the tub and the whey dipped from the top 
of the strainer so as not to dip or remove the 
curds. In the meantime continue breaking 
by gently lifting the curd until the particles 
of curd are about the size of small chestnuts 
or large beans ; then pour in the heated whey 
until the mass indicates a temperature of 
from 90’ to 98°. Do not be in a hurry, but 
take things leisurely, continuing tho break¬ 
ing or stirring of the curds while the heat is 
by many as a convenient butter factory as 
adapted to the ‘pail and pool system,’ ” 
I see these lamb skins almost every day 
imported from France or Germany. I saw 
a lot to-day that were invoiced by the pur¬ 
chaser at from 50 to 00 francs per hundred, 
and i am ashamed to say I have thrown 
hundreds of dead lambs into the manure 
heap to keep them out of the way of hogs 
and dogs, whose skins, if saved, would be 
equal to the best imported, though there used 
to bo some from Eastern countries which 
brought higher prices. What I would like 
to impress upon my farmer friends who have 
sheep, is to try the experiment of saving the 
skins of their dead lambs aud preparing them 
for use as directed; and the young people 
will t hank me for telling them how to get, at 
a cheap rate, a most valuable garment when 
winter comes again. Boys, save the dead 
lamb skins, both for your own and my sake. 
Don’t lie afraid of them. Those skins will 
average about 50 francs per 100, or 9 ceuts 
each. By the utilizing of these little scraps 
of labor, is there any wonder the people in 
both Germany and France are constantly 
accumulating money among the laboring 
mass f T. C. Peters. 
Holsteins kor the Dairy.—M r. Dexter 
Seavey of La Salle Co., Ill., writes in the 
Western Rural that after investigating all 
leading breeds of cattle, he has decided on 
raising Holsteins for the dairy. This is a 
valuable breed of cattle, about which less 
has been said than of some others, though 
( WATER PIPE 
CHEESE MAKING IN A SMALL WAY 
Can you give me a process by which I can 
make cheese (in the limit of a newspaper 
reply) i I am, as you are aware, far in the 
interior, where 1 ana unable to secure all the 
tools of a dairyman, nor have I a snllieiency 
of milk or market to justify it. What I de¬ 
sire is a short and simple method forborne 
manufacture, and if I can succeed in that 
then, if it is found profitable, extend the busi¬ 
ness. This country is fully in the “ old ruts” 
in all milk work, and nothing can bo learned 
of them. What is the price of Willard’s 
new dairy book J. K. P. I ,'ouglass, Alma, 
Ark. 
Good fair, family cheese.can be made with 
even rude implements and appliauces. If 
nothing bet ter is at hand a common wash- 
tub, if clean and sweet, will answer the pur¬ 
pose for setting tho milk and working the 
curds. A hoop must be had from the cooper 
iu which to press tho curds Let it bo (for a 
small quantity of milk) say from 8 to 10 inch¬ 
es in diameter (top and bottom), by 1:3 inches 
high arid fitted with a follower. A very good 
press may be made in a few hours from a 12- 
foot plank and a few pieces of scantling. 
About a foot from either end of the plank 
set up two short pieces of scantling five or 
six inches apart. Fasten them firmly to the 
plank with boll.sutul pins. The lever may bo 
a joist, say 4x0 ami fourteen feet long. One 
end is secured by a pin passing through it 
aud the uprights at one end of the plank aud 
sat feet above the bod piece of the plunk. 
This lever is to move freely up and down be¬ 
tween the uprights at lho other end and a 
weight hung ut this end of thelevcr will give 
you a press that will do good service. The 
weights at the end of the long lever are a 
stone or two | coin the field. Another lever 
is arranged for- raising the long Icier or press 
beam without removing tho weights which, 
in that case, may be made stationary. The 
hoop containing the curds is placed on tho 
plank near that end of the lever which is se¬ 
cured with the pin. Blocks arc put upon the 
follower and the pressbeam let down upon 
them, and in this way the choose is pressed. 
A long, thin, wooden knife will do for cut¬ 
ting the curds. A gallon ol milk, wine meas¬ 
ure, will make nearly a pound of cheese ; or 
if the milk is weighed, 11) pounds will make 
one of choose, and thus the weight of the 
cheese may be calculated from ther quantity 
of milk in the tub. 
The night’s mess of miLk may be strained 
directly in the tub and If the woather is 
warm a pail of cold water should be set iu 
the tub to cool oil the milk and keep it sound 
during the night. In very hot weather it 
may be necessary to change the water sev¬ 
eral times. In the morning skim the cream 
that may huvo formed on tho milk, put it 
into the strainer cloth aud pour the warm 
milk from the morning’s milking into the 
mass, and in this way the cream will be in 
condition to bo worked hack into the milk. 
It will be proper to add a word in this con¬ 
nection in regard to having the milk in a 
proper condition when it goes into the tub. 
In hot weather and especially in hot climates 
care should be taken not to worry or over¬ 
drive the cows. They should not be irritated 
in any way ami they should have an abun¬ 
dance of good, sweet water and everything 
provided for their comfort, otherwise the 
animals may be iu a feverish condition aud 
yield imperfect milk that will cause trouble. 
THE PROCESS. 
The night’s and morning’s milk having 
been mingled in the tub and the number of 
gallous or its weight known, a portion may 
he taken out and heated in pans over u com¬ 
mon stove. The pan holding the milk should 
he set in another pan holding water or over 
a kettle containiug water, so as not to scorch 
or burn the milk in the pan. Heat the milk 
and pour it into the tub till the muss indi¬ 
cates a temperature of about 85* Fahr. by 
the thermometer; then add a quantity of 
rennet (which has been previously prepared 
by steeping the dry skins or rennet in water) 
sufficient to coagulate the milk say in from 
40 to 50 minutes. 
Mow put your finger into the curd, raise it 
slowly, and if it readily splits apart the mass 
is ready to cut into checks with the curd 
knife. After cutting into checks two inches 
square, let it remain at rest ten or fifteen 
minutes for the whey to form. Then care¬ 
fully break with the hands by lifting up tho 
curds very gently, and when the mass has 
been gone over let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes 
for the curds to subside. 
Now dip off a portion of the whey into 
pans and heat on the stove in the same man¬ 
ner that tho milk was warmed. In dipping 
off the whey a strainer cloth is thrown over 
OIR. BEL CKHSUHFACE 
SPRING 
3 XI OF 
THE POOL 
Slll/V 
SPIN 
CURD SINK OR CAS T0HS\ 
HUGE PASSAGE3. 
2XWF 
sxjor 
zvhqe 
BOILER >6 ENGINE 
ROOM 
A Maryland farmer who has lately vis¬ 
ited some of the best sheep farms in England 
makes the following statement in the Amer¬ 
ican Farmor : 
“Within tho last 15 months 48 ewes be¬ 
longing to the estate of Aston Rowant have 
produced 295 lambs, all of whicn are still 
living, or have been sold fat. Forty-four 
havo each had three pairs, aud most of them 
in less than 14 months. Two owes brought 
seven lambs each, viz.: two a few days be¬ 
fore ldiri3fcinas, 1872 ; two In June, 1873, and 
three in January, 1871. One ewe produced 
eight lambs within 14 months, and two of 
the lambs were sold for £5 at Easter. Yes¬ 
terday the same ewe had four lambs, all of 
which are strong and healthy ; the mother 
is doing well and In good condition. Twen¬ 
ty-one of tho above ewes are Dorset, and 
twenty-seven are either Hampshire downs or 
half breeds.” 
The above is taken from the farm record 
of the estate under the management of T. S. 
Jackson. Tho American visitor concludes 
Ilia report in these words : 
“The estate of Aston Rowant, it should 
be remarked, is not one that is carried on for 
mere profit. The lawn, shrubbery, conserv¬ 
atories and plantations generally exhibit the 
exquisite beauty with which wealth and 
taste adorn so many places in England. Re¬ 
garding them with intense gratification, and 
thinking of the immense amount of money 
required to keep up this display, I said to my 
worthy and intelligent guide, 1 1 should like 
vary much to know the pecuniary results of 
this style of farming in your country.’ He 
replied, * As you live in America, I will tell 
you what 1 do not speak in the neighbor¬ 
hood—my balance sheet for last year shows 
a clear profit of £1,800 ($9,000),’ and he em¬ 
phatically added, ‘Sheep did it!’ ” 
1” I, ,Y .M OF- BUTT Fit A. >7 ID OHEE9B1 FACTORY 
being applied. It may now be left at rest for 
half an hour and then stirred, so that the 
particles may not pack or adhere together in 
the tub, and this treatment continued until 
the curd has a firm consistency. Take up a 
handful and press it together in the. hand and 
if on opening the hand it readily falls in 
pieces, it is about ready for draining. Anoth¬ 
er test is to chow a bit of curd and if it 
“squeak between the teeth” it is about 
ready. The mass now will have a slightly 
acid smell and tasts which is readily distin¬ 
guished by old cheese makers, but not so 
readily by the inexperienced ; but to the lat¬ 
ter one of the best tests is to take a little 
curd in the hand, squeeze out the whey and 
touch tho ball of curd to a hot iron ; then in 
removing it, if the curd spins or draws out 
in small threads, it is ready for the whey to 
be removed. Throw a cloth strainer over 
the tub and dip off the whey down to the 
curd. Then put the strainer on a willow 
clothes basket and dip the curd into It. It 
may now bo broken up with the hands and 
when pretty dry may be salted in the basket, 
or returned to the tub for salting. Salt at, 
the rate of four or 4W( ounces salt to 10 
pounds of curd ; mix thoroughly and put to 
press. 
After remaining from two to four hours in 
press, take the cheese out of the hoop, turn 
it bottom side up in the hoop and put to press 
again, leaving it under pressure till next 
morning, when it may be removed to the 
shelf In the dairy room. Very small cheese 
need not be bandaged. They should bo rub¬ 
bed over with a little fresh butter, melted 
aud applied warm, and the cheese turned 
and rubbed daily with the hand once a day, 
until well ripened. This is In brief the method, 
but we should advise our correspondent to 
prooure Willard’s “Practical Dairy Hus¬ 
bandry,” which bells all about cheese making 
aud dairy farming, and which can be had by 
addressing the publisher, I). D. T. Moore, at 
the office of the Rural New-Yorker, 78 
Duane St., New York, and will cost only 
DEAD LAMB 8KINS, 
People wonder at the facility with which 
France arranged the great war debt fastened 
upon her in the war with Germany. The 
result is most wondrous, and speaks well 
for the industry and economy of the people, 
France Is a country that buys little aud sells 
much. The constant effort of her people is 
to utilize their labor so as to turn it into money 
at tile most advantage. All raw material 
is made to undergo a change by human labor 
that will bring something, generally money, 
in ssxeaange. As a sample, compare our peo¬ 
ple as a maa3 with the French, iu utilizing an 
inconsiderate trifle—to ourfostidious notions, 
perhaps a disgusting one- and yet after it 
lias passed through their hands we are glad 
to pay them money for it. Every tlookinas¬ 
ter is lucky if lie does not at yeaniug time lose 
more or less lames—as a general rule, ten per 
Cent., at least. When the lambs are from 
full blood or high-grade merino sheep, the 
skin, if taken in its early stage, has a most 
beautiful coating of wool. All these skins 
are saved and dressed or tanned iu France, 
and Germany us well, and form an important 
item of trade, being used as linings for gloves, 
mittens and other winter wears. 
It is safe to say that of tho present flock of 
sheep in this country, at least one-half, or 
say, fifteen millions, are breeding ews, and 
drop a lamb annually; of these at least two 
and a half million rarely reach a week old. 
They are an unsightly nuisance about the 
barns and lot, often thrown upon the shed 
roof or on stumps or in the fence corner. I 
venture of the millions of farmers who own 
sheep in this country, no one has ever yet 
saved the skin of a dead iamb ; and yet, how 
little labor is used to render a disgusting mass 
useful aud profitable 1 Take equal parts of 
alum, salt, Glauber salts, and half a part of 
saltpetre; pulverize, and mix well; add 
about an equal part in bulk of the mixture 
wheat or rye bran. .Spread the skin while 
green, and apply the mixture upon the flesh 
side; roll it up, and place it in a dry, cool 
place where it will be level, bo as not to drain. 
After a week or ten days, if properly han¬ 
dled, it may be washed in soap suds and 
slowly dried, rubbed with a blunt instrument 
on a table while drying. In the last stages a 
little whiting or chalk may be used. If the 
skin be dry, moisten it to about the consis¬ 
tence of a green ouo. After it is dried comb 
out the wool, and you will have an article 
useful in a hundred ways and for which you 
would pay the furrier a good rouud profit, 
judging from what the importer pays. The 
Frenchman is taught from infancy to con¬ 
sider time, when judiciously applied, as 
money. He finds a dead lamb, and spends 
a half-hour in skinning it; the tanning 
mixture is next applied iu another half-hour. 
When tanned, perhaps another half-hour 
perfects the dressing, and the unsightly skiu 
has become of market value. So much for 
material wasted for the want of labor not 
made useful. 
MAKING UP FLEECES 
Tmk following from the Michigan Farmer 
will be found useful for those to know who 
have fleeces to make up. By observing these 
plain rules they will exactly meet the views 
of wool buyers, very mnch to their own ben¬ 
efit : 
“ The wool buyers prefer to have the fleece 
loose, light to handle and elastic. In Ohio, 
the wools of which State are always quoted 
from two to three cents higher than Michi¬ 
gan wools of the same quality, the fleeces 
are rolled up, not packed, and tied across 
twice one way and once the other, and hence 
are loose, light and elastic. A Jackson buyer, 
well known, who buys large amounts of wool 
boihiu Michigan and Ohio every year, tells 
us that he can afford to give two or three 
cents more per pound for tho wools ho buys 
in Ohio than those he purchases in this State, 
solely because of the difference in the tying 
up in tho two States ; as ho can got more in 
the Eastern market for wools that are put 
up in Ohio than he can for the Michigan 
wools, and when, in fact, the Michigan wools 
are sometimes tho beet in quality. Tho 
proper way, he says, is to lay the fleece on 
the table, turn in tne head, tail and flanks, 
and roll it up, commencing at the tail end, 
tying it with two strings to keep the roll in 
place, and then with one string across the 
ends. This is sufficient. A fleece thus tied 
is light, easily handled and examined, and 
can be felt all through. It does not require 
a very thorough examination to determine 
whether there is anything in it that is not 
wool.” 
A BUTTER AND CHEESE FACTORY COM 
BINED, 
