AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
367 
other cheeses, but the finished cheese is salted 
(the salt rubbed on by hand) every few days for 
four or five months after being made, while 
curing on the shelf. This kind of cheese has a 
piquant, sharp flavor, and frequently an unsavory 
smell, to which, however, those long accustom¬ 
ed to it are quite partial. Large quantities of it 
are imported from Switzerland, by the German 
and Swiss of our large cities. Some of these peo¬ 
ple settled in our good dairy districts have gone 
considerably into its manufacture. 
Other Fancy Cheeses .—There are a variety of 
other cheeses made abroad, and which our dairy¬ 
men have frequently attempted to imitate in fla¬ 
vor and form, but we believe to little pecuniary 
advantage. The manner of making the best of 
them is essentially the same as our own, the dif¬ 
ference in flavor chiefly arising from climate and 
soil, with a little different management in work¬ 
ing up the milk, and treatment of the curd. 
The best of all foreign cheeses is the Stilton, 
made with a large infusion of cream, an extra 
amount of rennet, a high scald on the curd, and a 
hot-bed ripening (under horse-dung) to give it 
immediate maturity. Imitation Cheshire, and 
Gloucester cheeses are also made by some of our 
dairymen, but with indifferent success as to profit, 
in most cases, and hut an imitation, and that a 
rather imperfect one, in flavor. And so, in fact, 
with all our imitations. As we have already ob¬ 
served, soil, climate, food and temperature have 
more to do with the constituents of cheese than 
all else beside. These give the character to the 
milk. Skill, cleanliness, and system, on the right 
mode of manufacture, do the rest. These all in 
their best condition, a perfect American cheese is 
made, which is better than to copy any foreign 
process. We have eaten all sorts of cheeses, 
ever made or imported into this country, we be¬ 
lieve, from that costing fifty cents to a single dime 
per pound. We have eaten it while sipping old 
wines with a bevy of connoisseurs at an after din¬ 
ner sitting, while “ trying ” several varieties, and 
have seen, in summing up, the preference given to 
a good, old, well made ripe American cheese from 
our best dairy lands—which, with the good gras¬ 
ses, after all, (insisting that the process of mak¬ 
ing it be right) gives the crowning taste to a first 
rate article. 
BOXING CHEESE FOR MARKET. 
This is one essential point. A common cheese 
box is too common a thing to need description. 
It should conform to the size of the cheese. If 
too large, a stuffing of dry paper, or cut straw, 
should fill the vacant space so as to hold the 
cheese “ from shaking ” or moving within the 
box. The lid is to be secured by small tacks, and 
the box should be handled carefully until put in 
store. Many an otherwise good cheese is ruined 
from bad packing, careless handling, and trans¬ 
portation from the cheese-room to the sale shop. 
A word might be expected about 
CHEESE TRESSES. 
But the preference for the different kinds of 
these is so various among our experienced dairy¬ 
men, and the real difference between any very 
tolerable styles of presses, is so slight in practi¬ 
cal operation, that we have little choice which, or 
what kind to recommend. As a principle, how¬ 
ever, the “ lever ” press is the best. That will 
“ give,” somewhat, to the condition of the cheese 
while under pressure, while the screw is fixed, 
and no operation of the cheese itself will affect 
the pressure. Many an otherwise good cheese is 
spoiled in the pressing, and although it may be 
thought, on. the first suggestion, that it is of no 
consequence, the right pressing of a cheese is an 
important item in its manufacture. We would 
have the bed, or lower shelf of the cheese press 
movable, and work upward, as well as the “fol¬ 
lower” downward, which presses upon it from 
above, thus pressing both surfaces, top and bot¬ 
tom, alike. Then let the lever be as simple as 
possible, with the weights hung at the extremity, 
to be put on or taken off as the case requires. 
No written description of a proper cheese press 
can be perfectly understood, and I therefore ad¬ 
vise every one who is a novice in cheese-making, 
to examine the best presses, at the agricultural 
stores, or in use at the best dairies near home, 
before he adopts any one. 
After all, we do not expect to create a good 
butter, or a good cheese maker, out of one who 
has seen the process of neither, any more than 
to teach a man or woman how to make a watch 
by describing the wheels and the manner of fit¬ 
ting them. After a thorough instruction in the 
principles of making the articles, a degree of prac¬ 
tice is needed to thoroughly understand and do 
the work. Another chapter will be required to 
finish the subject. 
Hew-York City Meat Markets—How Sup¬ 
plied, etc.III. 
SHEEP AND LAMBS. 
Mutton is a favorite food with a large propor¬ 
tion of the meat eaters of this city, especially dur¬ 
ing hot weather. The large number of 450,787 
live Sheep and Lambs was received at the sev¬ 
eral regular city markets during the year 1858, 
besides large quantities of dressed carcasses 
brought in by boat and railway during cold weath¬ 
er, and occasional lots of live animals sent direct 
to the butcher. This gives a weekly average of 
8,669 head, although the supplies are very irreg¬ 
ular. During early Spring, before the lambing 
and shearing seasons, the numbers sometimes fall 
below 3,000 head per week, while in Autumn, pre¬ 
vious to putting them on Winter food, as many 
as 16,000 have been received during a single 
week. 
New-York State takes the lead in this supply, 
closely followed by New-Jersey, while Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michi¬ 
gan, Canada, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, 
contribute more or less. The first lambs of the 
season usually come in from New-Jersey, and 
sell alive at prices equivalentto about 25 cents per 
lb. for the dressed meat. The stock from the 
river counties of New-York, and the coast of 
New-Jersey, comes in daily by boats, while that 
from a distance arrives in double decked cars. 
There are four principal sheep markets in the 
city, viz.: Chamberlin's, at the foot of Ilobinson- 
st., on the Hudson River ; Browning’s, and O’¬ 
Brien’s, both on Sixth-st., near the Bowery ; and 
Allerton’s at the Forty-fourth-st. cattle yards. 
Covered pens and feeding racks are provided at 
each of these markets. The pens are in build¬ 
ings on floors one above the other. Inclined paths 
made of boards, with cleats, or strips of wood 
nailed on, are constructed for the sheep to asceffd 
to the different floors. An old tame sheep or 
leader is kept at each yard who is readily lead up, 
and the droves of sheep will generally follow him 
without difficulty. The charge for yardage is 
2 cents per head. The food consumed while the 
sheep are waiting purchasers is an extra charge. 
Those having them on sale, usually furnish the 
feed themselves. 
There are at each yard regular brokers, who re¬ 
ceive at the boats or cars any droves consigned 
to them, which they take to the pens, and dis¬ 
pose of to the best advantage they can. The bro¬ 
kers’ commission for care, selling, and collect 
ing, is usually about 10 cents per head. There are 
also sheep dealers who go through the country 
and buy up sheep at the best prices they can, and 
either bring them in, or send them to the brokers. 
As a general thing, however, it is better for farm¬ 
ers to sell their sheep at home, or come with them 
if they are acquainted with the city. 
Sheep are sometimes sold at so much per lb. 
live weight, which is readily ascertained by the 
scales, or agreed upon, estimating by the eye. 
When the market is well supplied it is difficult to 
sell them by weight, butchers preferring to take 
them at so much a head. At this season of the 
year, ordinary sheep, as killed in this market, will 
dress about one-half the home live weight, the 
pelt, blood and offal making up the other half. 
When fat they will dress from 52 lbs. to 55 lbs. 
and in some cases even 58 lbs. to 60 lbs. to 
every 100 lbs. of live weight. Of course these 
last are very fat. The prices vary greatly with 
the season and the relative supply and demand. 
Our Market Review gives the current prices from 
month to month. The only way to ascertain the 
home value is to estimate or ascertain the live 
weight, multiply this by the quoted prices, and 
deduct from this the expense of freight, yardage, 
feed, and commission, and a little more for risk, 
in change of price, etc. 
A great many of the sheep offered for sale dur¬ 
ing the Fall are in thin flesh, and sell at low 
prices. Farmers and graziers in the vicinity of 
the city occasionally buy such animals under the 
name of “ stock ” or store sheep for further feed¬ 
ing. 
Comforts tor Cattle. 
Good stables, good food, and good water, are 
the prime comforts for cattle in Winter. For 
Summer, whatever else they may have, how can 
they get along without a scratching-pole ! Rev. 
Sydney Smith, of England, was something of a 
farmer, and used to visit his cattle daily, and feed 
and pat them, until they knew his voice and wel¬ 
comed his coming. He used to do all in his pow¬ 
er to make them comfortable. He has been heard 
*o say : “ I am for all cheap luxuries, even for 
animals : now, all animals have a passion for 
scratching their back-bones; they break down 
your gates and paling to effect this. Look ! this 
is my universal scratcher, a sharp edged pole, 
resting on a high and low post, adapted to every 
hight from a horse to a lamb. Even the Edin¬ 
burgh Reviewer can take his turn ; you have no 
idea how popular it is. I have not had a gate 
broken since I put it up. I have it in all my fields.” 
Remarkable Hens. —A subscriber Mr. John 
Kuhl, Pope Go., Ill., writes to the Agriculturist , 
that two years since he raised, late in the season, 
three half-breed Shanghai chickens. The next 
Spring two of them commenced laying double 
yolked eggs, about the size of goose eggs, which 
they continued t.o do regularly throughout the 
season. The Spring following they laid only 
ordinary sized eggs, but the remaining fowl then 
began to lay double sized eggs as the others had 
done previously. These liens weighed respect¬ 
ively 6 lbs., 6£ lbs., and 7 lbs. Eggs-elent work ! 
--s3—*-«ga tg>- ■ 6 qc»- 
Mrs. Partington desires to know why the cap¬ 
tain of any vessel don’t keep a memorandum of 
the weight of his anchor, instead of “ weighing 
anchor” every time he leaves a port! 
Keep this in Mind. —Correction does much, 
but encouragement does more ; encouragement 
after censure is as the sun after a shower. 
