ting, in both his larger and smaller “ Birds 
of America.” The synonymy now stands: 
Emberisn TownaendiU Aud., Om. Biog\, II, 183, 
plate 400. (1834;) do. Birds of America, HI, 63. pi. 
157, (1841.) Nutt. Man. 1, 528,2d edition, (1816.) 
Evsniza Tov'nmndiL Bon. List. (-;) Baird, 
R. R. Rep. VoL IX, 495, (18S3-fl.) 
E. M ICHTvNEK, M. D. 
New Garden, 21st of 12th mo., 1871. 
require to stand in the churn by the stove 
for several hours. When ready it should be 
churned very rapidly, and as little water as 
possible used with it. I use no water on 
butter after it comes from the churn. 
Thorough working with the hand or wood¬ 
en ladle is my plan for taking the milk out 
of it. 
The best seasons for packing butter are 
May and October; the former for summer 
and the latter for winter use. When taken 
from the churn L work out all the. milk F 
can, salt more than for present use, and set 
it in a cool place for ten or twelve hours. I 
then give it another thorough working, by 
whicll it is ent irely freed from milk. I then 
pack it down, perfectly tight, in a new 
earthen or stone vessel, and cover it with 
a cloth, on which I put an inch of fine salt 
to exclude the air. When the vessel is full 
it is closely tied with paper, the cloth and 
salt still remaining. By keeping in a dry, 
cool place, butter made and packed in this 
way will remain perfectly firm and sweet 
formany months. Sarah H. Porch. 
Kirkwood, Mo. 
CHEESE FACTORY NOTES 
CALIFORNIA QUAIL 
A joint stock company for the manufac¬ 
ture of cheese has just been formed in the 
North Riding of the Countv of Oxford. 
They purpose building a curing house 100 
by 42 feet, three stories high; concrete floor 
in the lower flat; the lower story also to be 
stone. The Directors would bo much obliged 
if you would answer tho following ques¬ 
tions : 
The best method of vent ilating this build¬ 
ing, especially the lower story. Would 
openings at the side of the building be suffl- 
oiont, or would it, be necessary t o conduct 
the air in pipes nearer the center? 
The size and form of windows, and how 
opened? 
The best method of raising t he cheese to 
the second and third floors with engine? 
Would you recommend feeding hogs or 
making whey butter?—F. Malcolm, Jnner- 
lctp P. ()., (ini, 
I. The proper ventilation of cheese curing 
rooms i - very imperfect ly understood, or at 
least very poorly carried out in practice 
among the cheese factories. We have seen 
good results from the use of openings even 
with the floor, provided with wickets, sons 
to regulate draft or t o close entirely, as de¬ 
sired. Ventilators should run from each 
story directly to the roof of the building 
and above if. They may be made so as to 
operate in common for each story. The 
usual plan of allowing the emanations and 
foul air of the lower room to be conducted 
into the room above, there to saturate the 
cheese with its bad odors, Is a most perni¬ 
cious system, and is often the cause of great 
mischief. We cannot give specific direc¬ 
tions in regard to the const ruction of vent i¬ 
lators, but it, will be sufficient, perhaps, to 
state general principles. By using ventila¬ 
tors near the floor oponiug out the side of 
the building and provided with wickets pure 
air is obt ained, and the draft may be regula¬ 
ted as desired without danger of striking 
directly on the cheese. Then by having 
provision in each room for carrying the foul 
air directly out of the building the cheese is 
kept free from taints arising from the fer¬ 
mentation or decomposition of the cheese 
in each room. 
The openings for ventilation should al¬ 
ways be provided with wickets, so as to be 
easily adjusted to regulate the draught. 
II. The best method of raising cheese t o 
the different stories, by means of an en¬ 
gine, is to employ elevators similar t-o those 
used iu hotels and stores. If our corre¬ 
spondent will examine the elevators at one 
of the new wholesale stores in Toronto, 
within a block or two of the railroad depot, 
he will gob a better idea as to the method of 
construct ing these appliances than we can 
give in writing. 
III. The butter may be taken from the 
whey, and t he whey then will be nearly if 
not quite as good for the hogs as under the 
usual practice of feeding whey from cheese 
factories where no butter is made. At 
some of the factories, a very good thing has 
been done in making whey butter. The 
butter, however, should go into immediate 
consumption. Wheat bran, or shorts, 
mingled with tho wbey, is a good food for 
hogs. Whey should never be made the sole 
feed for swine. It does not contain 1 he ele¬ 
ments of nutrition in the right proportion 
as a sole feed for this class of animals. 
In the Rural New-Yorker, February 
10 th, we gave an illustration of, and article 
upon, flic California Quail. Soon after, we 
received the following communication from 
a Naturalist, whose name will at once lie 
recognized as an authority in his specialty, 
which has been necessarily and unwillingly 
(OH our part) deferred, it will be read with 
interest: 
Dear Rural:— Allow me to give to your 
readers more definite and some further in¬ 
formation in regard to t he California Quail 
illustrated in the Rural of Feb. 10. under 
the heading of “Sportsmen's Notes: First, 
and above all, tho name— Lophorlyx Culi- 
1 ornim Bonaparte (California Quail). This 
species must not bo confounded with Lo¬ 
phorlyx Qambelli NutU.il (Gambol's Par¬ 
tridge), found in the southern part of Cali¬ 
fornia, on the Colorado River, while the 
former inhabits tho coast as far north as 
Vancouver’s Island. They are very much 
alike, and not easily dist inguished from each 
other, unless carefully compared. But 
neither of these species can possibly be con¬ 
founded, as you state, with Ortyx Vlrgini- 
anU8, Boxap., for the former genera Lophor- 
tyx is distinguished from Ortyx by the tuft 
of feathers on the bead, making a very 
marked difference between t hem. You give 
the scientific name of the common quail 
“ Cot urn lx milgarUr,” this is a synonym of 
Cot u mix Major, Brins— tho true quail of 
England. We have no quails in the United 
states. You have also given a description 
of this British bird, Ortyx Virginianus— 
evidently a mistake—true common name, 
“Bob White;” called at the South, Vir¬ 
ginia Partridge ; at the North, Quail; is 
found from Texas to Labrador. 
There is another species of this genus 
found in Western Texas (0 Vtyx Texanus, 
Lawrence), which is quite similar, and not 
distinguishable from the former, except by 
careful comparison. The four species men¬ 
tioned are all we have of these two genera in 
this country. 
I also wish to write a few words on local 
names, as the subject now before us fully 
illustrates the importance of scientific ones 
being used by all who wish definite informa¬ 
tion on subjects of Natural History. The 
so-called Virginia Partridge is not a par¬ 
tridge; for we have no species of this genus 
(Perdial in America. In New England, it 
is called Quail; this name is equally wrong, 
as we have no quails (Coturn(r) here. The 
partridge of the North (Tionasn umbellus, 
Stepii, ) true common name. Ruffed Grouse 
—Is called Pheasant, at the South. The 
Robin Redbreast of England is not the 
American Robin, Turdus mtgrat-orim, 
Linn. Ampetis Carolinensis (Briss) is 
the Cedar bird of Massachusetts, Cherry 
bird of Central Vermont , and Canada robin 
of Canada. Thus, instances of this false 
naming may be brought, up without end; 
but Lophortyx Calif ornica means the same 
bird, the world over. 
Boston. Mass. Philip S. Sprague. 
NOTES FOR NATURALISTS 
Canary Birds.—In answer to an inquiry 
in the Rural New-Yorker in regard to 
raising Canary birds, I would say, for one 
thing, that they should have no water to 
wash in while sitting, because they will go 
from the water to their nests, with their 
feathers wet, and the eggs will be chilled, 
and consequently will not hatch. —J. A. R,, 
Pittsburg , Pa. 
Exchanging Birds' Eggs.— Thomas C. 
Cooper, Santa Cruz, Cal., is making a col¬ 
lection of birds' eggs—has fifty different va¬ 
rieties, and would like to exchange with any 
of the Rural's readers. 
Jkicntijic ami itscjul 
DAIRY NOTES 
Transactions of the Vermont Dairy¬ 
men’s Association. Secretary Burs of 
the Vermont Dairymen’s Association has 
sent out a very neat pamphlet of 172 pages, 
containing much valuable information. It 
gives the address and proceedings of the 
annual meeting at Montpelier in 1870 an i 
of the winter meeting January 18, 19 and 20, 
1871. We have no space tar u summary of 
the papers and discussions, but, the follow¬ 
ing will give the reader some idea of the 
contents of the volume: Annual Address 
at Montpelier, by X. A. WlLLARD of Herki¬ 
mer, N. Y.; Address at the winter meeting, 
by President Anujbi.l of Vermont Uni¬ 
versity ; Paper on Butter Making, by F. D. 
Douglass of Whitiug; Improvement of 
Pastures, by Z. E. JAMESON of Irnsburgh; 
Management of a Good Butter Dairy, by 
the Secretary, O. 8. Brass of Georgia, Vt.; 
The Need's of the Dairy, by T. D. Ccbtib of 
the Utica Herald; Cheese Making, by Har¬ 
ris Lewis of Frankfort; The Chemical 
Composition of Milk, by Prof. Collier of 
Vermont University; Address by Governor 
Stewart of Vermont; Natural History of 
Cattle, by Prof. Geo. II. Perkins of Ver¬ 
mont University; Summer and Winter 
Management of Cows, by E. It. Towle of 
Franklin. Mr. Buss appear* to have re¬ 
ported the discussions very el. - u, while 
tho arrangement of papers and tbVredjtir.g 
of the work has been ably performed. The 
Report, will compare favorably, whether in 
contents or the attractive form in which it 
is issued, with any Reports of similar or¬ 
ganizations. 
The Management of Dairy Cows.— 
J am of t he opinion t hat there is no sub¬ 
ject of more immediate interest to the 
dairying ooihmuility, and about which so 
little that is of rea ('practical worth is said, 
than the. care and management, of dairy' 
cows. To bo sure, we have many valuable 
essays from learned men. all of whom 
urge the necessity of giving cows proper 
care and good treatment. 
We frequently see articles written by men 
who pract ice steaming their feed, and who 
advocate the same; but few of these ever 
give us the relative value of cooked feed 
over uncooked. The same is true of very 
many who give us plans of barns, etc. 
These sketches are of some benefit to ar¬ 
chitects, hut, not furnishing the cost of la¬ 
bor, material, etc., they fail to be of much 
benefit to those for Whom they are given. 
USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC NOTES, 
Raising Water with a Syphon.—I have 
been drawing water for the, last ten years 
from a well to my barn-yard, on the syphon 
principle. The well is fifty rods distant 
from the yard, with a fall of 25 feet. The 
water at the well had to be raised five feet 
perpendicular, and has always run without 
trouble until last fall, when the water failed 
and we dug the well deeper, so that the 
water has to bcVatsed at the well now fif¬ 
teen feet. Thus the surface of the water 
at the well is ten feet higher than the sur¬ 
face of the ground at the barn-yard. Js 
there any reason why t he water should not 
run if (he pipe is properly filled ? What is 
the best means to be employed in starting 
the water? I have tried to start it by at¬ 
taching a common cistern pump to the end 
of the pipe at the yard, but failed ; also, by 
pouring water in the pipe at the well, but 
it would run but u few minutes. I should 
have stated that I could start the water 
with a cistern pump when I hud to raise it 
but. five feet at the well. Any information 
in regard to the above would be thankfully 
received by—A n Old SUBSomuER. 
Minerals for a Name.—1 send you some 
specimens that I dug out of a ravine, and 
can find no one here that can name them. 
I would like to know whether or not it is 
some kind of superphosphate, and, per¬ 
haps, good as a fertilizer for corn or wheat. 
It was under a layer of limestone, aud is 
about, thive feet t hick. A part of t he sub¬ 
stance will stick, if touched to the tongue, 
aud is quite a curiosity about here. If it is 
of nnj' value, plea e inform me, and oblige 
—Wm. N. Irwin, South Salem , Ohio. 
The mineral is common “Serpentine,” 
and of no particular value, being partially 
decomposed or rotten. Serpentine, when 
it occurs in masses, is used for ornamental 
work, the same as other handsome kinds of 
stone. The usual colors of serpentine are 
gray, green, yellow, red, bluish, or brown. 
The specimens sent us are green aud yellow- 
ish-wliiie; the hitter is partially decom¬ 
posed, and somewhat of the nature of meer¬ 
schaum clay. 
A CARD FROM DR. MICHENER 
What does my good friend Stauffer 
mean? In the Rural of Dee. 23d, 1871, 
wlieueudcavoriug to ident ify F. F. Brookes’ 
bird, as the Gulraca ludoviolttna, or Rese¬ 
ll rousted Grosbeak, lie refers to, and quotes 
from, niy note book, imply mg the identity 
of mv bird with that of' l’rieud Brookes*. 
But if implies more—that. Hie intelligent 
gentleman therein named and myself, not 
knowing the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, had 
commit ted the grave blunder of calling it a 
nondescript , and describing it under a new 
name, Embei'Ua albtgula , or White-throat¬ 
ed bunting. A grave blunder, indeed! for 
the two birds are no more alike in size, or 
markings, than a Canada Goose and a Mus¬ 
covy Duck. 
It is the more remarkable that my friend 
should have made such a mistake, when he 
must have had reference to Prof. Baird’s 
“ Bii*d* ” in Explorations and Surveys for a 
railroad route to the Pacific, Vol. IX, p. 495, 
the only place where iny Mcnioranduin has 
appeared, and in connection with my note, 
the professor remarks:—“This curious bird 
has long been a puzzle to ornithologists, in 
the uncertainty whether it is only a variety 
of the JSuspiza A mcrlcana, or a distinct 
species. Thus far but one specimen is known, 
the one before me kindly lent to the Smith¬ 
sonian Institution by Dr. Micuener.” 
When the bird was shown to the late J. J. 
Audubon he immediately pronounced it 
new, and has described and figured as such 
—Embwiza Towmendii— Townsend’s buu- 
Cement for an Aquarium. — As “vir¬ 
gin rubber ” (see Rural March 20, page 214) 
does not grow in Dearborn, Mich., your cor¬ 
respondent may like to know that if the 
edges of his glass are bedded iu red lead 
putty, made with good materials, he will 
have a water-tight aquarium, so far as tho 
seams are concerned. Of course the frame 
must be strong enough not to “rack,” hence 
metal of some sort is best; but wood can 
be made to do very well. I found shellac 
varnish good for covering the putty after it 
dried. Forty-eight hours usually hardens 
the putty sufficiently for use; but water 
should stand in the aquarium for three or 
four days, and be changed several times be¬ 
fore animal or vegetable life is introduced. 
C. L. N., New York City. 
MAKING AND PACKING BUTTER, 
Much has been said in your columns on 
tho subject of making and packing butter. 
As every one has a different theory, I will 
give my own practice, which Ins proved 
very satisfactory, and may be of advantage 
to others. To have good butter, three 
things are essential: 1st. Good milk. To 
have this a good cow is requisite; a poor 
cow will barely pay for keeping. All clear 
profit is made fi'om good cows. But even a 
good cow will not give good milk unless she 
has proper food. Bran, shipstuffs, clover 
hay and vegetables—caiTots. turnips, small 
potatoes, etc.—with slops from f he kitchen, 
have al ways given me the best results. 
2d. Proper vessels for holding the milk. 
These may bo tin pans or shallow crocks. 
If the former, they should be thoronglily- 
cleausod with brush and soap, then scalded 
with clean water, aired and dried. If earth¬ 
enware is used, if should go through the 
same process of cleansing and then be put. 
into the stove, or other warm oven, and 
well baked. This will keep them entirely 
Bweet. 
3d. The cream must have the same careful 
handling as the milk. In the summer it 
should be kept in a cool place iu a large ves¬ 
sel—stone jar—till thick enough, not till it 
becomes acid to the taste. Iu winter it will 
Prepared. Annatto.—We would like to 
know whether it is considered safe to keep 
prepared annatto iu tin cans, or not. I 
have often noticed that English annatto 
came in stone jugs, but would like to know 
if it may not be put in tin packages with 
perfect safety.— Henrt H. Roe. 
We should not deem it advisable to put 
up prepared annatto in t in cans. Most of 
the prepared annatto is cut wit h potash and 
other alkali, and these will soon act upon 
the cans, causing them to leak. Then, the 
decomposition of metal would lie likely 1o 
have more or less influence upon the health- 
fulness of the annatto, even if it did not 
affect the color. Dairymen aud others who 
have occasion to use annatto as a coloring 
for human food, cannot, be too careful in 
selecting n pure article in the first instance, 
and then take all proper means to keep it 
free from all deleterious influences. Wo 
should say, put up the prepared annatto iu 
stone jugs, on the English system. It is the 
best, and, in the end, will prove the cheap¬ 
est. 
New Use for Paraffin.— Dr. Voiil an¬ 
nounces that mixed with benzole or Canada 
balsam, paraffin affords a glazing for fres¬ 
coes much superior to soluble glass. By 
covering the interior of wine casks, with a 
film of pure white paraffiu poured in melted, 
he has effectually prevented the spoiling of 
the wine aud its evaporation through the 
wood. 
To Preserve Water Pails.— W. W. F. 
asks “the host thing to prevent water soak¬ 
ing into a water pail, and yet not affect the 
water.” 
| d il 
W | 
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