290 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
lution is added to the milk; but different parts 
of the maw are not of equal strength, and 
this plan is not advisable. In Cheshire, they 
take as many maws, or maw-skins, as will be 
required for the whole season; add two 
quarts of water for each; let them stand 
from 36 to 48 hours ; pour off the liquid; 
saturate it completely with salt., and then 
during the summer keep it constantly skim¬ 
med, and add salt from time to time. It may 
be new to some persons, that these maw- 
skins when thus used, may be again salted 
thoroughly and dried, and they will be quite 
as effectual as new skins the second year, 
when they may be treated in a similar man¬ 
ner. Indeed, they can be used through a 
long series of years, or as long as there is 
anything of them left. In making the run- 
net, various substances are used, such as 
pure water; perfectly clear whey; a tea 
made by steeping sweet briar, dog-rose, 
bramble, and different varieties of aromatic 
herbs and flowers ; while others put in lem¬ 
ons, cloves, mace, brandy, &c. All these 
substances have a tendency to make the run 
net keep better, lessen its unpleasant smell, 
prevent disagreeable taste to the cheese, or 
directly improve its flavor. Experienced 
cheese-makers have generally a flavor of 
their own, but to new hands we would not 
advise the use of anything with the runnet 
solution, except a small quantity of alcohol. 
30. How Runnet Acts .—As stated in a 
former chapter, (4) the casein (curd) or 
cheesy portion of the milk is held in solu¬ 
tion by the water as long as any free soda is 
present, but the lactic acid, constantly being 
formed in milk exposed to the air, soon neu¬ 
tralizes this soda, and the casein then sepa¬ 
rates into a curdled mass. The soda may 
be neutralized at once by the addition of any 
acid (sour) substance; and this plan is adopt¬ 
ed by many large cheese-makers ; but we 
are so accustomed to the flavor of runnet 
cheeses, that this substance is still usually 
employed. It is generally supposed that the 
gastric juice of the stomach left in the run¬ 
net curdles the milk, but this is doubtless a 
mistake, since the gastric fluid is washed 
out in preparing the stomach, and if not, it 
would be destroyed by the salting and dry¬ 
ing. The probability is, that the maw-skins 
become partially decomposed on the surface, 
and that this decayed portion when washed 
off and added to the milk, promotes by its 
presence the speedy conversion of the milk 
sugar into lactic acid. We know that the 
presence of any decaying animal membrane 
in milk sugar, produces such an effect im¬ 
mediately. This accounts for the fact that 
the maw-skins may be used year after year, 
or as long as any animal matter remains to 
decay. When well coated with salt, there 
is but a small portion of the surface that thus 
decomposes annually, but still enough to pro¬ 
duce the desired effect. 
For Bird Fanciers. —It is not safe to keep 
birds in painted wire cages, especially in 
warm weather. The paint softens in the 
heat, the birds are apt to nibble it, and to 
get poisoned. This is a fact, and those hav¬ 
ing valuable birds in such cages should re¬ 
move them. 
Illinois Agricultural Exhibition. —The 
Illinois State Agricultural Society will hold 
its Third Annual Exhibition at Chicago, Oc¬ 
tober 9th to I2th inclusive. The premiums 
are liberal, and embrace a large list of arti¬ 
cles. From several sources we learn that 
very extensive preparations are being made 
to get up this exhibition on a larger scale 
than any one heretofore held at the west. 
The central position of Chicago, the numer¬ 
ous railroads centering in that city, and the 
energetic character of the men engaged in 
the enterprise, all give assurance that it will 
be highly successful. The following are the 
present officers of the State Society: 
President—Harvey C. Johns, Decatur, 
Marion County. 
Vice Presidents—John Gage, Waukegan, 
Lake Co.; Lewis Ellsworth, Napierville, Du 
Page Co.; Wm. Strawn, Ottawa, La Salle 
Co.; Smith Fry, Peoria, Peoria Co.; Wm. 
Boss, Pittsfield, Pike Co.; F. Arenz, Arenz- 
ville, Cass Co.; J. M. Blackburn, Paris Ed¬ 
gar Co.; Cyrus Webster, Salem, Marion Co.; 
P. L. Ward, Equality, Gallatin Co. 
Recording Secretary—S. Francis, Spring- 
field, Sangamon Co. 
Corresponding Secretary—John A. Iven- 
nicott, West Northfield, Cook Co. 
Treasurer—.T. Williams, Springfield, San¬ 
gamon Co. 
The Tompkins County (N. Y.) Agricultu¬ 
ral and Horticultural Society will hold its 
next Exhibition in Ithaca, September 27th 
and 28th. An address will be delivered by 
B. P. Johnson, Esq., Secretary of the State 
Society. The Society will hold a trial ex¬ 
hibition of plows at Ithaca on the 5th of Sep¬ 
tember, to which adjoining counties are in¬ 
vited ; a Dynometer to test the draught is 
promised. The following regulation is 
worthy of general adoption : 
“ The Committee in awarding premiums 
have concluded, in all casses, to award an 
Agricultural Paper for $2 premiums—the 
person receiving the same being at liberty to 
select any paper or number of agricultural 
papers whose subscription price is equal to 
$2 per annum ; believing that a circulation 
of agricultural papers will be vastly more 
beneficial than the payment of the premium 
any other way.” 
We append a list of the present officers: 
President—Smith Robertson, Dryden. 
Vice Presidents—A. B. Lamont, Dryden; 
Orrin Bostwick, Enfield ; David Crocker, 
Lansing; Isaac Banker, Hector; E. L. B. 
Curtis, Danby ; P. H. Thompson, Ulysses ; 
Lafayette Cutter, Newfield ; Aaron Wood¬ 
bury, Groton ; Aug. Phillips, Ithaca ; T. M. 
Boyer, Caroline. 
Corresponding Sec’y—N. Crittenden. 
Secretary—Chas. G. Day. 
Marshal, aided by Assistants—S. H. Purdy. 
Marshal of the Hall—Anson Braman. 
Committee on Floral Decorations — The 
Ladies of Ithaca. 
Executive Committee—S. IT. Coy, Eph. 
Manning, Arnold Vincent, Ithaca ; B. Freer, 
A. G. Updike, W. C. Woodworth, Ulysses; 
Wm. Carman, John Woodward, G. R. Bur- 
ritt, Hector; Henry Brewer, D. Colegrove, 
Charles fisher, Enfield ; R. Estabrook, Chas. 
M. Starr, Wm. Stratton, Newfield; Jacob 
Bates, Francis Nourse, Isaac I. Dickinson, 
Danby; Joseph McGraw, Jr., Peter Mulks, 
Allen B. Benham, Dryden; D. C. Roe, John 
Cross, Wm. H. Taft, Caroline ; Jacob Al¬ 
bright, Aaron Woodbury, JohnP. Hart, Gro¬ 
ton ; Albert Baker, John N. Townly, Bruyn 
Bogardus, Lansing. 
We are indebted to the kindness of the 
Secretary, Mr. Chas. G. Day, for the above 
particulars. 
The Litchfield County (Conn.) Agricul¬ 
tural Exhibition will be held at Litchfield, 
October 2d and 3d. The committee appoint¬ 
ed for the purpose, announce that, through 
the liberality of the citizens of the town of 
Litchfield and prominent members of the 
Society in other towns, they have been able 
to procure suitable grounds, inclose the same, 
and erect suitable fixtures and buildings for 
all the various departments of the Exhibi¬ 
tion. The officers of the Society are, 
President—Abraham Beecher,Bethlehem. 
Vice Presidents—Robbins Battell, Joseph 
H. Bennett, and M. D. F. Smith. 
Recording Secretary—R. A. Ford, Litch¬ 
field. 
Treasurer—Stephen Trowbridge, Litch¬ 
field. 
Corresponding Secretary—Josiah G. Beck¬ 
with, Litchfield. 
For the American Agriculturist, 
THE USE OF FRUIT. 
Perusing your paper of the 14th June, the 
article extracted from “ Hall’s Journal of 
Health ” strikes me as peculiarly appropri¬ 
ate, and deserves to be read, and thought be 
had thereon. Living on the very verge of a 
cypress swamp, and for the past 25 years, 
(within a few months,) I have had some prac¬ 
tical observation of the health of people, and 
particularly of cotton-field negroes, in con¬ 
nection with fruit. 
Usually I have an abundance of fruit, and 
when so, our negroes have free access at 
midday only, unless they lay aside a portion 
at that hour, or commit a trespass—both of 
which are done. When our peach crop fails 
not, we gather at noon by the basketful, as 
also of apples. These are brought to the 
cook-house, and each darkie has as much as 
he desires. We also gather figs at the same 
time, very often to the bushel in quantity. 
Melons are hauled in when convenient, and 
when in full season each negro takes his 
melon each day and toddles off. We never 
forbid fruit except after sundown. 
In bygone days, I peddled pills, by way of 
helping to feed the young ’uns, which gave 
me some insight to others’ management. As 
the writer in the Journal justly says, our 
negroes are generally healthy—of course 
there are exceptions, and much more disease 
on some plantations than others. Fruit in 
season, in forenoon, noon, or afternoon, I 
have found to be a great preservative of 
health. I have known injury to result from 
fruit, but always by an abuse. I remember, 
about 1817, my father lost a negro man from 
apples, but he had secreted them in his bed 
while quite sick, and when an Allopathist 
M. D. was dosing him with calomel, jalap, 
rhubarb, &c., perhaps—so it is even doubt¬ 
ful ivhether the Doctor’s drugs, the disease, 
or a dose of apples killed the negro. I also 
knew a dose of corn-bread and buttermilk to 
kill a white man ; he was pronounced con¬ 
valescent from cholera, and six hours after 
