c 
which demand correction. On pages 'hi-7, 
where reference is made to dairy market days 
and Dairymen Boards of Trade, t he following 
language is used —“ The association in Little 
Falls has been in operation only since last 
May, while that in U tica has been going ever 
since cheese factories have been established, 
although not ns a regular organization.” 
This language must seem strange to those 
familiar with the facts, since it is well known 
that the system of marketing cheese on cer¬ 
tain days of the week was commenced at 
Little Falls before the factory system became 
established, and indeed, was the first regu¬ 
larly organized system for selling cheese 
(where buyer and seller met to transact, busi¬ 
ness) that was lmd in the United States. The 
Now York State Dairymen’s Board of Trade 
was organized at Little Falls in February, 
1871, and the Utica Dairymen’s Board of 
Trade, modeled after that at Little Falls, was 
organized afterward, and has had a hard 
struggle to maintain its existence. W e com¬ 
menced reporting the Little Falls Daily Mark¬ 
et in 186-1, and in 1871 a meeting was called 
for the first time in Utica to induce dairymen 
and cheese dealers to meet on certa in days in 
the week and transact business on the Little 
Falls plan. Previously, the cheese dealers 
purchased the bulk of cheese by going about 
and doing the business at the factories. 
We hope the Utica Dairy Market will suc¬ 
ceed, as wo hope all markets for the sale of 
dairy products may prove a success. We be¬ 
lieve in the system ; and whilo Little Falls 
has done so much to inaugurate this plan for 
the sale of dairy goods, demonstrating prac¬ 
tically its benefits to the dairymen, it seems 
no more than just that her claims ns the orig¬ 
inator of the system should be recognized. 
Of course, dairymen in Central New York 
are well acquainted with the facts as wc have 
Stated ; but in other States it might be other¬ 
wise, and for the truth of history wo cannot 
let so gross a misstatement as that to which 
we have referred go to the public without 
correction. 
Mr. O. 8. Bliss, Secretary of the. Vermont 
Dairymen’s Association, seems to haveedilod 
the Pamphlet with care, and it is issued in an 
attractive style. 
water, alive with organisms, which no one, 
would think it safe to drink, is not uufre- 
quently considered good enough for the dumb 
beast that supplies the family with milk. 
The milk is used without question ns to its 
wholsomencss, and if typhoid fever, or some 
malignant disease attacks and carries oif 
some of the inmates of a household, the cause 
is laid to an inscrutable source, some epidem¬ 
ic, or contagion which is wafted by the winds 
from afar. There are poisons other than 
those found in the minerals and drugs of the 
apothecary. They are. in the cesspool, the 
dram, and in the heaps of accumulated filth 
often permitted to dillu.se their noxious in¬ 
fluence about our living apartments ; and 
then there are those other poisons coming 
from the milk and the flesh of animals which 
have been improperly fed and cared for. 
is good and cheap, tv former of enterprise can 
easily raise fruit enough for his own family 
and several tenant families, and still leave 
more than a good stock of hogs will consume. 
The million have yet to learn the true value 
of trees that, will give from ten to fifty, and 
some twice fifty, annual crops of fruit for 
once planting. 
Among annuals grown for pigs, guberpoas, 
or peanuts, arc one of the. most prolific and 
profitable, especially on poor, sandy land. 
Canada peas sown early, with oats to hold 
up the vines, make capital summer grazing 
for breeding sows uud pigs. In the South we 
should drill iu u field with the. curliest Canada 
corn, to he harvested by hogs, which will 
gather the crop before southern corn is in 
roasting ear. Cow peas are raised so easily 
that they make cheap pork and corn, Mixed 
with com, half-and-half, ground, the. meal 
well cooked ns mush, and fed cold, fattens 
hogs very rapidly. Our largest farmers, 
however, ruisu large fields of corn and (teas 
for hogs to gather without any labor from 
man. Crops consumed in this way fatten 
the soil ns well as pigs ; but it makes un¬ 
pleasant plowing among pea vines and corn¬ 
stalks m winter or spring. 
Properly considered, meat is concentrated 
bread, und where the back bone is taken out, 
and the hams, shoulders and middlings well 
dried and cured, (as practised iu the Soul h), 
a rich article of food is obtained, that may 
be kept iu prime condition many years. 
Neither the art nor the science of keeping 
meat m the best possible condition for con¬ 
sumption is sufficiently studied. The exclu¬ 
sion of damp air and all insects, after bacon 
is well dried, will keep it perfectly sound and 
sweet. Rusty, rancid or musty bacon is a 
too common defect. Rut up in tight casks 
and packed in sun-dried oafs so that no two 
pieces touch, with the. casks kept in a cool, 
dark room, (cellar or smoke house), bacon 
rarely deteriorates with age. Fumes of red 
pepper burned slowly when smoking meat 
tend to keep off both mold and Hies. Thin 
iron vessels made air t ight- to exclude damp¬ 
ness, will probably be found best iu point of 
economy and efficiency, to keep well dried 
wheat, corn, flour, meal, fruit, meat, lard, 
butter and cheese from all deterioration. A 
small investment, in something to exclude 
oxygen and humidity from perishable sub¬ 
stances of every-day consumption, that will 
last a life-time, like an air-tight iron safe, 
will pay a big interest. This line of thought, 
however, is leading me away from sugges¬ 
tions for the improvement of swine and 
other farm stock, as the reader might expect 
from the heading of this article. 
There is a sound physiological reason for 
not allowing pigs, sheep, neat cattle or horses 
of either sex, to supply parental calls for 
oflsprir.g while young and growing. Off¬ 
spring abstract vitalized matter of great val¬ 
ue from the blood of both parents, which 
their own bodies need when young for their 
full and perfect development. 
MILK POISONS 
The importance of providing good, clean 
water for milch cows fo drink, has been very 
clearly shown from repeated examinations 
of specimens of bad milk under the micro¬ 
scope. Some two years ago we gave in these 
columns an account of a somewhat noted 
cheese which had come under the observa¬ 
tion of Professor Sawks. The milk, from a 
certain milkman, soon after received was 
found to be defective. Under the microscope 
vegetable organisms were found growing in 
it. A drop of this had milk when added to 
milk perfectly sound, introduced the same 
class of organisms, which increased and mul¬ 
tiplied with great rapidity in the sound milk, 
causing it soon to be bad. On examining the 
blood of the cows under the microscope, the 
same class of organisms were found and their 
source was traced to the water from which 
the cows obtained their supply for quenching 
thirst. 
For a long time it has been observed that 
the milk of cows, drinking from stagnant, 
pools and mud holes, soon becomes bad, and 
is the fruitful source of floating curds during 
hot weather. In St. Lawrence Co. a noted 
dairyman Btated to us that during a certain 
dry season lie was unable to make good but¬ 
ter from the milk of his cows, yet his neigh¬ 
bors had no difficulty. His pastures were not 
well provided with water, and the cows were 
forced to drink from sloughs and frog ponds. 
He tried, for a long time, to discover the 
cause Of the trouble iu his butter, and at last 
suspected it came from the water the cows 
were drinking. Then he sunk a well and ob¬ 
tained an abundant supply of good, clean 
water for his herd, and he had no difficulty 
in making sweet butter arid as good as could 
bo produced by his neighbors. 
There is abundant evidence to show that 
certain living organ: ms found in unwhole¬ 
some water, when taken into the system, re¬ 
tain their vitality, enter into the blood and 
are carried into the milk. Doubtless, in many 
instances, disease and blood-poisoning results 
from the use of bad milk ; tho cause of 
which, if properly traced, would be found in 
the unwholesome water which the cows 
drink. N early a year ago the Canada Lan¬ 
cet gave an account of a serious case of poi¬ 
soning produced from using freshly-churned 
buttermilk, the substance of which is thus 
given in the Milk Journal“ A medical man 
was summoned to a house where he found 
four men apparently Buffering from the ef¬ 
fects of a narcotiro - irritant poison. The 
symptoms were vomiting, purging, burning 
pains in the bowels, cramps and contractions 
of the lower extremities, stupor, constant 
thirsty small pulse and clammy surface. On 
inquiry, It was found that each patient had 
some time previously (from an hour to an 
hour and a half) drank a tumblerful or more 
of freshly-churned buttermilk, and were 
shortly afterward seized with giddiness. 
Seven otlr-r persons, relatives of the family, 
had drank of the same buttermilk, and were 
seized with similar symptoms, although not 
quite so severe. Tho milk was palatable to 
the taste, un i all assorted that it was impos¬ 
sible that any poison could have been put 
into It. Carbolic acid in ten-drop doses wus 
administered, subsequently followed by opi¬ 
um, under which treatment all recovered. 
The milk was then tested. No trace of veg¬ 
etable or minoral poison was found ; but on 
examining it microscopically, numerous ani- 
malovflae were perceived, of about l-5000th 
to 1-7000Lh of an inch in diameter. A sam¬ 
ple of the injurious milk and a like quantity 
of good milk freshly churned (in which, how¬ 
ever, it ia stated a few animalculae were visi¬ 
ble on examination) were then set aside for a 
week, when the latter divided into curds and 
whey, but the former retained its consisten¬ 
cy, and looked as fresh as when churned and 
was literally swarming with animalculae, 
while the latter was nearly free from them. 
The theory advanced by the medical attend¬ 
ant who contributes the article, regarding 
the animalculae, was that the germs which 
produced them had existed In water supplied 
to the cow from which the milk was obtained. 
This theory was, without doubt, correct, 
and it is not improbable, that the cases of poi¬ 
son from eating cheese, which not unfra- 
quently occur, may be laid to the same source. 
Dairymen are not generally aware of the se¬ 
rious consequences that are liable to result 
from neglect in supplying their herds with 
good, clean water. The impression seems to 
prevail that the cow has wonderful powers 
of separating all the poisons in her food and 
water in some mysterious way, so that they 
shall not be secreted in her milk. Filthy 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE VERMONT 
DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
The Third Annual Report of the Vermont 
State Dairymen’s Association for the year 
ending October, 187”, recently printed, is a 
pamphlet of 164 pages, anti contains much 
valuable information. The report opens with 
the address of President Mason before the 
Association tit the winter meeting at Rut¬ 
land, and is followed by the address and dis¬ 
cussions on the various topics relating to the 
dairy, which wp»c had on that occasion. The 
most prominent speeches are as follows : 
Address of Welcome, by TTon. Henry Clark 
of the Rutland Herald ; “ Associated Cheese- 
Making,” by T. D. Cturns of Utica, N. Y.; 
“ Taints of Milk and Floating Curds,” by H. 
Lewis of Herkimer, N. Y. ; “The Breeding 
of Dairy Stock,” by C. L. Flint, Secretary 
Massachusetts Board of Agriculture ; “Pro¬ 
duction of Milk for Butter and Choose, and 
the Breeds Adapted to Each,” by T. 8. C old, 
Secretary Connecticut Board of Agriculture ; 
“Milk and its Products,” by Alexander. 
Hyde of Lee, Mass.; Remarks of Col. Need¬ 
ham, Ac., &o. 
President Mason makes some pertinent re¬ 
marks in regard to the looso way in which 
many dairymen keep an account of their 
farming operations and tho cost of the arti¬ 
cles they have to sell. Tho same applies 
equally to farmers engaged in other branches 
or farming. He says “ Wc dairymen arc 
a stubborn class to learn. Wc do not accept 
facts without a good deal of proof and per¬ 
suasion, and in too many eases work out our 
own injury through a fear of being too easily 
deceived. This is a progressive age, and 
those who allow themselves to fall in the rear 
in the march of improvement must be con¬ 
tent to occupy second-rate positions and be 
satisfied with small pecuniary rewards. It is 
somewhat surprising that, notwithstanding 
the improvements in dairy f i rming so little 
has been effected toward inducing dairymen 
to perform their operations iu a more system¬ 
atic manner and keep a regi ilar record und 
account of their dairy business generally and 
specifically. 
“ For one who practices such a method, 00 
keep all their accounts ‘in their heads,’ us 
it is termed, and arc rightly called * guess 
dairymen,’ for they never know anything, 
only guess it is so-and-so. They don’t know 
whether this, that, or tho other mode of 
dairying pays the best; whether they can 
afford to sell their produce at a given price or 
not; they cannot tell whether it is for their 
interest to continue iu the dairy business or 
not, nor even ut the end of the year are they 
sure whether their names should be on the 
loss or profit side of the ledger. Having kept 
no record of their doings, they arc almost 
wholly in the dark. They can only guess 
‘it’s about so.’ It is high time for all such 
to take ‘ a new departure ’ and commence a 
thorough reform. Of course, keeping such 
records occupies some time, but how can it 
be better spent than in thus obtaining a bet¬ 
ter knowledge of our profession and the 
workings in that special branch in which we 
may be engaged. 
“ Farmers should keep on exact account of 
everything connected with then- dairy, bo 
that at the end of the year they can sum 
it all up and know all about it and not have 
any guess-work. They ahou Id be ai >le to show 
just what it costs to make 100 pounds of 
cheese or butter. Then, and not till then, can 
they tell whether it pays to continue dairy¬ 
ing. They should also keep a similar account 
in all other farm operations, and then there 
would Tie an end of tho continuul guessing 
and thinking and ignorance in regard to those 
things we shoidd know all about.” 
We shall have occasion, hereafter, to refer 
to some of the papers and discussions em¬ 
braced in this pamphlet. We have only space 
to say in this connection, that the article on 
“Dairy Market Days” contains some errors 
THE BREEDING, REARING AND FAT 
TENING OF SWINE. 
Tue flesh and fat of the pig are largely 
consumed by the American people, and often 
in districts where mutton and beef might be 
used with greater economy as substitutes for 
bacon and pickled pork. One can produce 
good mutton and wool without grain ; l>v.t 
meat from live porkers is made usually at 
the expense of the corn crib. Every South¬ 
ern State has more hogs than sheep ; and 
it is rare indeed that one sees a Southern 
farmer kill either a veal or lamb for tho 
table. Young meat, is not popular, whether 
pigs, calves or lambs. 
Tho most common error in breeding swine 
is the result of carelessness in permitting 
both males and females to propagate their 
species at too young an age. Young sows 
are apt to die in giving birth to their first lit¬ 
ter of pigs. The. writer has lost four in this 
way which, raised in the woods outside of all 
fence, could not be kept from boars ; and to 
spay them would destroy their value for 
breeding purposes. To avoid the loss of 
young sows, and to prevent the degenera¬ 
cy of both sexes by early pairing, breeding 
animals should bo reared separate, males 
from females, and not allowed to run in the 
forest. Castrated pigs of cither sex maybe 
raised in the woods in many sections of our 
extended country at a large profit. The 
southwestern farmer who makes fat hogs his 
principal crop for market, should have not 
only a plenty of corn, peas, oats and clover 
for this kind of stock, but large orchards of 
plum, peach, apple and mulberry trees; not 
to name persimmon, oak, chestnut and hick¬ 
ory, whose fruits pay liberally in the rearing 
and fattening of swine. Mulberries deserve 
far more attention than they receive ; and 
the same remarks will apply to our own na¬ 
tive plums, which bear profusely. 
Where the climate permits figs and Scup- 
peraong grapes to grow and ripen them fruit, 
probably no other perennial plants will yield 
so much food for hogs for the labor expend¬ 
ed as these. Experience proves that a plenty 
of rooting sows and pigs in peach, plum and 
cherry orchards so destroy the curculio, that 
if one chooses to gather the fruit in place of 
letting it be oaten by swine, this is perhaps 
the best way to secure it in abundance, free 
from worms and other defects. Where land 
By all means 
we should make the system of each parent 
perfect before attempting to draw out of it 
a perfect being to serve as the parent of fu¬ 
ture generation*. 
A ripe parent is like a ripe seed. If all the 
conditions have been favorable, its vital force 
and organization may be an improvement on 
those of its progenitors ; and it is important 
to extend this gain, whether physical or 
physiological, to the next generation. To 
attain this purpose both the maternal and 
paternal cells that form the germ of a new 
animal must come, not from the depleted 
blood of growing Immature flesh, bones, 
nerves and brain, but perfect blood, where 
every organ and function has reached matu¬ 
rity, and those of reproduction have the uni¬ 
ted force of the whole system in its best es¬ 
tate. Pigs, calves, lambs und colts propaga¬ 
ted and reared on this principle, (always 
making judicious selections in pairing), can 
hardly fail to improve from one generation 
to another. 
All breeding Btock should have room for 
abundant exercise in walking and running to 
develop Lone, sinew, muscle, nerve and 
sound longs. Hogs are getting weak lungs 
in many places ; in others I notice unsound 
livers, which with weak kidneys, are often 
infested by worms. Cholera and pneumonia 
are common maladies ; and parasites, such 
as lice and worms, are still more prevalent. 
Give hogs corn meal with salt, sulphur and 
wood ashes mixed well therein, frequently, 
to prevent or cure these evils. Sulphur with 
salt will drive ticks off from sheep and cattle. 
In the South ticks on cattle are common and 
very large. d. l. 
Prizes fob Swine tn W is. — A County 
Agricultural Society, in Wisconsin, offers 
E re mi urn s, among others, for Swine of Wo- 
urn, Irish Grazier, China and Middlesex 
breeds. 
