N. Y. In his report, going over several 
years, we find tlmt during Borne seasons a 
much larger quantity of milk was required 
to make a pound of butter. As milk varies 
very much in character from a variety of 
causes, it must be evident that no exact 
standard can be given to apply in all cases. 
Our figures must, therefore, refer only to 
milk of average good quality. 
The usual course adopted when butter and 
" skim - cheese” is made, is to allow the 
morning’s milk to Bet in the vats twenty- 
four hours, or until the following morning. 
The night’s mflk stands in the vats only 
twelve hours, or from night till morning, 
when the cream is taken from each mess of 
milk, and the skimmed milk mingled to¬ 
gether goes into the cheese vats for cheese 
making. When milk is properly managed 
as to temperature, it is claimed that all the 
cream will rise in twenty-four hours; and 
some say that it can all be got up in twelve 
hours. 
is trifling, a very fair profit is made. Good 
“spring calveB," when sold at the com¬ 
mencement of winter will command from 
$10 to $12 per head. At least, these prices 
have been freely paid in Herkimer. This 
would give from $30 to $40 per cow as the 
value of her milk after it was skimmed; and 
during the latter part of the season the 
skimmed milk may be used for swine. 
The pasturage of the calves and the labor 
of raising it is true must be taken out of the 
above estimate, but it will be seen under 
good management a very fair profit may be 
made at the business. 
mends English breeders to rear them exten¬ 
sively, averring tliat they will be strong 
competitors, in a few years with their favorite 
breeds—the Rouen and Aylesbury. 
J. Brace. 
usbaubrn 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., EDITOR, 
Or I-rrrL* Fails, lliumtt Coetmr, Niw Yobs, 
EARLY LAYING FOWLS. 
How I Make my Hens liRy la Early Winter. 
I hate been experimenting for years to 
get fresh eggs early in winter, and having 
succeeded to my satisfaction, I propose to 
give through the Rural my experience, that 
others may do likewise. I had been in the 
habit of keeping my fowls until they were 
three or lour years old without a change, of 
either sex. Five or six yeais ago I com¬ 
menced experimenting by chaneing my hens, 
putting the yearling pullets with a two-year- 
old cock; also changing their food every 
week—first feeding corn, then buckwheat, 
then oats and cooked meal, giving them oc¬ 
casionally a little fresh meat. The corn 
seemed to be too hearty, and produced fat 
instead of eggs, while the buckwheat was 
very heating; the oats and cooked meal had 
nearly the same effect as the corn and buck¬ 
wheat. 
Last fall I commenced feeding com in the 
morning, cooked Indian meal (warm) at 
noon, and buckwheat and oats mixed at 
evening, or just before roosting time. This 
feed I found to answer well—better than 
anything else—causing my hens to “shell 
out” prolifically from the first or middle of 
December and keep it up without interrup¬ 
tion all winter, through llie coldest weather. 
I give them a pluck chopped flue once a 
week regularly, und plenty of pure fresh 
water. My fowls are always kept in a warm 
coop, with plenty of coal ashes to wallow in, 
which is given them every other day. The 
hen manure is removed once in two or three 
weeks and placed in barrels for use in my 
garden. The manure more than pays me 
for all the trouble. Mixed with compost it 
makes the best kind of fertilizer for my vines, 
trees and shrubs. 
I am still continuing my experiments this 
winter, and find it pays well; my bens keep 
perfectly healthy, and commences:! laying on 
the 28d of November, and continue to “ shell 
out” regularly daily. All tho change made 
Is to place in the hennery about half a peck 
of lime. I put my yearling pullets with a 
two-year-old cock—six pullets to each cock. 
Monroe 
THE MAMMOTH CHEESE OF NEW 
ENGLAND. 
Hovf the First Big Cheese in America wai 
Made. 
Some time back we gave in the Rural, a 
drawing representing the Ingersoll cheese 
factory, with a brief account of the big cheese 
made at that establishment, referring also to 
others which had been made from time to 
time. Our account of the early history of 
big cheeses it seems was incomplete. 
A recent number of LitteU’s Living Age 
contains an interesting article, from the 
Gentleman’s Magazine, written by Eljiiu 
Bciuutt, on the great political cheese which 
the people of Cheshire, Massachusetts, made 
for Thomas Jefferson when ho was Pres¬ 
ident of the United States. 
This cheese, according to Mr. Burritt, 
was made on 
MORE ABOUT DUCKS. 
In our last paper upon the different breeds 
of ducks, their characteristics, <fcc., we re¬ 
ferred, casually, to the Musk or Brazilian 
variety. They are said to be an important 
acquisition to the poultry yard of this coun¬ 
try. und are easily reared. They often attain 
the size of the Rouen or Aylesbury breed, 
but their flesh is not as sweet or nutritious. 
To be exact, however, we suppose 
that both these statements are incorrect, as 
by no process of setting milk as employed 
by butter makers will ail the cream rise so 
as to be removed; for if the skimmed milk 
be subjected to analysis, it will be found to 
contain butter. In a practical point of view, 
we suppose nothing is gained by setting 
milk for a longer time than twenty-four 
hgurs, if ail the conditions of temperature be 
properly observed. 
Milk for cheese making must not be al¬ 
lowed to sour. It must be kept sweet, and 
this is easily done with the appliances re¬ 
ferred to in a previous number of the Rural. 
If the cream is churned sweet and the but¬ 
termilk has not changed it may be added to 
the skimmed milk and thus employed for 
cheese making. 
Besides the vat there will be required a 
press and hoop, curd-knife, sink, thermom¬ 
eter, curd-scoop, scales, &c. A good press, 
for farm dairy, will cost from twenty to 
twenty-five dollars. Hoops according to size 
nud quality from two to four dollars. Curd- 
knife say, two dollars, and this will com¬ 
prise the larger share of expense. "VVe have 
reference now to a moderately sized dairy. 
For a large number of cows or for a factory 
several presses may be required, &c. 
For a farm dairy we like a pres9 that fol¬ 
lows up the cheese, or does its own work. 
At factories the screw-press is generally em¬ 
ployed. The advantage of having a lever 
press at the farm dairy is that, after the 
work is done in the cheese room, the cheese 
maker may wish to go about some other 
work, and as the screw-press needs attention 
from time to time, it would be liable to be 
neglected, while the lever press, following 
up the cheese by its own machinery, can be 
safely left for the lime iv-yl does not need 
close watching. 
There are several kinds of presses for farm 
dairies, but we prefer the Oyston as simple 
and efficient, and not liable to get out of 
repair. Tho hoops used in pressing the 
cheese may be made of wood or metal. The 
metal hoops, either of tin or galvanized iron, 
arc very easily kept clean; they are light, 
and by many are preferred to wood. 
We should advise our correspondent to 
visit sonic of the establishments where dairy 
utensils are sold. He will then he able to 
sec and obtain several little articles not enu¬ 
merated in our schedule, very useful and 
handy in cheese making, but not, perhaps, 
absolutely necessary. Still, if convenience 
be studied, most of them can doubtless be 
made to pay their cost in one season’s 
operations. 
“ the associated system ” and 
although it was left for the late Jessie Wil¬ 
liams of Rome, N. Y.,to develop and shape 
associated dairying, so that its advantages 
could be clearly appreciated by the cheese 
makers of America, still the credit must be 
given to "old Massachusetts” for tho one 
first effort in this direction, and for the first 
successful experiment in manufacturing a 
mammoth cheese. 
In the early days of the present century 
one of the great pulpit politicians of New 
England was Elder John Leland. Politics 
ran high in those days of Federalists and 
Democrats. Puritan pulpits launched their 
thunderbolts against Jefferson, the great 
Democratic leader, charging him with being 
an infidel of the French revolutionary school. 
In tin! little town of Cheshire, nestling among 
the middle Hills of Massachusetts, says Mr. 
Burritt, a counter voice of great power 
was lifted up from its pulpit against the 
flood of obloquy and denunciation that rolled 
and retired against Jefferson and De¬ 
mocracy. 
This was Elder John Leland, one of the 
most extraordinary preachers produced by 
tween a puff and a groan. It was a com¬ 
plete success. The young men in their shirt 
sleeves, and flushed and moistened faces, 
rested at the levers, for they had moved 
them to the last inch of their force. All tho 
congregation, with the children in the mid¬ 
dle, stood in a compact circle around the 
great press. The June sun brightened their 
faces with its most genial beams and brought 
into the happiest illumination the thoughts 
that beat in their hearts. Then Elder Le¬ 
land, standing up on a block of wood and 
with his deep-lined face overlooking the 
whole assembly, spread out bis great toil- 
hardened hands, and looking steadfastly, 
with open eyes, heavenward, us if to see the 
pathway of his thanksgiving to God and the 
return blessing on its descent, offered up the 
gladness and gratitude of bis flock for the 
one earnest mind that bad inspired them to 
that day’s deed, and invoked Divine favor 
upon it and the nation’s leader for whom it 
was designed.” 
When the cheese was well cured and 
ready for use it weighed sixteen hundred 
j)ounds; but as it could not be safely con¬ 
veyed on wheels to its destination it waited 
until midwinter. Then it was placed in a 
sleigh and no one but Elder John Leland 
could be entrusted with the precious load, 
lie took the reins, driving all the way ft-om 
Cheshire to Washington, full five hundred 
miles, receiving testimonials and varying ac¬ 
clamations in the towns through which he 
passed. Arriving in Washington, Mr. Jef¬ 
ferson received him in state; tire big cheese 
^ July presented and speeches made, and 
the President's steward passed along glitter¬ 
ing knife through the cheese,taking out a deep 
golden wedge, which was served with bread 
and ale, in the presence of the Heads of De¬ 
partments, Foreign Ministers, and many 
other eminent personages. It was highly 
complimented for its richness, flavor and 
color, and was the most perfect specimen 
cheese ever exhibited at the White House. 
Then Mr. Jefferson sent a great golden 
wedge of the cheese back to the makers, 
which they ate with double relish as the 
President’s gift to them as well as theirs to 
him. All of which, with the Elder’s tri¬ 
umphal march back to Cheshire, is described 
in glowing colors by Mr, Burritt, but for 
which wc have no space. 
As a matter of early history of cheese¬ 
making in this country, the great “political 
cheese” of Massacliussetts will perhaps be 
of interest to dairymen. 
The Musk or Braziliau Duck. 
The color of this duck is of a very dark, 
rich, blue-black prismatic, with every color 
of which blue is a component, ami a white 
bar is on the wing, some white about the 
head and neck. The feathers on the back 
of the mule are somewhat fine and plume- 
like, the legs and feet are dnrk. This duck 
is represented as very prolific in a warm 
climate. The drakes often attained ten 
pounds weight when well fattened, while 
the female hardly ever exceeds six pounds. 
In our cold northern climate they do not 
succeed well, therefore we think they would 
be just the breed asked for by the southern 
breeder, and well adapted to that locality. 
those stirring times; and he preached such 
stirring Jeffersonian Democracy to the peo¬ 
ple of Cheshire that for generations they 
never voted anything but “ a straight Demo¬ 
cratic ticket.” Democracy prevailed, and 
Jefferson was elected President, and, to 
quote Mr. Burritt, "no man had done 
more to bring about this result than Elder 
John Leland, of the little hill town of Che¬ 
shire, Massachusetts. 
“ Besides influencing thousands of outsiders 
In the same direction,he had brought up liis 
whole congregation and parish to vote for 
the father of American Democracy. He 
now resolved to set tlie seal of Cheshire to 
the election in a way to make the nation 
know there was such a town in the republi¬ 
can Israel. 
,! He had only to propose the method to 
command the unanimous approbation and 
indorsement of his people. And he did pro¬ 
pose it from the pulpit to a full congregation 
on the Sabbath. With a few earnest words 
he invited every man and woman who 
owned a cow, to bring every quart of milk 
given on a certain day, or all the curd it 
would make, to a great cider mill belonging 
to their brave townsman, Captain John 
Brown, who was the first man to detect and 
denounce the treachery of Benedict Ar¬ 
nold in the Revolution. No Federal cow 
was allowed to contribute a drop of milk to 
the offering, lest it should leaven the whole 
lump with a distateful savor. It was the 
most glorious day the sun ever shone upon, 
before or since, in Cheshire. Its brightest 
beams seemed to bless the day’s work. 
FLESH FOR FOWLS 
We find the following in an English 
journal: — Almost eveiy writer on poultry 
recommends the use of flesh as an article of 
food for fowls. It is said to make them lay, 
and if there is anything in the facts that bens 
require a very large amout of nitrogen for 
the manufacture of eggs, and that flesh is 
peculiarly rich in nitrogen, there ought to 
be some ground for the popular belief. For 
ourselves we have been hr the liabit of using 
flesh freely as an article of food for fowls. 
We always cook it, and have never found 
any bad effects from it. The other day, 
however, we were assured by a gentleman 
who is very successful with bis fowls, that 
meat tends to make them broody. Have 
any of our readers ever observed this effect 
to result from feeding flesh to fowls ? 
If this supposition iB well founded, then 
it will be necessary to abandon the use of 
flesh during the spring and summer mouths. 
During the fall and winter, however, there 
can be no objection to giving fowls liberal 
supplies of flesh. If we do not give fowls 
flesh, they ought to have such grains as are 
peculiarly rich in nitrogen. Perhaps the 
cheapest nitrogenous food is wheat screen¬ 
ings, or bran. Bran contaiuB fourteen per 
cent, of nitrogenous matter; wheat, thir¬ 
teen per cent; millet, fourteen and a halt 
percent.; buckwheat, nine per cent.; corn, 
ten per cent. An excellent article of food 
is prepared by making a thin mush or 
gruel of corn or buckwheat flour, and 
thickening it with wheat bran. Fowls eat 
it greedily and thrive on it. The most 
nitrogenous of all grains is the lupine, 
1 which contains thirty-four per cent, of 
^ albuminoids. Has any one ever cultivated 
them, or tried them as food for fowls V 
The Wood or Summer Buck. 
This beautiful bird, one of the finest va¬ 
rieties wc have, is easily reared and domes¬ 
ticated, and is familiarly known in all parts 
of the United States. The late M. Vabsar, 
Esq., of Poughkeepsie, reared them success¬ 
fully for a number of years, and had them 
domesticated to such a degree as to permit 
a person to stroke them on the back with 
the hand. 
Browne says “ the Musk duck, in a wild 
state, is found only in South America.” 
This is a great mistake, for we have often 
observed them in their wild state in the in¬ 
lets or bays on Lake Ontario and as far in¬ 
land as Cayuga Lake, where they have been 
shot in great numbers and forwarded to the 
New York and PhiladelDhla markets. 
SKIMMED MILK FOR CALVES, 
A writer in the Country Gentleman, re¬ 
ferring to the practice of farmers on the Cots- 
wold Hills and other parts of England not 
adapted for regular dairying, says twenty 
calves a year are raised on the skimmed milk 
from half a dozen cows. These farmers 
manage to have their cows “come in” in 
autumn, selling milk and butter enough to 
pay for the cost of keeping the whole, thus 
getting a home supply free of cost. They 
will raise half a dozen calves at a time, feed¬ 
ing them the skimmed milk for about six 
weeks, when they are weaned and put upon 
sliced turnips and hay, and another lot of 
calves purchased to be fed and treated in the 
same manner. Thus, twenty calves, or more, 
are raised per year, which are kept until 
three years’ old, when they are sold at $100 
each. In tliis way farmers, after the first 
three years, have twenty, or more, “ tliree- 
year-old" animals to sell every year. Tliis 
plan is quite suggestive to those having small 
farms and who desire to raise stock. 
We have seen a similar plan tried on small 
farms, and a very handsome profit made by 
the operation. In the instances under our 
observation the cows were allowed to calve 
about the first of February. By going about 
among the neighboring dairymen the lots of 
calves could be bought from time to time up 
to the first of June. The selections were 
made from the best milking stock, and as 
the first cost of such calves is no more than 
the value of hide and rennet, and the expense 
of raising up to the time of turning to grass 
BUTTER AND SKIM CHEESE, 
- Fowl* Wanted.—Please let me know who 
■— owns No. 7—Earl Derby Game—in your issue 
of the 25th inst.; if he him them for sale, and, 
if convenient, how much per trio. Which are the 
beat for breeding for profit, light or dnrk Brah¬ 
mas, und who has the beet? Will Clay Gaviti 
sell Brahma eggs?—“ Ponto,” Memphis, 2’enn. 
Wc trust our good frieuds referred to will 
make themselves known to our readers through 
our advertising columns. Light Brahmas are 
regarded beat by some, and the dark by others. 
We don’t know which Is the best breed. When 
we do wc will be sure to tell. 
The C'uyngu Black Bnck. 
This is another variety of our duck tribe 
well worthy of cultivation. They are per¬ 
fectly hardy, good layers, and very palatable 
when brought to table. They are also pro¬ 
lific layers. The plumage of the Cayuga 
duck is black, approaching a brown; the 
feathers of the drake being of a beautiful 
glossy color,—when seen on a bright sunny 
day looking splendidly. The white color on 
the neck sets the bird off to good advantage, 
and with a little pains on the part of breeders 
might soon be made into a neat, well-defined 
ring. They can be bred to weigh from six 
to eight pounds each. The flavor of this 
bird, in our opinion, is far superior to that of 
the Rouen or Aylesbury duck, with far 
greater aptitude i© fatten. Wright recom- 
Chickeu Cholera.— JaMES Brooks, who says 
be ba3 been a breeder of Asiatic fowls eighteen 
years, gives the following “sure remedy" for 
this disease“To one gallon of water add one 
ounce of bi-sulphate of soda; set it where the 
fowls can drink it. Asa preventive it is neces¬ 
sary to have the roosting place for the fowls dry 
and clean; the place where they roost should be 
cleaned as often as once a week, and sprinkled 
with lime or wood ashes. Feed with dry feed." 
r6 
