OCT. 42 
OORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Jainr Dii'jtumtlrg. 
BAD MILK. 
I am the foreman of two cheese factories. 
I have charge of as much milk as any one 
man that I know, and it cornea in all condi¬ 
tions to the factory—milk that is diluted to 
milk that is thick with putrefaction. 1 have 
kept up a good reputation for live years, 
amt my oh ease command the ver, highest 
market price. But, for the last ten days, 1 
have had at the factories milk I hat when 
taken, to all appearance, is good, but on 
standing for an hour or two it becomes 
thick, hut still sweet, having a bad taint. 
Sometimes during this time the weather 
has been dark, warm and rainy. I am at a 
loss to tell where the trouble comes from. 1 
know t hat it is not through my neglect, and 
it makes my heart sink and i grow sick of 
tin* factory' business. Our milk is made up 
twice a day. If you think this worthy of 
your notice, I would be glad to hear from 
you.— M. II. Booth, Summit Co., 0 . 
The past Summer has been a very trying 
one for factorymen in all parts of t he coun¬ 
try. We hear of a great many cases like 
that det ailed by our correspondent, and the 
trouble, no doubt, conies from neglect or 
carelessness on the part of patrons in the 
care of milk before it reaches the factory. 
Wo have, from time to time, discussed in 
these columns the lending causes which are 
productive of had milk, and have suggested 
the means for avoiding the dillioulty. 
Farmers do not seem to appreciate the im¬ 
portance of preserving milk in good order 
until it reaches the manufacturers’ hands. 
They r seem to think so long us milk may be 
kept from SOU-rlng tho whole work is ac¬ 
complished and all responsibility is at an 
end on their part. 
This apathy or unprogressive spirit on 
tho part of farmers leads to the most seri- 
ous losses every year, and more especially 
is this tho case during extremely hot 
weather like that which wo have had during 
the past Summer. Tho troubles which tho 
cheese makers have to meet do not come 
altogether, or for the most part, from sour 
milk or from its liability of souring; it is 
rather from a putrid decomposition, some 
of the forms of which are like that described 
by our correspondent. This trouble could 
be avoided in a large number of cases simply 
by cooliug and aerating the milk at the 
farm before it is started for the factory. 
But what is most remarkable in all this 
is that when factorymen and patrons have 
been made acquainted with tho cause of 
tainted milk, and tho remedy for its pre¬ 
vention, means are not at once taken to 
avoid the trouble. One would naturally 
suppose that patrons would be eager to 
adopt any feasible plan for increasing the 
value of their product; ami why they 
should go on losing a penny a pound, or 
more, on their cheese, simply from gross 
neglect in the care and treatment Of milk, 
it is not easy to see. Tho various factory 
associations should have a meeting of all 
their patrons at the commencement of tho 
season, and agree upon a set of rules in re¬ 
spect to tho treatment and care of milk 
from the time it is drawn from the cow to 
its delivery at the factory. In respect to 
the treatment of tainted milk in tho hands 
of the manufacturer, wo must refer our 
correspondent to Practical Dairy Jlusbaud- 
ry, pages 431 to 437. The experience of the 
most successful cheese makers are here given 
as to tho treatment of putrid milk in tho 
cheese vats and tho factory. 
--— 4*4 - 
TESTING MILK WITH THE HALIMETER. 
Rkichket of Ansbach, has used tho Hal- 
imetrical IToboof Fox for determining the 
amount of water in milk. Tho method is i 
founded on the supposition that 100 parts 
of water will dissolve 30 parts of pure ta¬ 
ble salt. It is useful also in determining 
how much salt there is in any known Uuid, ■ 
the water of which is in condition to dis¬ 
solve the salt, and hence from this the , 
water may also be computed, ( 
For this purpose Fox has constructed a . 
Halimeter which is open at the upper end < 
(see figure) the lower part terminating in a < 
tube or graduated glass scale, the lines < f i 
which correspond in grains with the old i 
Prussian medicinal weights by which the f 
quantity of undissolved salt remaining in the , 
fluid may be seen and the amount deter- t 
mined from the scale. t 
In testing milk the process is as follows: r 
From any given sample of milk to be exam- j 
itied, 1,000 grains are taken and mixed with £ 
334 grains of common salt and 340 grains of \ 
litmus tiucturo saturated with salt — the a 
whole being at a temperature of 35" or 30" i 
Reaumer. The mixture is then well shaken e 
together and poured into the Halimeter, f 
care being taken that no undissolved salt is 
left remaining in the vessel. The mixture 
is again well shaken in tho Halimeter and 
when left at rest the quantity of urnlis- 
solved salt may be read ofl’ on tho gradua¬ 
ted scale. The quantity of water in the 
milk may then lie reckoned from tho grains 
of dissolved salt. This equals n.—accord¬ 
ing to the proportion30:100 -u:x. 
The addition of the litmus tincture is 
only fur the purpose of making it more easy 
to determine the limit of the remaining 
salt, partly by the coloring which it imparts 
and partly by the thinness of the milk. 
In a trial of milk by this method, the re¬ 
maining suit came to 4 grains. The 1,000 
grains of milk therefore dissolves 330grains 
of salt, corresponding to 888.85) grains of 
water or 111.11 grains of dry substance. 
The determination of the dry substance of 
the same milk through evaporation, with 
the addition of crystalizod quartz, the dry¬ 
ing being at a temperature of 100' to 110* 
Centigrade, yielded 11.033 per cent., couse- 
®tlif $pil(htlt. 
DYSENTERY IN BEES. 
fox’s iiaeimeter. 
quently a difference of 0.078 per cent. In 
an examination of cream the Halimeter 
essay gave 11.300 per cent, of dry substance, 
while the evaporation essay gave 14.696 per 
cent.—a difference of ouly 0.35)0 per cent. 
In another trial, milk containing 10 per 
cent, of dry substance was thinned with 3 
per cent, weight of water. The Ilulimct- 
ricul essay of tills thinned milk yielded 
9.733 per cent, dry substance, while accord¬ 
ing to the computation there should be 
9.804 per coni., a difference of 0.082 percent. 
Frof. B. Martiny, who figures and de¬ 
scribes tho Halimeter in Borman, and from 
whose work wc have translated the above, 
is of tho opinion that this method of test¬ 
ing milk to determine its dilution with 
water can be made useful on account of 
its simplicity, and the ease with which it 
is effected. As tho method will be new to 
many of our dairymen who are desirous of 
other tests than that of the cream gauge 
and Lactometer, wo introduce it to notice. 
- 44-4 -- 
Stagnaut Water l’or Cows Produc¬ 
tive of Typhoid Fever.—Out of 140 fami¬ 
lies supplied with milk from a dairy in 
Islington, England, seventy suffered from 
typhoid fever. One hundred and sixty- 
eight individual cases occurred within ten 
weeks, and thirty died. An investigation 
showed that the cows drank water from an 
old underground tank, built of wood, and 
much decayed. Tho milk cans wore washed 
in tho same water, and in all probability 
tho water was also mixed with the milk. 
As the fever attacked only such parties in 
that district as used tho milk, tho water in 
the rotten tank must have been the cause. 
This is only one more evidence of the dan¬ 
ger of using foul water and giving it to 
animals. It has been showh that stagnant 
water acts as a slow poison to animals as 
well as men, and It is a matter of the lirst 
importance to all dairymen and stock rais¬ 
ers, as well as families, to use only pure, 
fresh water. 
At a recent meeting of the Michigan Bee 
Keepers’ Association the following paper 
was read by Dr. Bohker, Alexandria. Ind. 
on tho above subject. He saidUentle- 
men At the request of your Secretary I 
would submit the following, in regard to 
tho prevalence of dysentery among bees 
during tho past Winter. The general 
causes giving rise to this affection among 
bees are sufficiently well understood by a 
large majority of apiarians, to render it un¬ 
necessary for me to give a description of 
them at this time, farther than to mention 
them iu detail, if required, in demonstra¬ 
ting ordinary causes from which this mala¬ 
dy is known to spring, had but little if 
anything to do with It* origin among bees 
during the past Wlutor in the United 
Stales and Canada; for it is well known 
that thousands of colon lea,populous in num¬ 
bers, well supplied with honey and iu good 
Winter quarters, perished despite every 
effort that could bo brought to bear by the 
most experienced, most skillful ami most 
industrious bee keepers of the country. 
I am fully aware that it has been asserted 
by some that the recent great mortality 
among bees was due to the carelessness on 
the part of the bee keeper in not putting 
them to Winter quarters at the proper sea¬ 
son and in a proper manner. But inasmuch 
as T have conversed and corresponded with 
many relative to this matter, who have for¬ 
merly been not only very attentive to the 
wants of their bees, but had also been emi¬ 
nently successful In wintering them, I 
think I have good grounds furnished me 
for concluding that such statements are (to 
us a new expression) simply too thin. 
Others have beeh disposed to attribute it 
to the extraordinary severity of Winter; 
but when we Como to consider tiiat the 
mercury often sinks lower iu Canada than 
it did in this part of Indiana during last 
Winter, and that bees nevertheless winter 
well even on the Summer stand lu that 
country, without any other protection than 
that furnished by tho hive, wo are at once 
lost in attempting to account for the lato 
ravage of this disease in tills way, as bees 
perished hero, and even as far South as Ten¬ 
nessee, iu large numbers. True, the apia¬ 
ries iu Southern districts were not as nearly 
depopulated as they were here and iu other 
districts of the North. But the inhabit¬ 
ants of each colony were reduced in num¬ 
bers much below what they nemmoniy have 
been, tlms proving two things, lirst, that 
there was from some cause more than or¬ 
dinary predisposition to dysentery, this 
being the universal complaint; and, sec¬ 
ondly, that owing to the frequent opportu¬ 
nities afforded bee* in Southern climates 
of tlying out and discharging their excro* 
meat,this malady proved less fatal there 
than it did in sections where tho excessive 
cold weather confined them to the hive for 
periods of time altogether beyond what 
they could endure iu a diseased condition. 
From this standpoint it will be seen that 
cold weather had but one effect, which was 
Hint of rendering dysentery more fatal by 
ooulluing the bees to the hive. 
it will be out of tho question to attribute 
the origin of this disease to an excess of at¬ 
mospheric moisture, as it never was known 
to be dryer than it was last Winter through¬ 
out the United States. Neither can wo 
come out and occupy the ground that bees 
were put up into Winter quarters without 
a proper amount of ventilation, for in this 
particular they fared as usual. But after 
searching iu every quarter for the cause, 1 
tirnl nothing more than has heretofore been 
common until I came to examine the honey, 
which last Fall presented 'no external evi¬ 
dence of its unlitness for bees to winter up¬ 
on successfully. But as time progressed a 
portion of it granulated and left a watery 
substance which rati out of, tho colls, and 
down upon the bottom board, where it 
soured in many Instances. Just what kind 
of honey it was l am not fully prepared to 
say', but as there were no flowers from which 
bees could collect honey last Winter In one 
section, I suppose it to be honey-dew they 
were collecting, as they came in heavily 
loaded every day for a week or more, yet 1 
did not take it upon myself to seurch for 
this substance iu the forests, and may have 
been mistaken, but don't think I was. 
After I saw it in tho condition above de¬ 
scribed, I almost concluded that it was col¬ 
lected from grapes, but as there were not 
enough grapes iu our parts to furnish so 
much honey, I fell back to honey-dow. I 
235 
have made inquiry of several persons who 
claimed to bo acquainted with this sub¬ 
stance, and find them laboring under tho 
impression that bees will not winter well 
when confined to this material as food. 
I have also learned that honey dew last 
season was quite common iu all sections 
where dysentery prevailed as an epidemic. 
If this information be correct, 1 think we 
have found out the true cause of this dis¬ 
ease as it prevailed last Winter, and would 
therefore recommend to bee keepers the 
custom of emptying their combs with the 
exti actor lu September, and feeding sugar 
sirup iu all cases where it is known that 
the hive is stored with hotiey-dew, It will, 
however, be ad\bauble to make lniste slowly 
by ascertaining as we go along, whether or 
not my conjectures are correct as to honey- 
dew being unfit for bees to subsist on over 
Winter. A few colonies out of a large 
number set aside will be sufficient to test 
the matter in any one apiary. 
SHie (Harden. 
GARDENERS’ NOTES. 
Tomatoes In Pots in Winter,—Have 
any of your readers any experience in pro¬ 
ducing tomatoes in pots or boxes in sunny 
living-rooms or I lm kitchen iu Winter, 
where an equable heat is kept up. We 
back here in the country', away from mar¬ 
kets. like tomatoes fresh; and if wo oan 
get them in this manner it will bo worth 
trying.— Mary P. 
We have seen thorn so grown in living 
room*, i’hoy cannot bo sown too soon for 
Winter fruiting. 
Early Spring Lettuce.—I sow my let¬ 
tuce seed in col J frames, in November, and 
get plants very early in Spring. If it is 
sown in open ground this Fall, too late for 
it to germinate before Winter seisin— after 
the ground is properly prepared, and then 
early iu Spring after frost is out, some fresh, 
horse manure put on between the rows, very 
early and excellent lett uce Cftti be obtained. 
— C. C. Hooks. 
Tomatoes for Shipping.—My experi¬ 
ence is that the Tilden is tho best shipping 
tomato, and 1 have tried various sorts. I 
should like tho experience of others al o. 
I do not mean that it is of the best quality, 
but tho most productive and profitable, it 
has not rotted with me, though I have hoard 
such complaints concerning it.—N ewton 
McCombkr. 
Cartor’H St. Osy tho Best.—This was - 
recommended to me by a gardener last 
Spring, but wo do not find it desirable. It 
has ornamental foliage, but the root is 
tapering, divided frequently, and skin and 
flesh red. It is unsatisfactory, and I write 
you to prevent others being disappointed 
as l have been in it.—It. P. S., Salem, Maas. 
Cut Worms and Cabbages, —It is too 
lato to lie of much use this season, but if 
your renders will remember it they cau 
save their cabbages next season by winding 
a piece or paper around the oabbago stalk 
from the root* to tho leaves at tho time of 
transplanting and the cub worm will not 
cut them.— e. 
PIG-PEN PAPERS. 
Brewery Mash aa Food for SAviue.— 
Can some of your readers inform me wheth¬ 
er tho mash from a brewery is valuable for 
feeding pigs? Is not tho husk of tho grain 
indigestible? I can get a good supply of it; 
but fear to make any preparation to feed it 
until 1 have some information from expe¬ 
rienced persons in regard to its value.—II. 
II., Vruwjordtmillc, fail. 
Guinea Pigs,—Will some of your read¬ 
ers give me any information as to breeding, 
rearing, wintering, and general manage¬ 
ment of Guinea pigs, and greatly oblige- 
L. H. Myers. 
Oitr friend, Col. F. D. Curtis, has large 
experience, and wo hope he will respond— 
or auy one else who has practical experi¬ 
ence. 
Spaying Sow Pigs.— A correspondent 
asks if any of our subscribers can give him 
instructions how to spay sow pigs. 
Swiuo in Iowa, according to a State law, 
ai’e not to be permitted to run at large after 
Oct. 1, 1872. 
