lain) ijirebattiirti. 
MILK AND BEET. 
Their Comparative Vulues for Food. 
A CORRKSPONdent requests us U> give-the 
nutritive value of milk as compared with 
other kinds of animal food, such as beef, mut¬ 
ton, pork, poultry, and flab, lie desires to 
know whether milk at six cents per quart 
would be as cheap an article of food as beef¬ 
steak at twenty cents per pound. Orut what 
price should beef be bought when milk is six 
cents per quart, in order to secure tlie same 
amount of nutrition by using either the one 
or the other; and finally, whether milk can 
be used largely or wholly as a substitute for 
meats without injury to health, Ac. 
The economical use of foods is not well 
understood by the majority of people. Nor 
can t he chemist make up a bill of fare that 
will be alike economical for different per¬ 
sons. “ One man’s meat is another man’s 
poison” is an old adage, often literally true 
in its application. Borne people have great 
distate for certain kinds of food, and al¬ 
though the chemist may show from his 
analyses that they are very nutritious, still 
constitutional idiosyncrasies may, on the 
other hand, give an opposite result in their 
practical operations. In selecting foods, 
therefore, we should not depend altogether 
upon what chemical analyses show to be nu¬ 
tritious except that they be adapted to the 
individual, or can be relished and properly 
digested, and produce no derangement to 
health. 
It is from constitutional peculiarities and 
diversity of tastes, perhaps, that people pay so 
little at tention it* the economical selection of 
foods, choosing such as are agreeable to the 
palate, and are supposed to be had cheaply, 
rather than selecting by a standard of nutri¬ 
tive elements in the foods themselves. 
Perhaps there is no food in general use the 
nutritive value of which is more underes¬ 
timated than that of milk. Indeed many 
people regard it more as a luxury than as 
affording any substantial nourishment like 
that obtained from meats or vegetables. 
Milk is often used sparingly under the im¬ 
pression that it must always be an expensive 
article of food, when iu fact it is generally 
cheaper than any meats that can be had In 
the market; and wo believe if its relative 
nutritive value, as compared with beef, was 
more generally known, it would he more 
largely consumed as a matter of economy. 
Good beef contains from 50 to 00 per cent. 
of water; and milk about 87 per cent. On 
an average, then, three pounds and a half 
of milk, or a little more than three pints by 
measure, are equal in nutrition to a pound of 
beef. If the beef is worth twenty cents per 
pound, the milkatten cents per quart would 
be the cheaper food of the two. 
Dr. Bellows gives the following analyses 
of several articles of food in their natural 
state, from which the relative nutritive value 
of milk may bo readily compared. We 
place them in a table, as more convenient for 
reference and comparison: 
Milk of oovv_ 
Carbon- Phon- 
Nitratcs. tiles. phate*. 
... 5.0 8.0 1.0 
Water. 
88.0 
Beef. 
... 15.0 
30.0 5.0 
60.0 
Eh mb. 
... 11.0 
35.0 3.5 
50.0 
M uUoU. 
... 12.5 
40.0 3.5 
41,0 
Pork . 
... 10.0 
60.0 E5 
38.5 
Oniiish. 
Trout . 
... It 
very little. 6 to fi 
70 
... 17 
very Hi tie. 6t»B 
75 
White of eggs. 
... 16*4 
none. 4l< 
HO 
Of the nitrates, or flesh-forming elements, 
the beef contains just three times that of the 
milk, while the carbonates or respiratory 
and fat-producing elements in the beef are 
324 times richer than the milk. The solid 
constituents of the two in a hundred parts 
would be in milk I t, and in beef 50, or very 
nearly ns 1 to Consequently, If both 
he represented in pounds, it would take 8% 
pounds of milk to give the same amount of 
nutrition that, is contained in one pound of 
beef. In fish and eggs the difference would 
not be so great. Now a quart of milk will 
weigh about 36 ounces, consequently the 
3 pints of milk by measure will weigh 3 
pounds 6 ounces, representing very nearly 
the equivalent in nutrition for a pound of 
beef. As there is always more or less waste 
in beef, even after it is separated from the 
bone, on account of muscle, tendons, carti¬ 
lage and the like, which cannot he con¬ 
sumed, the three pints of milk may be 
considered to represent a fair equivalent iu 
nutrition for a pound of beef, exclusive of 
bone. On this assumption, if a pound of 
beef, exclusive ot bone, is worth twenty 
cents, milk should he counted at a little 
over thirteen cents per quart, the exact fig¬ 
ures being IS}-, cents. But if we reckon the 
loss from bone which the consumer takes 
with the meat, it will he seen the cost is 
considerably more, which would by so much 
farther enhance the value of the milk. 
When milk is selling at six cents per 
quart, beef, exclusive of bone, at nine cents 
per pound would be the equivalent. It will 
he seen by carefully comparing the analyses 
of milk and meals, and making the proper 
deductions on the latter on account of waste, 
of bones, &c., that there is less difference be- I 
tween the economical value of milk and beef- J 
steak or fish and eggs titan is commonly 
supposed. Milk contains all the elements 
of nutrition, and is more wholesome than 
meats like pork and veal, which are justly 
regarded with suspicion. It should be more 
largely used in hot weather than it is, and 
especially in the diet of children, as it sup¬ 
plies material for building up the bones and 
muscles, which superfine flour, and butter, 
and sugar do not. It may not lie advisable 
to substitute milk wholly for meat in any 
system of diet. Still by using smaller quan¬ 
tities of meat with which to make up the 
requisite proportion of animal food, health 
would doubtless be greatly promoted, and 
at muck less expense, than where meat is 
exclusively used. The market value of milk 
is generally very much below its nutritive 
equivalent in beef; and those who are look 
ing to economy in foods will do well to give 
this question attention. 
The importance of using food containing 
a due proportion of muscle-making elements, 
or nitrates, has been demonstrated in re¬ 
peated experiments, when loss of vigor and 
health has followed by a continual use of 
food lacking in these elements. 
The experiments made in five prisons in 
Scotland bear upon this point. They were 
made to ascertain the smallest amount of 
food, and the proportion of nitrates and 
carbonates, that would keep the prisoner up 
to his weight while doinj' nothing, when it 
was fonml that by reducing the proportion 
of nitrates in the food from four ounce§ to 
two and three quarter ounces daily the pris¬ 
oners lost, weight rapidly. Dr. Bellows, in 
commenting upon these experiments, which 
he gives in detail, says: 
“ It Is a remark abb* fact which shows the im- 
portnueo of connecting - science with practice, 
that the deterioration in the quality of the diet 
In Dundee prison consisted in substituting mo¬ 
lasses for milk, witlOh bad been previously used 
with oat inoal porridge and oat meal cakes, mo- 
luSSCW being entirely destitute nf muscle-making 
material, while milk contains a full proportion 
ol these Important, principles. 
“This one experiment and its results arc wor¬ 
thy of study bv every mother and ovary house¬ 
keeper In the land. II any class of persons 
would suffer less than others from the use of 
too much carbonaceous and too little nltro- 
gnnou* food, it would be that class who are idle; 
and yet the one hundred prisoners of Dundee, 
with an ounce more, of t he fat and beat-making 
principle than those of Edinburgh, Lost two 
hundred and seventeen and «me-Tintf pounds, 
while the same number In Edinburgh lost only 
twenty seven pounds: the difference in their 
diet being, ns stated in the report, that the pris¬ 
oners of Edinburgh had milk with their por¬ 
ridge and cakes, white those of Dundee hud 
molasses instead.” 
Amt he remarks further: 
“If the same experiment had been tried on 
men In active life, or on children who are never 
still except when asleep, the result would have 
been more remarkable, in proportion to the 
greater waste of muscle In those who are active, 
mid the greater demand for nitrogenous food ; 
and yet how few mothers stup to consider nr 
take pains to know, whether gingerbread mado 
of fine flour, which has hut a trace of food lor 
oji isole or brain, and sugar or molasses, nod per¬ 
haps butler, which have none, or calces made 
with unbolted wheat mixed with milk >>r butter¬ 
milk, all Of which abound in muscle and brain- 
feeding materials, is t he best food l'ora growing, 
active child: Indeed, the whole food of Iho 
child is given with the same want of knowledge 
or consideration. 
“Uni iu view of these simple experiments in 
Die Scotch prisons, who can doubt that a want 
of consideration ol these principles of diet is 
the means of consigning to the tomb many of 
our mu»L promising children. An intelligent 
farmer knows how to feed his land, his horses, 
hlacutile and los pigs, but not how io feed his 
children. He knows that. Hue tlour is not good 
for pigs, and he gives them the whole ol the 
grain, or per http* lakes out the bran and courser 
part, which contain* fond for muscles 
lira ill*, and gives them to his pigs, while the tine 
Hour, which contain* ncithor food for muscle or 
brain, ho gives i<> his children. He sonarwtvs, 
also. Hie milk, and gives hi* pigs the skim milk 
and bniter milk. In which are found all the ele¬ 
ments for muscle and brain, and gives Ids uhil- 
dren the butter, which only heats them and 
makes Uieiii Inactive, without Cimilshlhg a par¬ 
ticle of the nutriment which they need.' 
Milk ami cheese are clnobildss the cheap¬ 
est forms of animal food that can be had in 
our markets. They deserve to be more ex¬ 
tensively used, and it is very likely they 
would enter more largely into consumption 
were it not from mistaken notions of econo¬ 
my, which exclude them from the table on 
the supposition tliat they are costly luxuries 
rather than healthful and nutritious articles 
of food. 
--a-*-*- 
The Beat I>1 ilk Producing Food. 
A CORRESPONDENT of the Germantown 
Telegraph says:—“There is no doubt a dil 
ference in die quality of milk in different 
cows, some being rich in caserne, or cheese, 
and that of others in butter, yet as avule 
the milk will be in a great measure what is 
made by the feed of the cow. The milk 
from the same cows may be varied by feed 
from SO 15 , by the thermometer, up to a 150 J , 
the highest number being the best, and such 
as is produced by the heaviest teed. 
“ In a carefully-tried experiment which I 
made last winter, I found that heavy feed, 
such as corn, wheat and rye shorts, fed to 
twelve cows, pound for pound, did not make 
as much milk as wheat bran, into nine quarts 
a day, and 1 have no doubt that for a time 
this‘would invariably be the result, yet I 
should not dare to continue for any consid¬ 
erable length of time, to feed my cows upon 
wheat bran alone, as it would undoubtedly 
diminish the strength of the cow and soon 
reduce her to a condition that she would be 
incapable of giving very much milk. I am 
now feeding to twelve cows two bushels of 
wheal bran mixed with one bushel of corn 
meal ground in the cob, with very satisfac¬ 
tory results. The milk is good, the strength 
of the animal is kept up, and a diminished 
amount of bay will keep the cow in good 
thriving condition. 1 feed twice a day. It 
is yet an open question whether the feed 
should be fed dry or wet. There is no doubt 
but Hint in cold weather it would be much 
heller if the water, which is required by 
cows in milk, could be warmed. If taken 
into llie system while at a very low temper¬ 
ature, the process of digestion will be re¬ 
tarded until the temperature of the water is 
raised to blood beat. 
often get fooled when trying to improve the 
stock in their neighborhoods. Borne will lie 
diseased ; some too old to luy or breed, &c.; 
therefore the scheme is a failure, aud people 
cheated once lose confidence in those firms 
who breed and ship for sale. Now, this sec¬ 
tion is badly iu need of improved stock, 
such as cattle, bogs, sheep and poultry, as 
all these named are very small and degen¬ 
erate, and if some breeder could ship stock 
that would be as represented, (and on better 
terms than I bad to pay,) they could sell 
largely in this section, and be a benefit to 
the country. 
“ Let me hear from some breeders in Penn¬ 
sylvania or Maryland who can ship me pure 
Black Spanish fowls and White Brahmas; 
also the pure Dark Brahmas which I saw 
illustrated i« the Rural a few weeks since. 
Why do they not advertise through the 
Rural, so we people here can know who to 
send to for stock, Ac. They may advertise 
in their own State papers, but lu re we take 
a journal that is a National one, (the Rural,) 
then we hear from all parts of the different 
States through one paper.” 
The above is only a specimen of the nu¬ 
merous letters we receive, containing com¬ 
plaints of being swindled in the purchase of 
stock, poultry, Ac., by parlies who claim to 
be responsible. 
A Stool Feedinir Hopper. 
Which is proof against rats, can be made as 
follows:—Make a platform two or three 
feet quare, as the case may be; then make a 
square box three inches high and sixteen 
inches square; nail it In the center of the 
platform ; saw strips one and one-fourth 
incites square, and eighteen inches high for 
the posts; nail strips of boards, two inches 
wide, to the posts at top, to secure and steady 
them ; then take common lath, or any thin 
stuff, one and one-lmlf or t wo inches wide, 
and nail them to the top and bottom, up and 
down, leaving a space of two inches between 
each slat, so that the fowls can get at the 
feed. The roof may be four-quare, as shown 
in the engraving, and detached, so that it 
can be raised when required to be replenish¬ 
ed with grain. Elevate the hopper on a 
post about, three feet from the ground, as 
shown in the cut, which makes it rat and 
mice proof. The fowls will soon learn to 
leap upon the platform, and feed from the 
grain box between the slats. 
pullets, if they be fine, strong boned birds, 
hatched in March or Lhe early part of April. 
A great many birds are spoiled by breeding 
from a cock of one strain and bens of differ¬ 
ent strains, and different styles of pencil tags. 
If my presumption may be excused, I should 
advise the different breeders of this country 
to make up their minds respectively, as to 
the style and markings of the birds they 
deem most desirable to breed, and breed 
them uniformly and closely to the standard 
they have adopted. The popular taste will 
soon settle the question. You can always 
have fresh blood, if you keep two or three 
pens, and you can go on for years without 
crossing your breeds, and running the risk of 
POULTRY PROPAGATION—No. Ill 
C.eueral i’riuciplea of Beecdtnff and IHatinar. 
In all the original Brahmas the deaf-earn 
fell below the wattles; and this point was 
mentioned by Dr. Bennett as a character¬ 
istic of the breed; and the perpetuation of 
this should be carefully looked after. The 
neck-hackle should start well out just below 
the bead, making a full sweep, and marking 
the point of juncture between the head and 
neck very distinctly by an apparent hollow or 
PORTRAIT OP A CROSS OF GUINEA FOWL AND TURKEY, 
As Shown at tlie JLiate T^ew YorU SSt.ate t*o\iltry Show by Win. Simpson, Jr 
depression. Tlie hackles can hardly be loo 
full, and should descend low enough to flow 
over the back ahd shoulder*. The more 
perfect you can get this, the nobler the car¬ 
riage aud appearance of the bird. A short 
or scanty hackle is a very great blemish. 
The hocks should be well covered with soft 
curling feathers. A cock with hocks a lit lie 
out should tint be deprecated, and as some¬ 
times is, by the inexperienced, discarded. 
This class of hock, when properly mated 
with fine built hens, scantily feathered on 
the legs and toes, throw very fine full-booted 
birds. Vulture hades are stiff—feathers pro¬ 
jecting so as to form a prominent spur upon 
the legs; and none others are to be so re¬ 
garded. While.I should condemn all vul¬ 
ture-hocked fowls to the gridiron, there are 
bad blood or a motely brood, with no uni¬ 
formity of shape or markings. 
Do not feel too much anxiety about breed¬ 
ing in-and-in. Parent and offspring, and 
even brother and sister, may be bred from 
with safety and success tor several years, 
with Ibis class of fowls. No breed has such 
stamina as the Brahma, and if any mishap 
does occur, it will not he so aggravated as it 
would be by the concentration of bad blood; 
therefore, it stands you in band to be very 
careful what strain you purchase, and to 
know if the party has bred from distinct 
strains or indiscriminately. It is a work of 
time to breed fine strains, and considerable 
patience is requisite. It is in this respect 
that parties make a great mistake in going 
about from yard to yard, selecting here and 
there a bird from one, and cock Ac., from 
another, to gratify their vanity, with the 
hope ol winning a few prizes, to the great 
detriment of the stock aud disappointment 
of purchasers of the same, if they should 
breed from them. In the Light Brahma it 
is very necessary to secure a sufficient 
amount of color iu the cock. The tendency 
of all poultry is to get lighter if indiscrimi¬ 
nately bred; therefore, you should select 
cocks of the proper darkness for breeding 
stock. The saddle should only be lightly 
striped, for if it contains too much black or 
the neck hackle too dark, you will produce 
spotted backs. I will set down two rules, 
either of which can be applied to suit the 
wants of the breeder: 
1. Very heavy penciled cocks must be 
used to get heavy penciled (chicks) cocks. 
2. Very dark hackled hens and light pen¬ 
ciled hackled cocks will get nice hackled 
pullets. Isaac Van Winkle. 
Greenville, N. J. 
(.Tone C’li ieIt on Coop. 
This coop is very handy, and may be 
made of inch boards (see illustration,) long 
enough to admit, of any number of fowls. 
A, A, are slats raised for admitting the 
fowls; B, B, doors to open and shut at 
night, to prevent the intrusion of any kind 
of vermin; C, button for fastening the doors. 
Any common dry goods or other large box 
will answer lhe purpose desired. Cleats 
can be nailed on, as shown in the engraving, 
which makes it a light, warm and airy coop 
in summer. Holes should be borea in one 
end and in the top for ventilators. 
errsnmm 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN. 
Docking Horae’* Tail*. 
Pres. Burgh stated before the Farmers’ 
Club, the other day, that there are symptoms 
that the barbarous practice of docking horses’ 
tails is coming Into fashion again. He very 
properly denounced it, and urged that horse¬ 
men and the owners of horses set their faces 
against it. 
A Troubled Colt. 
I have a colt, coming two years old in the 
spring, that when let out in the yard will 
whirl round and round, biting his side and 
flank. Now if you or any of your contribu¬ 
tors can give the cause, and remedy for the 
same, you will oblige— Henry Palmer, Ilex- 
ford Flats , N. T. 
We cannot give the cause. The action of 
the colt evidently indicates internal pain; 
but what the trouble is, we do not know. 
How much Work u Horse Can Do. 
The Scientific American says:—“At a 
former meeting of the British Association 
in Dublin, Mr. Grab. Bianconi of Cashel, 
read a paper relative to bis extensive car es¬ 
tablishment, alter which a gentleman stated 
that at Pickkord’s, the great English car¬ 
rier’s, they could not work a horse econom¬ 
ically more than ten miles a day, and 
wished to hear Mr. Bi ancon t’s opinion on 
the subject. Mr. Biancom stated, he found 
by experience, he could better work a horse 
eight miles a day for six days in the week, 
than six miles a day for seven days in the 
week. By not working on a Sunday he ef¬ 
fected a saving of twelve per cent. Mr. 
Bianconi’* opinion on this point is of the 
highest authority, for although the extension 
Of railways in the land has thrown thirty- 
seven of bis vehicle* out of employ, which 
daily ran 2,44tl miles, still he has over nine 
hundred horses, working sixty-seven con¬ 
veyances, which daily travel 4,2i44 miles. It 
is also founded on the result of forty-three 
years’ experience.” 
A STOOL FEEDING nOPPF.R. 
exceptions where I have bred from a very 
large finely-formed hen, with handsomely 
and distinctly marked penciling*, with great 
success, by mating them with a clean shank¬ 
ed cock with the proper marking; and have 
thrown four good birds to one hocked. No 
bird of this species should, when full grown, 
he considered lit. for exhibition, unless tlie 
cock weighs twelve pounds, and hens from 
eight to nine pounds; and if a cockerel does 
not weigh eight pounds at six or eight 
months, lie will rarely prove a show bird. 
In breeding for size, select a short, com¬ 
pact, deep-bodied cockerel, which need rot 
be large, and mate him with long backed 
hens, even if their legs are longer than usual. 
Although length of back is a decided fault, 
such a cross will generally breed well; the 
hen supplying the form, while the cock fills 
out to the proper proportion. Long, dangy 
large-boned cocks may be mated with com- 
POULTRY NOTES. 
Pure Poultry Wanted. 
Wm. Wallace, Raleigh, N. C., writes us, 
under date of Dec. 20th, for information as 
to reliable parties from whom he can pur¬ 
chase pure-bred poultry, and asking those 
having any for sale to make the fact known 
through t he Rural New-Yorker. This 
advice we have repeatedly given to breeders, 
some of whom have heeded our admonition, 
as their announcements will be found under 
the proper heading in our advertising de¬ 
partment. Our correspondent says: — “I 
wish you, or some of the stock and poultry 
breeders, would send me the address of men 
of reliability who can ship me stock, im¬ 
proved fowls, Ac., that I can recommend and 
sell. I had a certain firm in Pennsylvania 
ship me a trio of the following fowls:—Black 
Spanish, White Brahmas, English Dorkings, 
and Black Breasted Red Game, (Derbys.) 
cock and two hens of each kind. The 
Black Spanish and Brahmas have proved 
all right, but the English Dorkings had 
been ‘played out’ certainly two years ago. 
They are certainly four years old , (though 
one hen is now dead—1 think of old age, as 
I could see no ailment.) The Games had 
the distemper when they arrived here, (by 
express.) and I cannot cure them, nor sell 
them on account of it. What will cure 
them? They are young, fine, fowls, with 
this exception. Tlie twelve chickens cost 
me, delivered here by express, $4G, ($10 of 
it expressage.) Now this is the way people 
CLOSE CHICKEN COOP. 
pact, short legged hens, with the same re¬ 
sult ; but the first mentioned cross will pro¬ 
duce better results. Fine chickens may be 
reared from the eggs of pullets; but the best 
chickens, ns a rule, are got by mating either 
a two-year-old cock or a cockerel, with bens 
in their second season ; their chickens fledge 
more quickly, aud attain maturity sooner. 
Hens mated with cockerels, turn out more 
male birds, while cocks mated with pullets, 
will produce a goodly proportion of pullets. 
I should not hesitate mating cockerels with 
