urn Ifusbanbrj) 
of water for twenty-four hours, when the 
Cream is removed. The cream is deposited 
in pails, which go to the pools, standing oth¬ 
er twenty-four hours, or until it acquires a 
pleasant acid taste. It is then ready to be 
churned. 
Suggestions about butter making are now 
and at all times appropriate in this depart¬ 
ment of the Rural New-Yorker. The 
annual butter product of the country is not 
far from seven hundred millions of pounds. 
A large share of this product is inferior, 
progressive journal, we gave the engravings 
spoken of on the introduction of the breed 
into this country, also a full description of 
them. However, for the benefit of our cor¬ 
respondents and other new subscribers of 
the Rural, we reproduce the illustrations of 
a pair of Premium Houdaus and Crevc- 
Cceur fowls, given in volume XX. As a 
standard of excellence, Houdans should he 
a square-built, short - legged fowl. Their 
legs should be black, or of a very dark blue, 
and w r hite spangled; they should he live- 
clawed. The plumage should be black and 
white; the more regular the spangling the 
better. No other color, in our opinion, is 
admissible in the hen; but in the cock a 
few straw-colored feathers will show at 
times. There are different opinions ex¬ 
pressed by amateurs and others as to their 
qualifications as a breed for all practical 
purposes. For ourselves, we deem them, 
from what we have read of them, a “ hot¬ 
house” breed, and not (lie fowls adapted to 
our Northern climate. For a full descrip¬ 
tion of the characteristics, Ac., of the Creve- 
Coeur fowls we refer our correspondent to 
the Rural of Jan. 2:3,1801), page 58.— l. 
seen) that, will do so good work as the old 
fashioned barrel dash-churn. He prefers 
this style of churn, and in churning, the 
stroke of dash should ho regulated so as to 
make fifty strokes per minute. This is an¬ 
other point of importance in making a fancy 
grade of butter. A great many butter mak¬ 
ers spoil their butter in churning, and have 
no definite idea how the churning should be 
done. From repeated and long continued 
experiments, it has been demonstrated that 
the stroke of dash should not be oftener than 
the scrimping of cows in their feed late in 
fall, is quite too common a fault among dairy¬ 
men. It does not, perhaps, proceed so much 
from careless neglect as from misapprehen¬ 
sion of the nutritive value of the food given, 
and the requirements of the animal. Every 
farmer must have observed how greedily 
cows lick up their fodder at the commence¬ 
ment of cold weather, and yet how seldom 
are cows fed the best kind of food at this 
season. They pick during the day from the 
frozen afterfeed, and perhaps get a moderate 
supply of coarse lodder, when the better 
course would be to allow a little grain or 
ship-stuff daily, with plenty of good hay, at 
least for one substantial meal during the day. 
If Dr. McClure’s theory hi regard to the 
causes of abortion be correct, the innutritions 
and insuillcieut food late in fall and during 
early winter, together with the drain of milk 
at this season, will explain why abortions 
among cows are more numerous in January 
and February, than at other seasons of the 
year. The food is of a quality inadequate to 
the manufacture of milk, the growth of the 
foetus, and the maintenance of animal life. 
The question from this point of view is 
one of very great importance; for if better 
care and better feed of cows in their hill 
management, will serve to mitigate the evil of 
abortions, the remedy should at once be ap¬ 
plied. 
We are quite familiar with the general 
practice of dairymen as regards the care and 
management of stock at different seasons of 
the year, and we are convinced that the lull 
treatment, of milch cows is faulty over a 
wide extent of territory, and needs to he 
corrected. We bring the subject to the at¬ 
tention of dairymen, and ask for nothing 
more than a plain, common sense view of 
the matter. And to those especially who 
have suffered from abortive stock, we sug¬ 
gest a trial of generous feeding so soon as 
grass begins to depreciate. If animals are 
not in thrilty vigorous condition, a little 
meal or ship-stuff should at once be com¬ 
menced to be given as a daily ration. There 
cau be no loss from feeding well before cold 
weather sets in; on the contrary, it will 
cheapen the consumption of winter fodder. 
FALL FEEDING OF COWS 
grass in pastures and meadows will he de¬ 
preciated in nutrition by reason of trust, 
and milch cows will need additional food to 
keep up tlieir strength and condition. Many 
dairymen make a mistake in their full treat¬ 
ment of stock. They over-estimate the 
nutritive value of forage in the fields, and 
by compelling their cattle to live on frost¬ 
bitten grasses the animals fail oil in condi¬ 
tion ami enter upon winter lean and weak. 
This is often the case with deep milkers, 
and serious losses are often entailed simply 
from neglect or misjudgment in regard to 
the requirements of milking stock near the 
close of t he grazing season. 
It has been suggested, and with some 
reason, that the want of care and the want 
of nutritious food in the fall management of 
stock, are causes, and perhaps the leading 
causes of abortions, now so prevalent among 
the dairies of Central New York. Cows 
that have been milked all the season must 
naturally fall in the scale of vitality, and as 
cold weather approaches require an abun¬ 
dance of nourishing food. The heavy frosts 
of October and November so injure the 
grasses that though the quantity of forage 
on the ground may appear sufficient for the 
stock, its lack of nutrition soon reduces the 
cow in health and strength, and thus it may 
lead to the disease we have named. In ad¬ 
dition to the poor food, cows are not unfre- 
queutly left out in cold fall rains, or without 
shelter from sleet ami snow, which, with 
their continued llow of milk must Still far¬ 
ther affect their health and condition. 
It is very poor economy for milch cows to 
go into their winter quarters thin and weak. 
The cost of wintering such Slock is much 
more ibun for slock that is vigorous and in 
good condition at the commencement of 
cold weather. It is much more difficult to 
put on flesh in winter than in fall, and the 
larger amount of food required for lean stock 
in winter would surprise most, persons who 
have not made exact experiments in this 
direction. We have always insisted that it 
does not pay to scrimp stock in their food 
in fall and early winter, for it is at this time, 
if at any, that generous feeding should be 
allowed, in order to put stock in that con¬ 
dition which will insure the saving of fodder 
in winter. 
It is not only expensive, but disagreeable, 
to have stock so thin and weak about your 
promises as to require nursing all winter. 
Sueli stock often meet with accidents which 
the most careful watchfulness is not able to 
prevent. 
Dr. McClure, in his recent work on the 
diseases of cal l ie, enumerates the following 
as the causes of abortion among cows: 
“1. Feeding upon slop or other milk- 
seereling materials, 2. Insufficient feed of 
whatever description. 8. Tiic attempted re¬ 
production of the species, whilst, at thesame 
time a drain is being made upon tlje system 
by an excessive and unnatural demand for 
milk. 4. Irritation of the while membranes 
of the wind-pipe, changing and weakening 
the blood. 5. Exudativepleuro-puouinouia, 
or other debilitating disease.” 
As a means of prevention, he suggests: 
“ 1. Feeding substantial feed, and enough of 
it, but not excessively sloppy or wet—for in 
this way the bowels are kept too loose, re¬ 
laxing the solids of the body and thereby 
inducing over secretion of milk al the ex¬ 
pense of good health. 2. Though the cow 
be unprofitable, allow some feed, gradually 
increasing it in quality, and, if necessary, in 
quantity, as she approaches the time of 
calving. By this means the extra demands 
of nature in the increasing size and wants of 
the calf will he supplied without at all affect¬ 
ing the health or strength of the mother — 
thus insuring a natural parturition. 8. Dry 
up the milk in all cows that do not in the 
natural order of things stop secreting milk, 
say throe mouths proceeding their time of 
calving, by giving sulphate of iron, three 
drachms, in powder, combined with gentian 
root, (also in powder,) half an ounce, once 
daily, mixed in feed for ft week or ten days. 
No milking should he done oilier than to 
prevent injury to the udder if it becomes dis¬ 
tended.” 
, There is strong reason to suspect t hat 
many dairymen keep up the flow of milk in 
their stock for a longer period than is con¬ 
ducive to the health of the animal. Cows 
are not unfrequently kept in milk through 
Dei-ember and well into January, and are 
expected to be again in milk by the first of 
March. When such excessive drains are 
made upon the system, common sense would 
seem to dictate that an abundance of nour¬ 
ishing food be at all times provided for the 
animal, and that a lack of it for any consid¬ 
erable time, would necessarily result in some 
disease. And we are inclined to think that 
Fowls Iilkc I’fppprs. 
A writer in the Cincinnati Gazette says 
that for many of the diseases of fowls, 
breeders are in the habit of feeding grains 
of black pepper, and red pepper is also ad¬ 
ministered at times mixed with the food of 
fowls, but did not, know until recently that 
they would feed upon peppers of their own 
accord. A gentleman who recently spent 
some time in Spanish Honduras, where cap¬ 
sicum or red pepper grows as a perennial, 
forming quite high bushes, informs us Unit 
lie has often seen, from his window, the or¬ 
dinary barn-yard fowls fly up into the grow¬ 
ing pepper plants and strip them of loliagc 
and seed pods, eating them with great avid¬ 
ity. The fowls there seemed exceedingly 
healthy and prolific layers. Is it not prod- 
able that more capsicum fed to our chickens 
would be to their benefit? Let the feed 
troughs fie liberally supplied two or three 
times a week with capsicum, and see if the 
hens do not thrive under it. Will some of 
our amateurs try the experiment and re¬ 
port? 
We have in our possession a pair of par¬ 
rots—t. 6 ., a gray or Guiana parrot and a 
green Carolina parrot—which will eat red 
peppers with great avidity, and which seems 
to keep them in excellent heart and appe¬ 
tite. We give them a common red pepper 
each, weekly. Mocking birds do not dislike 
the taste of peppers chopped fine and mixed 
with their food.— l. 
A PAIR OF PREMIUM UOUDAN FOWLS. 
and much of it nothing better than a miser¬ 
able grease. The number of good butter 
makers in the country is comparatively 
small. They need advice and suggestion, 
and so we have given the substance of Mr. 
Ingham’s talk, well knowing that he has 
practical experience whereof he speaks. 
fifty per minute, in order to produce the best 
results. It is desirable that all the cream 
Mnke Km ter at ilie Same Time. 
If it come unevenly, or particles of cream 
get mixed up with the butter when it is 
ready to work, the butter will be injured and 
will not keep. After the butter begins to 
come, add cold water freely, rinsing down 
the sides of the churn. Then when the 
churning is finished, takeout the butter from 
the churn and merely 
lUiiMt* oil' the JJntterinilk 
with cold water, using the ladle, and not al¬ 
lowing the hands to come in contact with 
the butter, even though they be “clean as 
clean can he.” Of course it is understood 
that no one with dirty hands should have 
anything to do in the manufacture of butter. 
We do not want, a dirty hand or a dirty foot 
within ten rods of our “golden bale”of but¬ 
ter. Now the rinsing having been attended 
to, the butter may he salted at the rate of 
An Ounce Knit m ihi' i'oiinit of K inter, 
and be particular that your salt, is pure. The 
factory filled salt, when obtained of the Sy¬ 
racuse Salt Co., or their accredited agents, is 
BUTTER MAKING 
In the Kluo Ginn* Kcirtou. 
At the recent New York State Fair we 
met Mr. W. W. Ingram, well known as an 
experienced cheese manufacturer of this 
State, hut who lbr the past two years lias 
been managing a butter factory at Winches¬ 
ter, Kentucky. He gives us much informa¬ 
tion concerning Kentucky as a dairy region, 
and speaks in the highest terms of blue 
grass for making a superior quality of dairy 
product. 
The country about Winchester is well 
watered, and the climate is favorable for 
dairying, the thermometer ranging lower on 
an average in summer in that section than 
in New York. The blue grass, he says, not 
only affords an abundant flow of milk, but 
yields milk of good flavor and of excellent 
quality. Upon the blue grass pastures of 
Kentucky the cows find an herbage that is 
peculiarly adapted to the production of 
“ fancy grades of butter." At the Winches¬ 
ter factory a very superior article is made. 
It is put up in packages on the Philadelphia 
plan, the butter balls resting on shelves and 
the ends of the butter box being packed 
willi ice, which insures its transport in as 
perfect condition as when it leaves the hands 
of the butter maker. 
Mr. Ingram says there are some nice 
points about butter making which should he 
more generally known, and which, if prac¬ 
ticed by butter makers, would tend to the 
improvement of this product. Presuming 
that the feed of the cows is of the best char¬ 
acter, and that the milk is all right and has 
been kept at the proper temperature for 
getting *h c cream, the first thing to be at¬ 
tended to is 
Sii-uIiiIiiu ilie Cream 
for the churn. The cream should be of uni¬ 
form consistency when it goes into the churn, 
us it is difficult to make a fancy product 
when thin, thick and lumpy particles of 
cream are placed altogether in the churn 
The proper way is to strain the cream into 
the churn by passing it through a strainer, 
so as to reduce it to an even or uniform con¬ 
sistency. For this purpose a pan, the bot¬ 
tom perforated with holes, is employed, and 
by thoroughly mixing the cream and pass¬ 
ing it through this strainer, the cream is 
made all alike. Then, unless the cream is 
quite thin, 
Water is Added, 
in proportion qf one-fourth the bulk of 
cream. The temperature is raised or low¬ 
ered until the thermometer indicates from 
00° to 63"', Then, when the churns are 
ready to lie started, two quarts of warm 
water, having a temperature of 90° to 100°— 
but not above 100°—are added for every 
sixteen gallons of cream. Now we are ready 
for 
Starting the Chums 
and the dashers should not be made to go 
too fast nor too slow. Mr. Ingram thinks 
there is uo churn yet invented (that he has 
POULTRY NOTES 
White Leithoni Fowls. 
A SUBSCRIBER from Peoria, writes us: 
“ I read your ‘ Poultry Yard * notes with 
great interest. 1 wish you would give some 
particulars about the While Leghorn fowl. 
What points denote pure blood, their good 
and bad qualities, Ac. V" 
The White Leghorns are said to lie a 
hardy breed, and of medium size; of quiet 
disposition, persistent layers, of a pure white 
color. Their legs and skin are yellow. The 
cocks have large single combs, which should 
be perfectly erect; full wattles, and large 
cream or white ear-lobes, extending some¬ 
times upon their face, and not dissimilar to 
those of the White-faced Black Spanish. 
The hens have usually large combs, and fre¬ 
quently are seen to lop over like those of the 
Spanish lien. The young are easy to rear, 
feathering up soon. They are reputed to be 
excellent winter layers.— l. 
II oii dan and Creve-Cteur Fowls. 
A CORRESPONDENT, who signs llilllSClf 
“ Reader,” hut who we imagine does not 
read the Rural Nkw-Yorkkk attentively, 
says:—“In looking over the Rural I see 
engravings and descriptions of many breeds 
of poultry,such as Dark and Light. Brahmas, 
Creve-Cwurs, Dorkings, Iiamburgbs, Ac., 
but nothing more than short notes about the 
Houdans —the very ones for which I have 
searched the last and this years’ volumes of 
the Rural —and search each coming num- 
Fooil for Fattening Ducks. 
R. M. Davis, Guelph, Canada, writes: 
“ I have been very successful the past sum¬ 
mer in rearing ducks. Now, what 1 want 
to know is, how to fatten them for market 
what kind of food to give them, Ac.” 
Gnu them oats, meal, ami barley. This 
feed puts on flesh rapidly. Shut your ducks 
up in a good coop, with no run-way. '• he; 
must have no exercise, for that gives health, 
Rot fat. Feed them with bran, oats, oatmeal 
or barley meal, cooked; put in a shallow 
vessel; give gravel, water, cabbage leaves 
or a sod of grass. Some feed Indian meal, 
and proceed with the cramming process; 
hut this is unnecessary, as young ducks will 
eat all the food put before them, and in that 
way cram themselves without assistance. 
Let whatever food you give them be cooked 
Carrier PineauH V\ anttMl* 
W. J. Bishop, Vir inia, writes us: 1 
see frequent accounts in your valuable papei 
of Carrier Pigeons. Can you inform me 
where they cau be purchased, and at wbai 
price?” We are not aware of any person 
having them for sale. Those having birds <4 
the above breed to dispose of, will do well to 
make the fact known through the advertis¬ 
ing columns of the Rural New-\ orkel. 
*A I.arge Egg. 
A correspondent of the Rural New- 
Yorker writes: — “J. Selden Wilcox, 
Madison, O., has a lien that has laid an egg 
measuring eight inches one way by six tin 
other.” 
A PAIR OF PREMIUM CKKVE-CCEUR FOWLS. 
as good as the best. Work the salt in thor¬ 
oughly and evenly, and do the working of 
your butter at this time. Then set aside in 
a cool place, and let it stand twenty-four 
hours, when it may he taken up, merely 
working out “ the loose briue,” and it is 
ready to pack. 
At. the Winchester factory the milk is set 
in the pails surrounded by cold spring water 
so that an uniform temperature of from 56° 
to 60° is maintained. It stands in the pools 
ber in vain. Now, having invested in these 
fowls, if you could furnish an engraving 
and short description of the characteristics 
of'this breed through the Rural, you would 
very much oblige me.” 
Aaron Janes, Pennsylvania, writes: 
“ Can you give me an accurate portrait of a 
pair of Creve-Cteur fowls? I have some of 
them, but doubt tbeir purity.” 
As the Rural is not of the “ slow-coach ” 
order, but known as a live, wide-awake and 
