POULT RY N OTES, 
Lice on Fowls. 
A writer in the Cincinnati Gazette says 
that coal oil will rid chickens of lice. Ap¬ 
ply the oil under the wings and on the back 
of the chicks, and it will prove death to 
vermin. Some say this will prove death to 
the chickens also. Another says“ Take 
a pound of ‘rolled’ sulphur, (brimstone,) 
mash one-half the quantity and put it in 
a pan and set it in the center of the 
hen house, made as close as possible, and 
then put a shovelful of fire on it and close 
the door. After this is burned out, treat the 
remaining sulphur in the same way; after 
average through the season, but in making 
estimates it is not considered safe to put the 
quantity anything below ten pounds.. 
With these figures, together with the rela¬ 
tive prices for butter and cheese, our cor¬ 
respondent will he able to make up an opin¬ 
ion whether it be advisable to make butter 
or cheese. 
xtsbanirrg 
arm ©centring 
APPLYING MANURE, 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., EDITOR, 
Of Uttl* C.i.ls, Himcimck Cocmv, Niw York. 
THE POUTER PIGEON 
Having given in previous numbers of the 
Rural New-Yorker illustrations of pigeons 
awarded the first prize by the London (Eng.) 
Coltimbarian Society, we have the pleasure 
this week of presenting our readers with 
another, illustrating the Pouter Pigeon, 
which is claimed by breeders in the old 
country to be inferior to none. This breed 
of birds is bred to some extent in this 
BUTTER OR CHEESE, 
A correspondent asks the following 
questions: 
“ Would cheese making be advisable where 
butter commands an average price through the 
year of 30c. (thirty cents) per pound? What 
amount of new milk is required for making a 
pound of butter, and wbut amount for a pound 
of cheese?" 
I. We cannot advise dairymen to change 
from butter making to cheese making, or 
from cheese making to butter dairying, on 
the assumption that one or the other branch 
will pay the most profit. Generally, when 
a farmer understands a special branch of 
business thoroughly and is gelling from it 
fair returns, it is unwise to throw it up for 
some other branch which he does not under¬ 
stand, simply because it appears to be easier 
or more profitable. The rule of successful 
farming, w'e believe, is to keep right along 
in the business you are doing well at, and 
with which you are perfectly familiar in all 
its parts. Changes are sometimes advisable, 
it is true, but one should look a little below 
the surface and not be too ready to make a j 
change on the advice of others, who, per¬ 
haps, are looking at things from an entirely 
different standpoint from that which you 
occupy. AVe have seen so many losses and 
failures from farmers trying one thing and 
then another, breaking up an established 
line of business and trying new things, that 
we always feel to caution one against, such 
action without thorough investigation and 
knowledge as to all the disadvantages of the 
new business. Aud in the matter of cheese 
and butter making we should be sorry to 
see any very great or extensive change from 
one to the other. For it must be evident 
that if a large proportion of the butter 
makers go to making cheese, the cheese j 
business will he overdone, and the same 
would result to the butter interest should 
the cheese dairymen go to making butter. 
Some sort of an equilibrium as to the two 
branchou must be kept up in order to secure 
fair living prv.o* to producers in each 
branch. If dairymen doitgo from one thing 
to the other at every passing bream*, the} 7 
throw a surplus upon the market, now but¬ 
ter, then cheese, and so by this vacillating 
movement, if they do not “ kill the goose 
that lays the golden egg,” she is badly 
bruised and bent, so that her eggs are 
worthless. 
Then there is another disadvantage in this 
constant surging from one side to the other— 
it militates against a high standard of dairy 
products. Extreme fancy grades of either 
butter or cheese are not the work of a day 
or a year. Men arrive at excellence, gen¬ 
erally, step by step, slowly. Therefore, 
when one has once acquired a reputation for 
fancy goods, he should think twice before 
dropping out of the line for something new. 
AVe remember a case in point where a very 
excellent cheese dairyman, having seen ac¬ 
counts reported of certain butter makers 
obtaining a dollar a pound for their product, 
he determined to abandon bis cheese busi¬ 
ness for butter dairying. But the dollar a 
pound buyers would not come to his door, 
neither could he go to theirs. Buyers and 
consumers knew his brand of cheese and 
were willing to pay for it, hut they did not 
know his brand of butter and could see 
nothing in it more than an ordinary article, 
and so he was forced to sell at, a very low 
price, and after trying it a couple of years or 
so, he abandoned the business ami Wont 
back to cheese rnaki g. But having dropped 
out of line among the cheese makers his 
product now was considered only ordinary, 
and said lie:—“1 found 1 had just made a 
fool of myself, and had to go to work to 
build up my reputation again.” 
The best cheese factories to-day (July 15th) 
are selling faucy cheese at fourteen cents a 
pound, and as there Is more cheese made in 
the country than is needed lor consumption 
at home, the surplus must go to a foreign 
market, and [trices controlled by that market. 
If you are sure of an average price for 
butter of thirty cents a pound the year 
through, we should say, think well before 
making the change to cheese making. True, 
cheese may advance in price, and doubtless 
it will, but. on one hand there is certainly 
and on the other an uncertainty. Thirty 
cents a pound for butter and the skimmed 
milk properly utilized, we should say, was 
better than the milk made into cheese at 
fourteen cents per pound. 
II. Milk varies so much in quality that it 
is no easy matter to give exact figures as to 
the amount of butter any given quantity of 
milk will make. If the milk is of good 
quality, twenty pounds should make a pound 
of butter. 
On an average, at. the cheese factories of 
New York, ten pounds of milk will make a 
pound of cheese. Some factories report a 
pound of cheese from a little less milk as an 
CURDS STICKING TO PRESS CLOTH. 
Will you please give instructions in detail for 
milking "ohcose In Just sueli extremely warm 
weather as we are having now? 'Ve expect to 
make what is termed a firm dairy product. I 
have had Mine yen m’ experience in the business, 
always operated it myself, nut have never had 
time, nor the ability, to experiment tor myself. 
>ly cheese Is much liked by nil who taste it, and 
has a ready sale. We use a Roe’S No. 3 vat, with 
No. 1 pres* nod a thermometer; run up milk 
once a day, I find it very hard work to get the 
doth riff ray cheese in the afternoon, when it is 
time to rim lr. It adheres to the strainer, some¬ 
times wasting considerable coni. I think if I 
knew How to remedy Unit, I could get along very 
well. I have done the best fcuuid to have every¬ 
thing dean and sweet that, is used fti the process 
of making, If you could, and would, publish a 
remedy lit the Rural New-YoiikBH, you would 
bettefti many reader* of the same. It troubles 
me very much, I assure you.— A Subscriber, 
HarUicyiy, Mercer Co., Pa., June, 1870. 
Remarks. —When a certain style of cheese 
is very much liked', and meets with u ready 
sale, it is generally advisable to keep right 
along “upon that line” of manufacture. 
People in different sections like different 
kinds of cheese, and it is always well to study 
the tastes of consumers, and make the kind 
of cheese that best suits the market of the lo¬ 
cality where the cheese is to be sold. 
In regard to the pressing cloth adhering 
to the cheese at the time of turning, it may 
result from using a dry cloth aud keeping in 
press too long a time before turning the 
cheese iu the hoop. Before the curds are 
placed in the hoop, the [tress cloth (should 
be well rinsed in warm whey and wrung 
out, and then thrown over the hoop to re¬ 
ceive the curds. After the cheese has been 
in press, say about two hours, it may be 
taken from the hoop and bandaged—turn¬ 
ing it over, the hoop again replaced and 
thus put to press. 
In Nmv York the great bulk of cheese is 
made by massing tlie nights’ and mornings’ 
After the mornings’ milk 
milk together 
has been added to the nights’ milk the tem¬ 
perature of the whole mass is raised to about 
84° and rennet added to perfect coagulation 
in about an hour. Then the curds are cut 
with the curd-knives, and when completely 
broken, heat is begun to he applied very 
gradually 7 until the muss lias reached a tem- 
porature of about 08°. It should not be 
raised higher than 100°. Then the curds are 
stirred from time to time to prevent cling¬ 
ing together until they are properly scalded, 
and wheu the acidity has been properly de¬ 
veloped the whey is drawn, and the curds 
put upon the siuk to drain and cool off. 
Salt is added at the rate of 2 7-10 to three 
pounds for a hundred of curd, thoroughly 
incorporated In the mass, wheu it may he 
put to press. This is the general outline of 
manufacture. 
AA r e cannot go into all the details of manu¬ 
facture, since they would occupy too much 
space in one article; but we shall treat of 
them from time to time, as occasion may re¬ 
quire, and in answer to correspondents who 
may desire information on particular points. 
THE POTTTKR PIGEON, 
country, and a few desirable pairs were this last is burnei 
shown at the last Exhibition of the New trouble. This,of 
York City Columbarian Society. The Eng- to in the daytime 
lish Poultry Chronicle, from which we take the house. Whe 
our illustration, says the Pouters are di- the house to roos 
vided into five classes, viz., Blue, Yellow, impregnated wit! 
AVhite, Red and Black. The engraving meate among the 
given represents a cock bird of the first- ever lice may ren 
uamed color. There are also Mealy or 
mixed-colored Pouters, which are the result 
of crosses with the other kinds, probably 
in some cases the amalgamation of the whole, 
and consequently they are not of a very at¬ 
tractive color, but are generally large and of 
a vigorous constitution, and are mated with . 
good effect to birds of a weaker stock, but 
of finer feather, for the sake of regenerating n ■ ! 
them, and keeping up the size aud stamina jkk 
of those of more value. jjg||k 
Blue Pouters should be of a clear, bright ' 
color, a shade darker upon the head, neck 
and tail than elsewhere; the sides of the 
wings, breast and back should he blue, de- A * ,n * ,,ln 
scending from the neck and terminating in I SEND y ou a l! 
a distinct line from thigh to thigh ; the wing gu'ar lapsus nat 
coverts should be crossed with two black which has 
bars, also a black band nearly at the end of store of Messrs, 
the tail; on the sides of the wings and near N where 
to the shoulder there should be a few white siderable corame 
feathers, as represented in the engraving; curiosity. It wa 
these are called the rose, and when good ^ r - J° nN Rooni 
aud distinct are a great set-off to a Pouter. proved to be no 
An important feature in the markings of strel, as the hen 
this bird is a clear white and well defined order, 
crescent upon t he front of the crop or globe. The sketcl1 s1 “ 
These birds, of either color, should possess exact shape. T1 
a large rounded crop, narrow girth, and a point, endin 
long pinions, the points of which meet over contained only tl 
the tail, but by no means should they cross being within. I 
each other. In all cases of a perfect bird Alum foi 
they should be of slender and graceful eon- Ae we bave b 
struction; of large size, but not unwieldy; relalive t0 ch [ ck( 
pure, rich and uniform in color. Heavily in the Repprt 0 
muffed birds do not find favor alongside of cu ] ture wLlich a 
their brethren with downy-clothed legs. wUh c j )o]era ur , 
They strut about in an awkward and stum- spoont - u ] s 0 f a j lu 
bliug manner, carrying their body in too the fced (corn r 
horizontal a position, lifting high their legs, wm cure tUe w 
crossing their wings, and appearing as though take Uyo e<rlr? a 
they were stepping through water and were verjze(l al ^’ a] 
desirous of passing through unspotted. On flonr to maka a 
the contrary, the trim, proud birds are al- fowl to « wal]ow 
ways noticeabie for their lofty carriage and d tbere are tw , 
dignified appearance, lookiug with disdain .... . 
upon other broods, if any appear in their (chickens or turt 
immediate vicinity.—L. disease. It is a 
nure then. AVe prefer this latter way. The 
full benefit of the frost, sun and rains will 
then he had; it will be direct and immedi¬ 
ate. This is the more common way, and has 
proved a success. 
Application on the surface seems, in all 
cases, to be the best. Theory will carry this 
out ; and we know practice does, and 1ms for 
a long time, and that, for a wonder, to the 
uninitiated. The thing is clearer now, since 
the effect of soil as a disinfectant has been 
popularized. AVe can tell now why manure 
has so good an effect, applied on the surface, 
but particularly when applied closely (to the 
ground) and finely. 
It is a most excellent thing to use manure 
(kept over during the summer) in the fall, 
and apply it to the surface. But it is better 
to use it when fresh, even in an undecom¬ 
posed state. All the strength will then he 
secured. But the effect will not be so im¬ 
mediate upon vegetation, because unpre¬ 
pared as plant food, and may even,*when 
applied largely, hurt the crop. Applied in 
the fall, however, or during the winter as 
made, the case is quite different. The ele¬ 
ments will act upon it, especially upon the 
fluid part, which is soon changed and made 
fit for use. For meadows nothing is finer. 
This has been demonstrated. AVe have 
seen its effect, and others have. But it 
wants to be spread when hauled out, and 
from the sleigh or wagon is the best. It is 
also good upon sod turned down, and upon 
any land plowed in the fall. A clay sur¬ 
face will thus be benefited greatly; will 
work rich and mellow, and the manure thus 
mixed with and diluted by the soil will have 
an effect (chemically and mechanically) 
upon it, and form the finest sort of a seed 
bed for any kind of gTain .—?. g. 
DOG POWER FOR CHURNING. 
In your issue of December 11t h, in an article 
on churning the milk and cream together, your 
correspondent speaks of a sheep power for 
churning. IT not patented, would you publish 
a sketch of the maelilne. as I have u large New¬ 
foundland dog I could impress In theservlce. If 
puteuted, where could the machine be bought? 
—C. B. H. 
Remarks. —In ihc Rural New-Yorker 
of February 5ih, of the present year, page 
04, there is an illustration showing the con¬ 
struction of a dog power for churning. The 
device is simply a light wooden wheel 
or circular platform, resting on a pivot 
and set upon an incline, so that the dog 
walking on,one side puts the wheel in mo¬ 
tion. Some of these powers have gearing, 
aud others are arranged w ith a friction rol¬ 
ler running on the large wheel. We recently 
saw one of the latter kind at the factory of 
Mr. L. B. Arnold, in Lansing, Tompkins 
Co., N. Y., which was made by a neighbor¬ 
ing carpenter. Iu this ease a sheep was em¬ 
ployed to do the churning. The power works 
nicely, and we believe is uot patented. AVe 
do not know where these powers are manu¬ 
factured for sale. The power figured in the 
Rural New-Yorker of February 5th, 
could be made by almost any carpenter, 
simply by looking at the engraving. 
How to Make Compost. 
E. K. R., Round Gap, T< xas, asks how to 
make a compost heap, and when to put it 
on land. He has never used manure, and is 
ignorant of the methods of making it pay. 
Our correspondent fails to tell ns what ma¬ 
terial is available to him for composting. If 
he has barn-yard or horse-stable manure, 
muck, lime, fish, bones, gypsum, leaf mold, 
mari, we should like to know ; then we can 
advise. But without knowing what mate¬ 
rials are at hand or easily and cheaply ob¬ 
tainable, we cannot benefit him. Let him 
tell us what kind of soil he cultivates, crops 
he grows, and stock he keeps. 
■ ■ - 
Gas Lime.— S. 8. Connor, Louisiana:—See Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker, July 2, page 10, for article on 
gas lhne. 
New Zealand Butter In England. 
The Pall Mall G?izette notes the arrival 
of one hundred casks of butter from Canter¬ 
bury, New Zealand, lauded in good condi¬ 
tion and sold to the trade at ten-pence per 
pound. This is the first successful shipment 
of butter from any of the Australian colonies 
to the mother country. Both Australia and 
New Zealand promise, it is said, to he great 
bntter and cheese producing countries. The 
difficulty mnv is a scarcity of dairy hands. 
“ Co-operative cheese factories are in course 
of foundation,” says the Gazette, “and pre¬ 
sently Australian cheese will be competing 
with American cheese in our markets." 
Inquiries.—We have had several Inquiries of 
lute, from Rural readers, asking where Mus¬ 
covy Ducks, Red Derby Game, and other fowls 
can'be purchased. 'Those having them for sale 
will do well to make the fact known through 
our advertising columns. 
