January , 1859 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
9 
venient to the yard. It lias a cement bottom, 
with racks for holding the pans of milk. The 
butter is here churned in large dash churns driv¬ 
en by water. The buttermilk is carried in pump- 
logs (12) under ground to the piggery (1). The 
wl> r from the reservoir, after turning the wheel 
n the milk-room, is also conveyed in logs under 
ground to a trough in the cattle yards. The sur¬ 
plus water is then carried to irrigate the fields, 1 
and 2. This irrigation has largely increased the 
yield of grass—the hay gathered sometimes 
amounting to four tuns per acre. 
We may add here, that on portions of the up¬ 
land the brush has been burned over, and sown 
with seeds of maple, beech, locust, &c. ; 
hickory and black walnut have also been set 
out—all of which are growing well, and 
promise an abundance of good timber and fuel. 
Buckwheat, millet, oats, rye, carrots, potatoes and 
turnips are grown to advantage in the lowlands. 
Millet has been found profitable, as food both for 
cows and swine. 
The past year 50 cows, and about 70 hogs and 
pigs have been kept. The animals are mostly 
natives, or common stock raised in the vicinity. 
The cows show a little admixture of Devon blood. 
The farm help consists of a man and his wife, 
two girls and a boy—each of whom milks ten cows. 
The cream only is churned, experience having 
shown that on this farm this mode is preferable 
to churning the whole milk. The milk-room is 
kept scrupulously clean, and well ventilated. Af¬ 
ter churning—in large dash-churns of the com¬ 
mon form—the butter is thoroughly worked, and 
an ounce to the pound of fine-ground Ashton 
salt is then carefully and evenly incorporated. The 
butter is packed hard into white oak firkins, and 
afterwards kept in a cool place. Special care in 
making butter of the first quality only, is here, as 
everywhere else, well repaid by the higher price 
it brings in the market. The whole product of 
this dairy amounting to over 8,000 lbs. netted very 
nearly 24 cents per lb. in market. The extra care 
in making butter of this quality did not cost 
any more than it would to have produced 
the millions of pounds of butter that has been 
sold in this market at 14 to 18 cents per lb. The 
most essential requisites here sought after are 
pure cold water, cleanliness, good salt, and espe¬ 
cially, thorough working of the butter, and hav¬ 
ing a good dairy-woman. 
STATISTICS OF DAIRY, ETC. 
We gathered from Mr. Pratt himself the follow¬ 
ing statistics for the past year (1858), which will 
be found valuable for comparison and reference 
in several respects. For comparison also, we 
add the statistics for 1857, which we glean from 
the State Agricultural Report. Avery strict daily 
account is kept of the weight of the milk and 
other items. 
Number of Cows kept. 
185 J. 
50 
Number of Hogs kept .. 
50 
MILK. 
Whole weight, April 1st to Dec. 
1 st (8 months). 
245,736 
Equal to. 
31,842 
Average for each Cow.. 
5,0941 
636) 
A-verage daily yield - ... 
1,044 
130) 
Average yield per Cow, 
,daily, .lbs 
galls 
rday.ibs 
20 ) 
2 ) 
26) 
Maximum per Cow, pei 
BUTTER. 
S 858. 
50 
70 
260,450 
32.556 
5,209 
651) 
1,067) 
133) 
21 ) 
21 
311 
Total product in 8 months.... 
lbs 
6,590 
8.050 
Which sold for. 
. $1,547.54 
$1,924.02 
Average amount per Cow ... 
lbs 
130 
161 
Average daily yield of 50 Cows 
■lbs 
26) 
33 
Average per Cow, per day.... 
ozs 
10 ) 
Average milk to lb of butler.. 
• lbs 
39) 
32) 
. .qu 
trts 
20 
16) 
XV note amount of Pork made.. 
lbs 
4,627 
7,403 
l’"rk for each Cow. 
lbs 
92} 
148 
Which sold for. 
$4.56 
$8 42 
Butter sold per Cow. 
$30.95 
$38.48 
Total receipts for each Cow.. 
$35.51 
$46.90 
Summary, 1857. 
6,500 lbs. Butter sold for. $1,547.54 
4.627 lbs. Pork sold for. 328.16 
Total Product.$1,875.70 
Labor and other expenses.$715.50 
Interest on estimated capital ($10,000)... 7t0 00 
Total expenses.$1,415.50 
Net profit for 1857.$460.20 
Summary, 1858. 
8,050 lbs. of Butter sold for.$1,924.02 
7,403 lbs. of SI .oats and Pork sold at 4e.(H)6c. 421.08 
Total receipts.$2,345.10 
Labor and other expenses.$608.50 
Interest on capital. 780 00 
Total expenses.$ 1,380 50 
Net profit for 1858.$964.60 
In addition to the Butter and Pork, the farm 
has produced the past year, (1858), 250 bushels of 
potatoes, 100 bushels of turnips, 100 tons of hay, 
besides a fair amount of corn and other cereal 
crops. Five head of cattle have also been fatten¬ 
ed. In attempting to raise a crop of carrots, the 
past season, Mr. Pratt failed from having poor 
seed which did not vegetate. 
- ->-►- 
Written for the American Agriculturist—Prize Articles. 
The Dairy —No. I. 
As this subject, from the extent of investiga¬ 
tion it will require in the articles of Butter and 
Cheese, will demand a series of chapters, which, 
in the end, will be fully equivalent to a cheap and 
available hand-book for every rural housekeeper, 
we shall, even at the risk of appearing tedious at 
first, try to cover all the necessary ground, and in 
the most condensed manner possible, to embrace 
this entire interest of our agriculture, namely : 
the Proper Soils and Climates; the best kinds of 
Cows; the proper Grasses and Foods; the best 
methods of making Balter and Cheese. We shall 
not follow the modern custom of going to Eng¬ 
land, Ireland, Holland, France, or Switzerland for 
our main ideas, but endeavor to discuss the best 
and most approved modes of dairy practice at 
home—contending, by the way, that we both can 
and do make as good butter and cheese in the 
United States as in any other country whatever. 
The Dairy is a largely productive branch of our 
agricultural wealth. Millions of capital in land, 
buildings, cows, and labor are invested in it—more 
or less productive, as the soil and climate where¬ 
on and wherein it is located, are appropriate, and 
the labor applied skillfully directed. Of its im¬ 
portance, then, no argument is necessary. 
THE BEST DAIRY CLIMATE, 
of the United States, as so far developed, may 
be said to commence at about the parallel of 41° 
north, and extend to about 45°, while its pres¬ 
ent practical longitude extends from the Atlantic 
Coast to about 5° west from the meridian at Wash¬ 
ington, taking in the majority of the “ Western 
Reserve” lands in Ohio, bordering on Lake Erie, 
and embracing in its range that section of Ohio, 
Northern Pennsylvania, the ‘‘Southern tier” of 
counties in New-York—or all the western part of 
the State south of the lime-stone wheat region, and 
near Syracuse, running north to Lake Ontario, and 
following its southern border to the St. Lawrence, 
and thence east to the Atlantic Ocean. There 
are some exceptions, however, even within these 
boundaries, caused chiefly by the soil, and geo¬ 
logical character of the country; but, so far, this 
region comprehends the chief present Cheese¬ 
making, as well as the best Butter-making, dis¬ 
trict of the United Stales. 
There are many localities, however, outside, 
both south, west, and north in the Canadas, 
where good butter is made, such as the “ Sweet- 
scented-vernal-grass ” neighborhoods of Philadel¬ 
phia, and other portions of Pennsylvania, anu 
some others not now necessary to recount. To 
explain the term, “ good butter,” we mean but¬ 
ter that can be packed for market, which will 
keep sweet for table purposes six months to a 
year, including its shipment for “ Navy ” con¬ 
sumption—like the “Irish Rose Butter,” or that 
of Holland. Every-day table butter of fair quali¬ 
ty can be made almost anywhere that good grass 
will grow, or other succulent food can be obtained 
for cows ; but such butter will not keep for any 
length of time, and for distant market purposes, is 
unprofitable to the purchaser. The new States oi 
the Northwest may in time produce good butter 
for the Eastern markets when their artificial 
grasses shall have become properly developed, 
but as yet their soils have not proved them to be 
a part of the favored dairy region. 
THE DAIRY SOILS, 
so far as producing the best butter and cheese is 
concerned, are peculiar, particularly in cheese. 
What the peculiarities are it is not, in all cases, 
easy to describe. A rolling, elevated country, 
hilly oftentimes, abounding in springs of soft 
water, and drained by clear, rippling streams 
flowing over gravelly beds, compose its predomi¬ 
nating character ; while loamy soils, inclining to 
clay—or argillacious, running into shale, are the 
strongest usually, as being the natural blue-grass 
and white clover lands, and usually of “ second¬ 
ary” formation. Yet fine dairy lands are found 
in the “ primitive ” districts, loamy, in general, 
with a friable warm subsoil beneath, and some¬ 
times abounding in loose stones, or fixed rock, 
either granite, or trap—as in New-England, East¬ 
ern New-York and Northern New-Jersey—while 
the shales and clays predominate chiefly in the 
dairy lands of Northern, Southern, and Western 
New-York; Northern Pennsylvania and Ohio. 
In all these the best and sweetest natural grasses 
obtain—and perhaps half a dozen or more differ¬ 
ent varieties abound, in themselves full of the best 
milk-producing qualities. Among them the com¬ 
mon blue-grass ( poa-comprcssa ,) and white clover 
( trifolium-repens ,) predominate, while they are 
filled in with timothy, red-top, red-clover, spear, 
or June-grass ( poa-pratensis), and some others 
less conspicuous. We say natural pastures, as 
distinguished from such as require re-sowing 
every few years on soils not tenaciously holding 
these grasses by their natural tendency—like some 
of the strong limestone lands, the very best for 
wheat, but not so friendly to natural pastures. 
Indeed, we contend that no lands are of the best 
quality for either the butter or cheese dairy where 
the grasses upon them are not of the above-named 
varieties, and where they will not flourish con¬ 
tinuously from year to year without plowing and 
re-seeding. Such varieties are eminently healthy, 
and nutritious, producing milk in the largest quan¬ 
tity, and richest quality. 
It may be asked, why are not the wide prairies, 
and vveoded regions of the Western and North¬ 
western States equally good for the dairy, produc 
ing, as they do, the finest beef, and wool, and in a 
climate essentially the same as the soils above 
described 1 In answer, we say that the soil is es 
sentialiy different; the water is hard, and the face 
of the country unlike. Besides, no butter oj 
cheese of the best quality has been yd produced 
there, although frequent trials by experienced 
Eastern dairymen have been made. “ Western” 
butter, of any age, is usually quoted in the East 
ern Markets as “ grease ” at a low price, and 
cheese made west of the “ Western Reserve ” is 
scarcely known, any where. So far, then, the 
cheese districts of our country seem to be pretty 
well defined, while the table butter of those re 
