214 
MANUFACTURE OF NAVY BUTTER FOR FOREIGN STATIONS. 
Cotton planted too early, becomes stunted, and the 
food required by the lice, destroys the plant. Do 
not worms injure a puny, half-raised baby ? And 
does not a hearty, robust babe keep hearty in spite 
of the worms'? I believe one half the negroes at 
least , in this country, have worms, yet none are in¬ 
jured, unless a dirt eater, or an old ague subject. I 
have known hearty persons pass worms. 
I am told that sulphur inserted into a small hole, 
and then plugged up, will certainly drive every 
caterpillar off. Is it so'? [No.] 
M. W. Philips. 
Edwards, Miss., April, 1848. 
MANUFACTURE OF NAVY BUTTER FOR 
FOREIGN STATIONS. 
The manufacture of butter for the navy of 
the United States on foreign stations, requiring 
60,000 lbs. annually, having been brought to 
the notice of the Executive Committee of the 
New York State Agricultural Society, they deem 
it of sufficient importance to our dairymen to in¬ 
vestigate the subject. In the proposals issued by 
the bureau of provisions and clothing of the navy 
department, in describing the quality of butter to be 
delivered, it is said, “the butter must be of the 
description, quality, and manufacture of the present 
navy butter, made in the mode of ‘ Irish rose 
butter .* The milk must be thoroughly worked 
out, and the butter cleansed of all impurities, and 
extraneous substances, and be put up in seasoned, 
white-oak firkins, containing about 80 lbs. each, 
well and strongly hooped, so as to be perfectly 
air and pickle tight. Persons offering proposals 
are required to produce satisfactory evidence that 
their butter will stand the test of tropical climates, 
and preserve their sweet and wholesome qualities 
for years, &c.” 
On inquiry, it was ascertained that the butter, 
which has been furnished under this contract, has 
usually been what is called Orange county butter ; 
and the gentleman who has special charge of this 
department is of opinion that no butter made out of 
Orange county will resist the action of tropical 
climates, and preserve its qualities for years. From 
the statement in the proposals that the butter was 
to be made “ in the mode of Irish rose butter ,” it 
was deemed important to ascertain how Irish rose 
butter was made (if there was any such butter), of 
which the committee were entirely uninformed. 
The secretary opened a correspondence with gen¬ 
tlemen in Liverpool and Ireland in relation to 
this subject, and a portion of the result of the cor¬ 
respondence is hereunto annexed. 
The question, whether all the butter to be used on 
distant foreign voyages, and on foreign stations, by 
the military and commercial marine, must be made 
in the county of Orange, becomes more and more 
important, as our commerce annually extends. It 
is doubtless true that the soil and climate have an 
influence upon the quality of the butter. The 
grasses in particular localities are better adapted to 
the production of a superior article than in others; 
but it has been supposed that the region peculiarly 
adapted to the production of good butter in this 
state, instead of being confined to a single county , 
extends to quite a number of counties; and it is 
not believed that there is any such peculiarity con¬ 
nected with Orange county as to give it pre-emi¬ 
nence over other counties in the Catskill Mountain 
range, and some other localities in the state. 
It has been the object of the society to ascertain, 
what localities are best adapted to the dairy, and 
for that purpose liberal premiums have been offered, 
requiring a minute and careful detail of all the cir¬ 
cumstances connected with the soil, climate, water, 
grasses, &c., so that it might be ascertained what 
locality is best suited to the dairy ; and it is hoped 
that such results will be arrived at as will reasona¬ 
bly demonstrate all that is desired. 
In the geological survey of this state, particular 
attention was given to this subject, by one of the 
geologists,- Professor Mather, of the first geological 
district, which included the counties of Washington, 
Saratoga, Schenectady, Scoharie, and Delaware, and 
all east and south of this line in the state. In 
speaking of the agricultural character of the Cats¬ 
kill division, he says, 
“ This country is admirably adapted for grazing, 
both for cattle and sheep, and the fine sweet grass 
and cold springs, offer as great facilities for making 
excellent butter as the world affords. A large 
proportion of the butter sold under the name of 
Goshen butter, which is celebrated for its superior 
qualities, is made in the mountainous region of 
Delaioare, Sullivan , Ulster, and Greene counties .” 
There are several other counties in this state, 
where butter of the very best quality is made, 
which has stood the test of tropical climates, and 
some of the butter from these counties commands 
as high prices as any in our markets. From their 
geological character we should expect this. There 
can be no doubt that the butter from a great num¬ 
ber of localities in the state will prove equally 
serviceable as from any of the counties of the 
Catskill Mountain range, if the same attention is 
given to its manufacture as is given by the best 
Orange county dairy women, and reference is made 
to the extracts from letters from several butter 
dealers in New York, which clearly establish this. 
From the county of Chenango, a contract was 
made, in 1847, by way of experiment merely, for 
ten thousand pounds for the use of the navy. The 
butter under this contract has been delivered and 
inspected, and the gentleman who inspects butter 
for the navy, on examining and inspecting this lot, 
speaks of it “ as excellent butter, for Northern 
New York butter, but also speaks of the inability of 
any butter to stand the test of foreign climates and 
time, that ivas not made in Orange county This 
is the opinion fully entertained, we are assured, by 
all the gentlemen of the navy department who have 
charge of this bureau. It is of vital importance 
that measures be taken to correct this error, if error 
it be, as the opinion is honestly entertained. 
By the contract which is made for the manu¬ 
facture and delivery of the butter for the navy, it is 
provided that it “shall be made according to the most 
approved Irish method) the milk to be thoroughly 
worked out and the butter cleansed of all impurities, 
&c.” Not a word in the contract about Irish rose 
butter which is prominent in the proposals for con¬ 
tracts. Why was this so drawn. Was it to prevent 
those who never heard of Irish rose butter who 
might otherwise have been inclined to offer propo¬ 
sals, not to do so, being ignorant of how Irish rose 
