Ayrshire calves on the farm of Clark Brad¬ 
ley of Watertown, N. Y., and which were 
offered at vexy reasonable rates. We cannot 
recommend any particular breeder, as this 
matter belongs properly to the advertising 
columns of the Rural New-Yorker. 
COTTON IN CALIFORNIA 
Experiments in California in cotton cul¬ 
ture seem very promising for the future of 
this staple in that State. The last success 
noted is that of a Mr. Amos Childs, Center¬ 
ville, Fresno Co., whose sample is said to bo 
excellent. He planted one and a half acres 
upon a light, loamy soil, where noticing like a 
farm crop can be grown without irrigation. 
He irrigated his cotton ground no less than 
five times, once in about three weeks during 
its growth, by running the water in small 
ditches midway between the rows, never al¬ 
lowing it to spread over the surface or touch 
the stalk of the plant. 
The Pacific Rural Press says “ As to the 
extent of irrigation, to secure the largest and 
best yield of cottou, the experience of Mr. C. 
is that where he irrigated the most abund- 
antly, ho got the best yield in all cases and 
places. His cotton was planted on the 25th 
of April, but thinks the 1st of April would 
be better, or us soon after all danger from 
frost is passed us possible. The iirst boll of 
mature cotton was picked on the 2Stk of 
Juno. He would plant in rows flvo feet 
apart, because he finds when sufficient water 
is given the plants they will fill that amount 
of space. IIis present planting was three, 
four and five feet apart, and thinks five feet 
the best. The yield on the one and a half 
acres was 4-15 pounds, or at the rate of very 
nearly 800 pounds to the acre. 
“ There is no doubt but his cotton is worth, 
and ought to bring, 25 cents a pound ; his 
best offer, however, is IS cents in ban Fran¬ 
cisco, which he will probably take, rathor 
than forward so small a lot to an Eastern 
market, bo complete has been his success 
the past Boason ho will increase his next 
year’s crop to the full extent; ho will be able 
to irrigate about 1)0 acres, growing as an ex- 
HOW TO GROW SUGAR BEETS, 
MILKING STOCK FOR POOR SOILS AND 
THIN PASTURES. 
In' the first; place, select a suitable piece of 
ground—a low, mellow and loamy corner of 
your lost year’s com field would do first rate, 
provided the ground is not sodden with water. 
Sugar beets want moisture and a great deal, 
but not too much. The soil must also be 
friable, and the deeper the hotter. Having 
such a piece selected, plow it up the first 
chance you can got; tako your time when at 
it and plow deep,—at least one foot, and as 
much more as possible. Unless It is In very 
good heart, spread ou a thick coating of bam 
yard manure or muck compost, and let Jack 
Frost and the rain and snow dissolve and mix 
all through tho soil for you, bettor than you 
could do it yourself, and free of expense. 
After you are through planting com next 
Spring, turn in and get your beet patch ready. 
How it again good and deep ; this will mix 
tho sour subsoil,first turned up, all through 
t he good soil; t hen it will not damage your 
crop. Harrow the ground very thoroughly ; 
furrow out two and a half foot apart ; fill the 
furrows with a compost that you set to work 
making as soon as you read this, and which 
will be in just the l'ight condition when wanted 
for use ; fill the furrows level full, then turn 
two furrows (one each side) over ou tho m;v 
nure, mulcting a ridge, and making it pretty' 
high. 
Next go along with a hand rake, and smooth 
off the tops of the ridge,—being sure to keep 
it straight. Get a seed sower and plant your 
seed, not too thick. It is a common fault to 
sow too much beet seed; tho beets must stand 
live or six inches apart finally. You can try 
your sower and regulate it on a board, to 
sow about twice this amount; then, when 
! lie plants are up about two or three, inches 
high, so that you can see tho rows plainly, 
give them a good and unsparing tli inning out. 
I may as well remark hero, for the benefit 
of those who have never raised a crop of 
sugar beets, that they are very quick grow¬ 
ers when young, and being of a yellowish 
green, are immediately distinguished from 
all weeds. They afo nothing like carrots. 
Carrots are grand for feed, but they need to 
be tenderly nursed till eight inches high. 
They are four times tho bother, and yield 
only one-half the crop that boots do, You 
have no troublo hunting to find the row in 
beets. They aro hardy, and if covered up 
will almost grow out in the night; that is 
more than my experience will bear in car¬ 
rots. 
Your beets thinned out and growing nicely, 
go t hrough them with a hand plow (if you 
have one) while they aro still very small, 
plowing from the row ; in a few days plow 
to them. This can bo done before it is ad¬ 
visable to begin with a horse, and then you 
get the start of the few woeds that survive 
your Winter plowing and tho preparation of 
the ground. As they grow larger, plow 
deeper and deeper, and in caso of drouth run 
the cultivator through often, just skimming 
off tho crust ; it will let tho moisture in the 
soil at night and much increase the crop ; 
and now you are ready to harvest the crop. 
It is best to pull them out, as they then come 
clean, without any dirt; they pull easily, as 
they grow one-half out of the ground • hoys 
can readily pull them. If you have too many 
to pull, go through with a sharp hoe and cut 
the tops off, pick them up out of the way, 
and save to feed to tho cows ; then take a 
loam and plow, turn ono furrow away from 
each row and then throw them out ; have 
them picked up and thrown in heaps to dry, 
then put away for the Winter and keep in a 
dark place. 
If you follow these simple directions you 
will not be disappointed at harvest., for when 
you go to gather the crop you will find it in 
abundance. You may, by this method, count 
on 500 bushols to the acre -and more, if the 
season is good ; besides, your soil is all tho 
time improving. In France, where beets aro 
raised by the thousand acres for sugar, tho 
country has improved so much that it is esti¬ 
mated that the soil is four or five times as 
productive, and the cattle (fed on the refuse 
pulp from the presses) number hundreds for 
ono formerly. In short, boot raising has 
completely transformed the country. 
Just make up your mind to raise a patch of 
White sugar boots next year. If you mis.-, 
them once you will raise them always. You 
will find your cattle slick and thrifty ; your 
dairy profits greater; you can keep double 
tho stock ; your compost heap will be in¬ 
creased ; your land improved, and you be 
made better off in many ways by the sugar 
beet < Practical. 
ARTIFICIAL MILK 
We gave some weeks since in the columns of 
the Rural a recently-discovered method fox- 
making artificial butter—a thing of French 
origin and ingenuity. We aro told that the 
butter Is excellent, and a good substitute for 
the genuine article. This may nil bo true, for 
there are so many wonderful things accom¬ 
plished in thi3 ago that one must not be too 
hasty in pronouncing upon impossibilities. 
Wc can only say, in the present state of tho 
butter market, that wo prefer tho genuine 
article, and have no fears that .any substitute 
can bo introduced that will cause alarm to 
our butter makers. Such inventions, how¬ 
ever, are of interest, as may be. perhaps, the 
following receipt for making artificial milk, 
which, according to the authority of a foreign 
journal, “is an excellent concoction.” And 
though prejudice might prevent thin excellent 
concoction from being taken at breakfast 
time instead of the produce of the cow, 
calves would huvo no such feeling, and would 
take it with thankfulness and grow fat. If 
any of our readers have grown sick of the 
very doubtful material furnished by the milk 
veiMOrs, anti have a desire to experiment in 
the manufacture of a substitute fur the gen¬ 
uine lacteal lluid, here is the formula.: 
“ Add to half a liter of water, forty or fifty 
grammes of saccharine material, (cane sugar, 
glucose, or sugar of milk,) twenty or thirty 
grammes of dry albumen (made from white 
of egg) and one or two grammes of subcar- 
bontifce of soda. These are to lie agitated 
with fifty or sixty grammes of olive oil or 
other convertible ‘ fatty matter, until they 
form an emulsion. Tins may be done either 
with warm or cold water ; but the tempor¬ 
al. urn of 50' lo 60 C. is recommended. The 
result is a pasty liquid, which by further ad¬ 
mixture with its o-.vu bulk of water assumes 
the consistency and general appearance of 
milk. Luxuriously-minded people who pre¬ 
fer rich cream to ordinary milk can obtain it 
by doubling tho quantity of fatty matter and 
substituting two or three grammes of gela¬ 
tine for the dry albumen. The rvweureties of 
Dumas and FliEMY having reinstated gelatine 
among the nitrogenous alimentary materials, 
M, Dun RUN fa NT prefers gelatine to albumen ; 
it is cheaper, more easily obtained, and the 
slight viscosity which it gives to the liquid 
materially assists the formation and main- 
tainanoe of the emulsion, lie especially rec¬ 
ommends this in t he manufacture of siege 
milk” on account of tho obviously numerous 
articles from which gelatine may be ole 
tained.” 
The London Milk Journal evidently has 
but little faith in this compound, for in com¬ 
menting upon the ingredients which makeup 
this artificial milk It says t —“Such of our 
readers as aro familiar with tho composition 
of milk will bn amused with tho expedient of 
Substituting carbonate of soda for the phos¬ 
phate of lime and salt, which form the min 
oral constituents of real milk, and will sus¬ 
pect t.liat the ‘strictly scientific manner’ which 
governed this procedure, consisted in falling 
into the vulgar error which was exposed in 
our pages some time ago. The albumen do- 
rived from white of egg is a very different 
thing from cascinc, chemically considered, us 
we hare pointed out, and as 11 LASIWETZ and 
Habkrmanx have also shown still more re¬ 
cently, Butter fats, too, we think, may be 
easily distinguished from olive oil,” 
After all, it may lie more satisfactory to 
accept a substitute, knowing its composition, 
than to swallow the villainous compound 
reeking with the germs of disease which is 
not unfrequently peddled by the milkman. 
mo most wonderfully ; also, direct me where 
I can buy the stock. ' I want one or two grade 
cows which will give large pail returns, and 
a bull calf (thoroughbred) of the breed which 
will profit me the most. My preference is 
for the Holstein and the Ayrshire. Think, 
from my reading, the former will give more 
milk if my pasture will suit them.—O. E. 
Blackburn. Little Lock, Ark. 
From the description above given of our 
coiTespondcnt’a land, wo infer that pastur¬ 
age does not make a thick, luxuriant and 
abundant growth, but that his cows will bo 
required to travel over a considerable surface 
daily to obtain a requisite amount of food. 
The object sought then would seem to bo to 
select a cow that will yield most milk under 
such circumstances, without regard to t he 
making of beef as a secondary object or the 
production of meat in connection with milk. 
Wc know of no breed that would better suit 
this situation than tho Ayrshire. Tho Ayr- 
shire, though of medium size, is a remark¬ 
ably good milker and her milk is of fair aver¬ 
age quality—not so rich as that from some 
other breeds, but quite as full of butter as 
that from the Dutch or Holstein. The quan¬ 
tity of milk yielded by the Ayrshire cow, 
considering her size, is very great. Aiton 
says that 850 gallons per year is not uncom¬ 
mon ; and allowing for some unproductive 
cows, COO gallons may bo considoi’cd as the 
average quantity obtained annually from each 
cow. The Ayrshires have good constitutions, 
are a hardy and active breed, and they will 
probably give more milk, on pasturage which 
has to be picked from an extended surface 
requiring much travel, than any other breed. 
The Ayrshires have now been so extensively 
introduced in the United States that good 
thoroughbred animals can be purchased from 
the breeders at reasonable rates. 
Tho Dutch, or Holstein, cattle have been 
but recently introduced into this country. 
They are of large size, the cows averaging 
from 1,200 to 1,400 pounds weight each, and 
sometimes more. They are very largo milk- 
el’s, probably exceeding the Ayrshire's in 
quantity, but they are best adapted to level 
or slightly undulating surfaces, where the 
pastures are rich and abundant, and where 
food can bo obtained without much travel. 
From all the accounts given we think favora¬ 
bly of Dutch cattle fox' tho daily on those 
Boil3 that seem well adapted to the breed. 
Still they have not been sufficiently tested in 
the dairies of this country to determine their 
merits as fully as have the Ayrshires. They 
aro not so active, and, it is believed by many, 
will not prove so hai’dy as the Ayrshire* ; but 
so far as our own observation extends, they 
seem well adapted to the climate and rich 
pastures of the Middle States. Their breed¬ 
ing being somewhat limited in this country, 
thoi'ouglibred animals are very expensive, as 
compared with the prices for which Ayr- 
shires can be obtained. 
The Ayrshires, it may be remarked, cross 
well on the common stock of ^he country, 
the grades generally making good milkers, es¬ 
pecially where due attention has been given 
in selecting good cows of common stock on 
which the cross is made. If our inference is 
correct respecting the character of the lands 
owned by our coircspondent, we must most 
decidedly recommend the Ayx'shires os best 
suited to his purpose. 
There are quite a number of persons in this 
country who are distinguished as breeders of 
Ayrshires, among whom wc may name Mr. 
Campbell of York Mills, N. Y.; Mr. Bihney 
of Springfield, Mass.; Brodie & Converse 
of Rural Hill, N. Y. In our tour through 
Jefferson county, recently, we saw some fine 
MULCHING WINTER WHEAT 
We have several inquiries as to whether 
mulching Winter wheat will protect it—that 
is, whether the crop nins less risk if mulched 
than if not mulched. If a heavy body of 
snow falls, wo doubt if mulching is any ad¬ 
vantage so far as protection is concerned ; in 
u<> case should such a mulch bo a heavy one— 
so heavy an to cover tho plants. A light 
mulch of straw for such a whiter as that of 
1871 and ’72 in localities where little snow 
fell, would doubtless benefit the crop ; but 
it is a question which can only be settled by 
the experience of those who have tried it, 
how fur it is safe and profitable to mulch 
\V inter wheat. A gentleman at Ixxdepcnd- 
ence, Mo. , writes tho Western Planter that in 
the Fall of 1871 he covered a portion of his 
field of Fall wheat with straw about the 
same depth us ho had covered Ills strawberry 
plants, anil the grain was worse killed where 
mulched than where exposed. He does not 
consider it an infallible trial, howovei', and 
we should think not; though it may provo so 
if he mulches his wheat as heavily hereafter. 
We should bo glad to know if any of our 
x'eaders have had experience in mulching 
wheat, 
SOWING ASHES ON WHEAT. 
What do you think of sowing ashes on 
wheat in the Spring? I have thought of 
harrowing my wheat and fallowing it with 
ashes.— h. c. p. 
Were wo going to apply ashes to wheat 
ground, we should do so before sewing, or 
sow them broadcast at the time of seeding. 
As a rule, there is little gain in harrowing 
Fall wheat in Spring, provided the land is in 
proper tilth when the seed is sown. If wo 
BONE FILINGS FOR ABORTIVE COWS, 
PEERLESS POTATO. 
In reply to the inquiry of W. H., page 154, 
last volume, I will say that the Early Rose 
anil the Peerless aro tho two most valuable 
of all the recent seedlings brought lief ore the 
public. I have long grown the former, but 
the latter were raised by me for the first time 
last year. Tho rust partially lolled the tops 
as it has all other varieties, exoept the very 
latest, o. r, d. 
Central New Hampshire, 1872. 
8WEET POTATOES. 
A correspondent at Manlius, N. Y., asks 
the best kind of sweet potatoes to cultivate 
in his locality and where he can get the seed • 
also, the best way to cultivate them so far 
North. 
