
more longer than without it. We have often 
taken milk already beginning to sour and cur¬ 
dle, and by stirring in well a little soda, and 
boiling it, have re-dissolved the curd, and ren¬ 
dered the milk as sweet and good as when first 
drawn from the cow. We know that sweetened 
water will turn more rapidly to vinegar, (acetic 
acid,) if it is kept warm. Just so the sugar of 
milk turns to acid (lactic) sooner if kept warm, 
and on this account the cooler milk is kept, the 
longer it will remain sweet. 
It is well known that a heavy thunder-storm 
will offer render milk speedily sour. This may 
be effected in two ways: the agitation of a 
thunder clap may introduce more air into the 
milk, and the great amount of electricity pass¬ 
ing through the milk may hasten the change of 
the sugar to acid. We have heard it suggested, 
with how much truth we cannot say, though 
there is some plausibility in the statement, that 
milk is less likely to be affected by thunder if it 
is kept in glazed earthenware instead of metal 
vessels like tin pans; and also that it will, at 
such time, keep better if the vessels are placed 
upon dry wooden benches or shelves away from 
the walls, than if set upon the bottom of the 
cellar or milk-room. The reason assigned is, 
that the dry benches or shelves act as non-con¬ 
ductors, and prevent electricity from going 
through the milk in its passage from the clouds 
to the earth. 
The most important thing in the care of milk, 
however, is to leave it it undisturbed—not even 
moving the vessel, or agitating the surface from 
the time the milk is strained, till it is all re¬ 
quired for use. 
The shallower milk vessels are made, the 
greater will be the yield of cream, as it will the 
more readily rise to the top. 
- % 6 « - 
HINTS ABOUT AVOIDING FIRES. 
Very many large fires, as well as many se¬ 
vere burns, may be avoided by understanding 
that air is necessary to produce combustion, 
and that the exclusion of air is as effectual as 
an application of water. Indeed, in extinguish¬ 
ing fire, water chiefly acts by shutting out air, 
and any other means of shutting out the air is 
just as effectual. We have shown this fre¬ 
quently in lectures on heat, by pouring upon 
the table a quantity of spirits of turpentine, 
alcohol, or ether, and when set on fire so as to 
produce a large flame, we have instantly extin¬ 
guished it, by quickly spreading over it a silk 
handkerchief or piece of paper, which for the 
instant shut out the air. 
A week or two since, a young lady in Dan¬ 
bury, Ct., upset a camphene lamp, the contents 
of which spread over her dress and enveloped 
her in flames, but she seized a blanket from a 
bed, and immediately wmapped it closely around 
her, and thus smothered the fire, (shut out the 
air,) and escaped without injury. Five years 
since, we were transferring from one vessel to 
another, two gallans of mixed sulphuric ether 
and chloroform—both very inflammable sub¬ 
stances, which burn with a great flame—when 
a person in the room, carelessly brought a light¬ 
ed lamp near, and set the whole on fire. AVe 
instantly snatched a table-spread from a table 
near by, and with this entirely covered the 
flame and extinguished it. AVe sacrificed the 
dishes and food upon the table, but saved the 
house, perhaps the block of buildings, and per¬ 
haps our lives, as a moment’s delay would have 
enveloped the whole room in flames. 
Two years since a servant girl, contrary to 
oft-repeated and positive directions, undertook 
to fill a fluid lamp while burning, and, as was 
certain to be the case, the can of liquid took 
fire, (not “ exploded,”) and was dropped upon 
the floor, setting her under garments on fire. 
She ran for the door, but another domestic hap¬ 
pened to catch hold of her outer clothes in such 
a way as to draw them closely around her, and 
thus unwittingly smothered the flame, while a 
member of the family extinguished the burning 
lamp, can, and fluid upon the floor by spread¬ 
ing an ironing cloth over it. 
Some dozen years since, one of the boys on 
our farm, was at work in the horse and carriage 
barn before light, one winter morning. When 
called to breakfast he left the lantern where it 
was knocked down by one of the horses, and a 
large mass of straw for bedding was set on fire. 
When discovered, the whole mass—four or five 
feet in diameter—was in a flame that nearly 
reached to the hay hanging down from a mow 
above, containing several tons. In this case, a 
horse blanket was at once thrown upon the cen¬ 
ter of the flame, and others quickly added, and 
the fire extinguished without damage, although 
large volumes of smoke poured forth from the 
doors and other openings, and almost prevented 
any one from entering. 
AVe have known of instances of rooms being 
found on fire, where by closing them up, the 
fire has been confined, and kept in a smothered 
state until sufficient help with abundance of 
water could be procured to at once extinguish 
the flames. In a great number of instances, ex¬ 
tensive conflagrations could have been avoided, 
had the fire been kept where it originated till 
efficient aid arrived. This could have been 
done by simply closing up doors and windows, 
instead of throwing them all wide open, as is 
usually the case. 
We have thus given a few instances, and we 
might add many others, where serious injury 
has been averted by applying a simple prevent¬ 
ive, that of shutting out the free access of air, 
which is necessary to feed the flame. Let every 
person fix it in their minds, and in the minds 
of every member of their families, old and 
young, that other means than water may be 
used to smother fire. Do not teach this by pre¬ 
cept only, for in the excitement of a fire mere 
precepts will be forgotten, but let a few experi¬ 
ments be made before the family to illustrate 
the principle. 
For example, pour upon the hearth—or better 
upon a flat stone or board out of doors—a quan¬ 
tity of alcohol, turpentine, burning fluid, oil, 
ether, or other inflammable substance, set it on 
fire, and then extinguish it by spreading a cloth 
quickly over it. Re-light it and extinguish it 
with a newspaper, and repeat the experiment 
with a handkerchief, an apron, a dress, a cloak, 
a table-cloth, bed-quilt, &c. It would also be 
well to make the experiment with burning 
shavings, straw, &c. The experiment may be 
varied by smearing an upright block, barrel, or 
post with oil, alcohol, or otherwise, and when 
on fire, extinguish it with a cloth or old gar¬ 
ment. 
Some simple experiments like these are 
always interesting ; they develop thought, and 
prepare one for acting coolly and effectually in 
an emergency. They are drilling and manoeu- 
vering soldiers previous to a battle. 
A GOOD RECIPE. 
Rice.Balls.— A few days since we sat at the 
table of a Connecticut lady, who has fortunately 
been rightly educated to look upon the care of 
her own household affairs and the proper in¬ 
struction of her own children, as a higher and 
nobler occupation than nursing poodles and lap- 
dogs, or pursuing the gay baubles of fashionable 
