507. 
2.75 
1.32 
4 98 
.23 
53.87 
1 30 
1.91 
.73 
1.81 
24 81 
2 15 
4.04 
none 
170 
MARCH 42 
lengthwise through the bed, that the soil may 
be mere pet feetly pulverized by the action of 
the frost. In this shape it will also dry off 
quickly in the Spring, so that it may be 
worked. A warm, sheltered exposure should be 
chosen as a place for making the bed, as on the 
south or east side of some outbuilding or tight 
board fence. 
Sowing thb Seed and Early Cake of 
Plants —Early in the Spring—if early plants 
are desired—the glass should be placed over 
the bed, so that it may all the sooner become in 
condition to “ work.” If plants large enough 
to set are desired before June 10, in this lati¬ 
tude the seed should be started or “put to 
sprout" by the 5lh of April. In order to save 
time and labor, it is customary to sprout the 
seed before sowing it. This is done by mixiug 
it with very fine muck or leaf mold, from four 
to six days previous to the time for sowing it, 
and placing it in a pan by the fire until 
sprouted. Great care should be taken to keep 
the m xture moist and rvarm. or the seed will 
not germinate. A woolen cloth should be kept 
over the mixture, which should be saturated 
occasionally with warm water to prcveDt the 
seed Irom diymg up. 
One-third of u pint of seed will give 200 
square leet of bed wbicb will with good success 
furnish plants enough to set three acres. 
While the seed is sproulmgthe soil in the seed¬ 
bed is prepared io receive it, by being made 
mellow and fine by the use of the fork and 
rake. When sprouted, the seed is sown evenly 
over the bed, and carefully raked In with a 
fine-toothed even rake. Toe seed must not be 
Covered deep, or it will nut grow. Indeed, 
many donut cover it at all, but simply sow it 
on the surface. When the seed is sowed, the 
soil should be well “firmed" down with a 
roller or wide board, after which the bed is 
sprinkled with tepid water. 
During the first few weeks after sowing the 
seed, the tobacco bed will require almost con¬ 
stant attention. The young plants are exceed¬ 
ingly tender and great care must be exercised 
to keep the surface of the bed from becoming 
dry. Tepid water is used to water the bed in 
order to hasten the growth of the plants, and 
it should be applied with a sprinkler having a 
fiae rose, otherwise the seed will be washed 
out and destroyed. Until the leaves of the 
v uug plants are as large as a silver half dime 
the growth is very slow, and about one-half of 
the time of the growth of the plaut 6 while in 
the seed-bed is consumed while they are attain¬ 
ing this size. After plants have started their 
second pair of leaves, they may be further 
forced by stimulating their growth with liquid 
manure. This is best made and applied by 
placing in the barrel containing water for 
sprinkling the bed, a sack of hen manure or 
guano. On very warm days, the sash should 
be raised to prevent the plants from burning, 
and on cool nights, when there is danger of a 
frost, the bed should be protected with a cov¬ 
ering of old carpets or boards. 
■ - 
Peachblows not “ Running out ”—There 
is a gentleman in this countiy who has grown 
Peachblow potatoes continuously since their 
general introduction, many years ago. He 
has never changed seed, always planting his 
own, using the small ones, llis soil is clay ; 
he hus always fertilized with barnyard man¬ 
ure. He has been raising better crops of late 
years than formerly. It would be difficult to 
convince him that potatoes “run out,” even 
when small ones are planted, year after year. 
This is not thought to be an “ Irish potato” 
countiy—Northern seed is usually planted. 
Easton, Talbot Uo., Md. u. s. 
s?rieniiftc aut) Useful. 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION. 
bulletin no. 53, feb. 2 1881. 
Cost of Active Ingredients of Fertilizers During 
1880 mid Trnde-Value Adopted by 
the Station for 1881. 
Organic nitrogen has cost in the manipulated 
fertilizers, viz: Superphosphates and special 
manures, on the average, more than the amount 
allowed in the valuations, i. e., 20 cents per 
pound. In dry Bah scrap the cost has been 18 
cants. In the samples of low-grade dried blood 
and tankings analyzed by the Station, nitrogen 
has cost 10 cents and in castor pomace and 
cotton-?eed meal it has also cost 16 cents. The 
nitrogen of fine hone lias been bought for 15 
cent 6 . The ruling market price of nitrogen in 
the highest grade of dried blood has been, dur¬ 
ing the Spring until Midsummer, about 15 
cents. In the Autumn, as usual, the price ad¬ 
vanced because of active demand among the 
manufacturers of superphosphates, etc., and 
reached 18 cents per pound. 
It is plaiu that there is a considerable and 
permanent difference between the trade-value, 
or cost to the farmer, of organic nitrogen in 
the superphosphates aud other manipulated 
fertilizers, and that of the raw materials ordt 
narily accessible to the retail purchaser. To 
adapt our system of valuation more perfectly 
to this state of things, I shall continue to rate 
organic nitrogen in superphosphates and spe¬ 
cial manures aud in fine steamed bone, finely- 
ground and dry meat, blood and fish, and in 
Peruvian guano at 20 cents. In view of 
the market prices that have ruled for two 
years, I shall rate together the nitrogen of 
coarse or moist meat, blood, tankage, castor 
pomace and cotton-seed meal at 10 cents. The 
trade-values of nitrogen in the various grades 
of boue will also be reduced to conform to 
their actual cost. 
Nitrogen in the Form of Ammonia-Salts and 
Nitrates. —Ammonia-salts do not appear in our 
retail market except as ingredients of some 
manipulated fertilizers, and the Station valua¬ 
tion for their nitrogeu will remain as formerly. 
Nitrates in the single sample of nitrate of soda 
analyz' d has furnished nitrogen at 28 cents, 
but since probably the price will fluctuate, no 
change in its trade-value appears to be called 
for. 
Soluble, phosphoric acid hus been procurable 
in 1880, as in 1S79, at a cost of 10 to 11 cents 
per pound in the imported superphosphate. 
Iu our home-made manipulated fertilizers it 
still costs 12% cents, and that may therefore 
remain as the Station valuation 
Peverted phosphoric acid in the various ma¬ 
nipulated feriiliz us has cost no less than for¬ 
merly, and the former price, nine cents, is re¬ 
tained. 
Insoluble plwsphoric acid in dry fish and in 
the different grades of bone has cost one cent 
per pound less than last year’s valuation. 
Potash , in nearly pure, high-grade sulphate, 
is reckoned at seven cents, and in muriate at 
three and out-half cents per pound. In low- 
grade sulphates containing magnesium chlo¬ 
ride, and iu kalnite, it would probably be fair 
to reckon potash at five and one-half cents. 
For comparison of the average trade-values 
employed in 1880 with those it is proposed to 
use for estimating the commercial value of fer¬ 
tilizers in 1881, see the following statement:— 
eSge S'c c 
E 2: * § g 
2.5.: BeI® 
tTL ■ O 'c •!) — 
G £ ■ rt » C 
nil mi 
Q r-T-' r* C - 
: 
; : • 
* • * « 
: : : && rr 
• • • tr a o • 
• • • w S* O; 
• • * *—’ * ® * 
: : : p-tr. 
: : : 5s: : 
* • * Cj m * . 
. „ _ F C Cl 
■ : : : 2.3g 
^**5 u 
£-■ _T tc X 
E- Sj Z ® *5 
: ; G*_ -5 
erg-® 5 ~ 
S£s|i* 
- n- & 2 2 L o ‘ 
P * 
-t • K 
■gag: J* 
s 
St; 
I go: 
®Cs: 2 : 
: a 2 : a: 
* Sc o: n. 
sc p a a fits 
£ p-p> c *e>-= 
C,® n c g a n D ~ 
Se* £ ggS § g. 
3 « o £*17 — J a 
2 2 p.® = x 
FifiHlsr: 
•: e a 2 ".5 e - • 
S3' t 1 
: oE.?: : 
: • !? • o g S; ; 
: : »: “a®; ; 
: i |: iff; ; 
: : **»»: : 
I » O ; O jo J 
• « 2 .* ** C 3** • 
: : &! \ 
oges: 
?: «: 
a • u * 
n- • o : 
&: §; 
c- 
tc ic, a. j c N* C 
ccOT.iurf.rf.msij. 
.r 
5 1 
liSsi^g 
The reasons for these changes are to be found in the 
UnlJetiitB of the Station for ivXi aud in the Report for 
1880, ucuv nearly priutod. 
Fertilizer Aiitilyses. 
494. Lime-kiln ashes from New York State. 
507. Lime-kiln ashes from stock of Ralph 
Barber, Rockville. Sampled and sent by H. 
A. Slater, North Manchester. 
Sand and insoluble. 
Silica. 
491. 
Char.. 
Oxide of iron and Alumina... 
1 .jme... 
MuMruesia....,...,. 
Potash. 
Soda. .. 
55 
Phosphoric acid. 
Carbonic acid... 
AN filer at 212 °. 
. 9.QA(\ 
Combined water and loss. 
Nltroiren.. . nmu> 
Estimated value. 
100*00 
t:o»t per bushel. 
Sample 491 was analyzed for private use, 
and the Station has no information as to cost, 
etc. 
Both 494 and 507 have a composition more 
nearly like that of leached ashes than any¬ 
thing of common occurrence with which they 
can be compared. From leachtd asheB they 
differ in containing little or no moisture and 
about 20 per cent, more lime. They agree in 
general with leached ashes In the proportion 
of alkalies, magnesia and phosphoric acid 
present, although their potash is more and 
their phosphoric acid less than leached ashes 
commonly contain. Of the lime in sample 507. 
about 81 per cent, exists as carbonate and 
about 21 per cent, as caustic lime. These ashes 
are, In fact, wood ashes mixed with four or 
five times their weight of lime. They must 
be used with caution, but, if properly applied, 
will no doubt prove a valuable fertilizer on 
^ome soils. As to their money value, that Is 
uot easy to estimate with accuracy. Doubtless, 
however, they are well worth 20 cents per 
bushel if equal to the sample. 
Baker’s Specinl Manures, 
517. Tobacco manure. 
518. Potato manure. 
519. Oniou mauure. 
520. Turnip manure. 
521. 0 it manure. 
521 Wheat manuro. 
523. Cabbage manure. 
The above seven samples were manufactured 
by H J. Baker <fc Bro., of New York, and sam¬ 
pled from his stock by S. C. Hardin. Glastou- 
„bury, Di c. 15, 1880. 
S. W Johnson, Director. 
iatrj Iitsbattirm. 
._y O/ 
THE DAIRY COW-NO. 27. 
HENKT STEWART 
Rennet, 
Rennet is the agent commonly used In the 
preparation of the curd in cheese making. 
Recent discoveries iu regard to acidification, 
so-called oxidation and fermentation, have 
thrown much light upon the character and 
modes of action of rennet. It is now well 
known that all these changes in liquid sub¬ 
stances which contain sugar or organic matter 
in solution are produced by a process of vege¬ 
tation of certain germs or spores and the pro¬ 
duction of organisms of which the yeast plant 
is a type. It Is also well known that a very 
small quantity of a liquid, or even of its 
dried substance, added to such a solution is 
able to communicate the vegetative action 
which at a certain temperature, in a very 
short time, diffuses itself throughout the 
whole. And this is precisely the action of 
rennet upon milk. The very Interesting ques¬ 
tion then occurs, what is rennet and upon 
what does Its actiou depend ? Tne rennet com¬ 
monly used is a solution of the calf's stomach. 
An equally effective rennet may be made by 
infusing in water the iuteetineB of a calf, the 
stomaeh or intestines of a young lamb or of a 
sacking pig, or even the bladder of an animal. 
It has been supposed that the gastric fluid of 
the calf's stomach was 
jLJr the coagulating agent of 
the reunet, but this snp- 
Jr W position is without foun- 
% dation and may be so 
U shown by the well 
H Sa known fact that a stom- 
M I 1 jipwi ach may bo steeped in 
Ikf, 11 I ■ 4 i |B| water several times, re- 
m V| !i ealted after each infusion 
and in course of time it 
will recover its peculiar 
power of coagulating 
na 14 b. milk. So also sour milk 
and the sweet curd iteelf possess this coagulat¬ 
ing power. Further, an extract from malt 
known as diastase baB the properly of changing 
starch into sugar, but if this diastase be exposed 
to the air for a time it undergoes a change 
dbyino hennet. 
no 14b. 
similar to that which occurs in animal mem 
branes and acquires the property of changing 
into lactic acid and coagulating milk* We are 
then forced to believe tnat it is not the acid 
contained in the rennet or any property de¬ 
rived from the gastric j nice that con fers this 
power upon It, hut the presence of a peculiar 
organism which has the ability to reproduce 
itself in a favorable vehicle such as milk. 
With this knowledge, the use of rennet as a 
coagulating agent in cheese making becomes 
easily understood and its prepa'ration free 
from difficulty. The calf’s stomach will al¬ 
ways be the most popular substance used for 
this puipose iu cheese making and its prepar¬ 
ation may well be considered particularly. 
The stomach of the newly killed sucking calf 
ouly Is used. This contains some of the curd 
of the milk upon which it has been fed and in 
some daiiy districts the calf is given a copious 
drink of milk shortly before it is killed, so that 
the stomach may contain a larger quantity of 
this curd, which is preserved with the 6 lomoch. 
The stomach either emptied of its conteuts, or 
with these Intact, is salted inside aud out and 
dried in a warm place. Theumal m?thodis 
to turn the stomach, shake off the curd, salt 
the stomach, return it and salt the outer side, 
then strelch it upon an elastic twig and hang 
it up to dry (see Fig. 148) When the rennets 
are perfectly dry they moy be put into a hag 
and hung up in the dairy room for preserva¬ 
tion. O her melkods are ustd in different lo¬ 
calities, such ua to pickle the stomachs in 
brine aud dry them, or to pack them in jars or 
barrels iu salt and keep them until required 
for use. In Italy and Switzerland the stom¬ 
achs are chopped up very fine, mixed with salt, 
pepper, bread crumbs aud whey into a paste 
which is pressed into jars or bladders and kept 
for use. The reunet improves with age and is 
the strongest when J0orl3 months old.New ren¬ 
net is charged with producing heading, swel¬ 
ling or “ hufti.ig ” of the cheese. Tuis pecul¬ 
iarity strongly corroborates the view above 
taken as to the nature of the action of rennet, 
for time is necessary to produce most effect¬ 
ively the organic cuange which takes place in 
the membrane and upon which its action de¬ 
pends. 
Rennet i 3 used in a liquid form, because it 
can then be quickly and intimately mingled 
with the milk. From, what has been said of 
its character it will be evident that every par¬ 
ticle of it must be a ceuter of action and that 
tliis actiou spreads from each ceuter in pre- 
cioely the same mauuer iu which the mycelium 
of a mold or fungoid growth spreads in every 
direction from every spore uutil the whole 
mass in which it is placed is quickly impreg¬ 
nated. For its proper action, ibeu, it must be 
thoroughly stirred into the milk which is 
brought to a certain temperature, lower or 
higher according to circumstances for the rea¬ 
son that the germlnative action is hastened by 
a proper degree of warmth. U mally the dried 
stomaeh is iufused iu warm water or whey and 
some dairymen add the juice of lemons to the 
infusion, one quart of the liquid being used for 
each stomach. Half a pint of the iuf ueion to 100 
gallons of milk is generally suili 'lent to bring 
Che curd iu one hour, with the milk at a tempera¬ 
ture of about 80 degrees. The procuring of 
the curd is one of the most important manipu¬ 
lations in making cheese, as the quality of 
the product aud its ripening or curing de¬ 
pend very much upon this part of the process 
being carried out with great carefulness and 
skil I. The flavor of the cheese may be serious¬ 
ly effected by bad aud impure reunet, and if 
putrefactive germs are eoutaiued iu if, the d»- 
composing ferment will asm redly bo commun¬ 
icated to the cheese with disastrous iffjct. 
Doubtless rnauy of the Inexplicable troubles of 
the dtt'iy nun arise from the use of ill-condi¬ 
tioned rennet, aud this should be carefully 
guarded against. It is always a safe precau¬ 
tion, when doubt exists as to the ptirity of the 
rennet, to filter it through flannel or even 
through eotlou fiber, or blotting paper. By 
varying the character or the rennet the char¬ 
acter of the eheeBe may bechanged, and where 
many varieties of fancy cheese are made lUe 
reunet used differs very much. Some very 
celebrated French cheeses are made of rennet 
prepared with water to which braudy is added 
in the proportion of one-third, and spices aud 
aromatic herbs are steeped with the stomachs 
in this mixture. For other cheeses pig’s blad¬ 
der is steeped in while wine and viuogar, uud 
others again are made with dilated acids only. 
The exhausted stomachs need nut be thrown 
away, but may be again sal'ed and left to re¬ 
new their strength. This they will do in the 
course of some mouths, and as yet, no one has 
been able to say when this power of recovering 
their activity will be entirely lost. If this aetiy- 
ily depends upon, or belongs to, the membrane, 
as almost conclusively appears, It may last 
until the membrane itself is dissolved away. 
Note. —Iu the "Daiiy Cow” No. 26, page 
139, issue of February 26. a typographical slip 
occurs in the eleventh line from the bottom of 
the first column. After the word " solution,'' 
the correct reading would have been But it 
is easily soluble in a weak solution of carbonate 
of soda or potash. 
