fashionable acquirements of tho Rural's Dairy 
Editor, nevertheless we duly appreciate our cor¬ 
respondent’s proposed hospitality, and proceed 
to give something of the information desired. 
Thorc are two or three kinds of small “ fancy 
cheeses ” which, if well made, always command 
an extra price above the common Cheddar style 
which the factories produce for exportation, or 
the flat cheese popular in the home markets. 
Of these may be mentioned the “ Pine-apple,” 
the “Cheddar Loaf” and “Young America.” 
These aro all small cheeses weighing, say from G 
to 10 pounds, and although they cost more to 
manufacture, still for a small dairy of twenty 
cows the extra price for which they will sell will 
generally pay well for tho trouble of making. 
The Pine-apple is an exceedingly attractive 
and fancy style of cheese. It is of conical shape, 
the surface checked oil - and colored so as to have 
some resemblance to a pine-apple, as its name 
implies. It is intended to bo placed on tho table 
without cutting or marring tho general appear¬ 
ance of tho rind, except on the bottom which is 
turned up and the pieces of cheese dug out as re¬ 
quired after which it is replaced on the plate. 
The pine-applo is manufactured after the same 
formula as the common Cheddar cheese, the 
only di (Terence being that It is pressed in molds 
to give it a conical shape, and after leaving the 
press it is hung for a time in netting by which 
means the cheeks on tho surface are formed. 
Pine-apple cheese usually commands from five 
to eight cents per pouud more than common 
cheese. It is only made in limited quantity and 
we have never known the market to bo over¬ 
stocked with it. In addition to the extra labor 
in manufacture, it should be mentioned that 
small cheeses dry away faster than largo ones 
and hence there is more loss in w'eight; but the 
extra price obtained more than balances those 
differences between the two styles of cheese. 
The Cheddar Loaf is a few inches in diameter 
and about a foot high. It requires less labor in 
its manufacture than the Pine-apple and it com¬ 
mands a less price, but still sells considerably 
above common cheese. It is made in the same 
way as common cheese the only difference being 
in size and shape. The curds are run up in the 
usual way and then put in the hoops, three or 
four cheeses being pressed together under one 
screw. In sending them to market, from three to 
live aro placed in a box, and thus boxing costs 
about the same as for tho same weight of com¬ 
mon cheese. 
Tho “ Youiug America ” is a little larger than 
the Cheddar Loaf but of similar style. Thero 
aro other kinds of fancy cheeses which bring 
higher prices than common, among which may 
be named the Edam, which is made round like a 
cannon-ball. Bmall dairies, like (bat named by 
our correspondent, can often bo turned to good 
advantage by adopting somo stylo of fancy 
cheese, making it neat aud of good quality, and 
thus establishing a reputation in tins line of 
goods. And we have known instances where 
much larger profits were realized than could by 
any possibility be obtained by making cheese of 
the usual style. 
There is always a good demand for small 
fancy cheese of fine quality at extra prices, they 
are a great convenience to consumers, and we 
should bo glad to see more attention given to 
then' manufacture. 
received 220,800 pounds, Boston 150,520, Phila¬ 
delphia 138,720, St. Louis GO,480, Chicago 42,120, 
Colorado 27,010, Worcester (Mass.) 21,400, Cali¬ 
fornia 20,000, Qninoey (Ill.) 10,240, Raleigh (N. 
C.) 2,000, Mobile (Ala) GOO, and other places 
4,594 pounds. In addition, the local consump¬ 
tion is stated to have been 400,000, which would 
make a total of 1,109,071 pounds of butter hand¬ 
led in Winnebago Co., HI., in 187G. But it is be¬ 
lieved that 2,000,000 pounds would bo nearer the 
correct figures and that, too, without having a 
singlo creamery within her borders. 
This butter trade in Rockford has all sprung 
up within the last ten or fifteen years. Referring 
to the exhibit of Western butter at the Centen¬ 
nial, lie thinks it decidedly favorable to the West¬ 
ern dairymen to bo able to ship butter 1,000 to 
1,200 milcB through the boat of the season and 
exhibit it by the side of Orange Co, (N. Y.) but¬ 
ter and secure eleven out of fifteen prizes award¬ 
ed. 'This makes Western butter-makers feel that 
they have been laboring for some purpose. 
CHEESE SOLD AT ELGIN. 
The Secretary of the Elgin Board of Trade re¬ 
ports tho whole number of boxes of cbeeso sold 
on the Board from Dec. 1,1875, to Dec. 12,187G, 
at 127,351} boxes, aggregating 5,177,730 pounds 
—an excess of 9,951 boxes over the year 1875. 
Tho above facts and statistics gathered from 
the report, though presented in a condensed 
form, must, wo think, be of interest to Eastern 
dairymen and w ill help to dispel some erroneous 
notions that may have been entertained in regard 
to tho dairying of the West. 
oats and the oil-cake meal of the West Blcp in to 
supply the deficiency, thus equalizing advanta¬ 
ges. Then, the West had superior facilities over 
the East in putting on tho market a fresh prod¬ 
uct the year round. This, he believed, was a 
strong hold in favor of the West, because the 
course of the general market indicates the grow¬ 
ing favor which fresh butter is held in, in com¬ 
parison with old butter, however good. 
Western winter-made butter will take the lead 
of. instead of coming in competition with, New 
York State dairy of summer and full make. 'The 
public taste is being educated in that direction, 
and it will not take n *tcp backward. 
Mr. Wilder of Wisconsin said: Tt is now lesR 
than fifteen years since the first butter and 
cheese factories were built in the Northwest, 
and now they may be numbered by hundreds, 
dotting that section all over with neat and sub¬ 
stantial structures, in which are found tho latest 
and most approved apparatus for the manufac¬ 
ture of butter and cheese. The Western estab¬ 
lishments are second to those of no other coun¬ 
try, turning out a product which, besides sup¬ 
plying the rapidly increasing wants of her ow r n 
population, furnishes now one of tho leading 
articles of export, the amount of which is grow¬ 
ing from year to year. Fifteen years ago most 
people had an idea tho tamo grasses would not 
flourish in the Northwest, and that to make good 
cheese aud butter from the wild grasses was im¬ 
possible. These notions had long since become 
exploded theories. JIc referred to failures, re¬ 
sulting from lack of knowledge and lack of skill, 
being charged to the soil, climate, water and 
grasses of tho West. And it had been tho prac¬ 
tice. from time to time, for persons experiment¬ 
ing on any new theory, if attended with failure, 
to charge it to the inferiority of Western milk. 
An instance of this kind occurred not long since, 
at Elgin, where an Eastern man, distinguished 
for his professions in the science of butter and 
eheese-makiug, who was so confident in a theory 
Ins professional brain had become troubled with, 
that he ran the risk—or, rather, prevailed upon 
others to take tho risk—of quite a largo quantity 
of milk in his experiment, the result of which 
was so disastrous that some excuse must l»e 
framed, and so tho learned professor fell back 
on tho old prejudice sgainst Western milk. Ho 
procures a microscope, and, wonderful to tell, 
the cause is not in the soil—not in the climate, 
not in the grasses—not in the cows—not in the 
handling of tho milk—no, ho sees an object in 
tho milk ! But the success obtained u»* the 
dairymen of tho West now proves that this fail¬ 
ure was not attributable to the fungus animal in 
the eye of a learned professor, but to ignorance 
alone. 
DAIRY CONVENTIONS IN THE NORTHWEST. 
On the 10th day of March, 18G7, was bold at 
Rockford, III., the first dairy convention of the 
Northwest. Tn the spring of 1872 the Wisconsin 
State Association was organized at Watertown, 
Wis. On March 4, 1874, the Illinois State Asso¬ 
ciation w as inaugurated at Aurora. It is to t he 
influence of these associations and the knowledge 
disseminated through their discussions and re¬ 
ports that a large share of the success attained 
by North western dairying is to bo attributed. 
PASTURES AND COWS Of THE WEST. 
The rich and fertile soil of the West is com¬ 
paratively free from tho noxious plants and w'ceds 
that infest Eastern pastures and meadows, and 
that beat and almost indispensable cereal for 
dairy stock, Indian corn, is here produced in 
greater abundance and at less cost than in any 
other part of lire world. 
Again, it must be noticed that the slim, lank, 
long-legged, old rod cow of the West, that used 
to be tailed up at the straw stack, now steps 
forth from the stable of one of those comfort¬ 
able bunk barns, her color, form and appearance 
entirely changed. Her color is mixed with the 
Durham, the Ayrshire and the Jersey. Her 
Texas hums ha ve become short and crumpled. 
Her dull, dreamy eye has become blight and 
sparkling; her lank, slim form is deep and round¬ 
ed, and her shriveled udder has become largely 
distended with the richest and purest milk. 
SALE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS AT ELGIN. III. 
Mr. P. McGukey of Elgin, states that during 
the year 187G there were sold, on the Elgin Board 
Board of Trade, 829,207 pounds of butter, being 
an increase of C0.092 pounds ou the year 1875. 
To the above, he says, should be added the pro¬ 
duct of one creamery, which was in Operation 
the year round, and which produced 50,000 
pounds. Tho amount made at other creameries 
aud not reported, would swell the aggregate up 
to 900,000 pounds in round numbers as the pro¬ 
duct of a number of dairies situated within a ra¬ 
dius of a dozeu to fifteen miles of Elgin. And 
the estimate does not include any of the first- 
class private dairy butter. 
ROCKfORO GUTTER. 
During 1870 the papers in Rockford claim that 
their merchants handled 709,074 pounds of but ¬ 
ter, which was purchased at au average of a 
fraction over 20e. per pouud. The entire amount 
was shipped from Rockford, and of it New York 
those days assuaging their hunger, or the more 
majestic brutes their thirst out of an ancient 
trough, hewn by persevering bonds from solid 
limestone, and which to his astonished gaze 
must appear a relic of pre-historic ages, au evi¬ 
dence of a race of sculptors existing before the 
llood. 
Yet, as we contemplate these ancient home¬ 
steads, our minds arc not wholly engrossed with 
their projectors’ curious ideas of convenience 
and ease, for a slight sense of awe cornea upon 
us as we think of what may have occurred be¬ 
neath their ample roofs, what, stories of shame, 
of sorrow, of suffering, and of good and noblo 
deeds, might not their dismal! walls disclose, 
could they but regale us with a brief retrospect 
of the scenes aud incidents of which they have 
been silent witnesses. w. n. 
DAIRYING IN THE NORTHWEST 
We aro indebted to Dr. R. R. Stone, Secretary 
of the Northwestern Dairymen’s Association, 
for a report of tho proceedings of the Associa¬ 
tion for the past year and up to tho annual 
meeting, Fob. 15, 1877. Among the doings of 
the various Dairyinou’B Associations scattered 
over tho different States, the Northwestern is 
tho first, this year, to issue its report, w'hieh is 
alike creditable to tho enterprise and progressive 
spirit of Western dairymen. 
At the last annual meeting of the Association 
in Chicago, several papers were road on tho 
rise and progress of the dairy interest in the 
North west, from which wo gather some facts 
worthy of notice. 
Mr. II i ram Smith said that neither Wisconsin 
nor Illinois, nor iudeed any Western State, was 
considered a dairy country thirty years ago. 
Tlio emigrants from Now York, Pennsylvania, 
^nd Ohio, that settled in tho Northwest, had 
some knowledge of dairying before leaving these 
States, but they did not come hero with auy idea 
of engaging in the business, tier did it occur to 
them until the romance of getting rich by raising 
grain bad worn off, and they found that instead 
of the farmers becoming rich by that means, 
their land was fast Upcoming poor. 
In view of the. present and rapidly-increasing 
importance of dairy farming in the Northwest, 
an estimate was made of the financial advan¬ 
tages certain to accrue in the tangible form of 
increased taxable property; for it requires’ iu 
"addition to the property already existing, about 
one hundred mul fifty cows to ovory section of 
land, and to every township of thirty-six sections 
over five thousand cow s. Those, at *20 per head, 
would aggregate to every such town an increase 
to the assessment of $100,000. 
Mr. C. O. Bone referred to tho wonderful 
growth of dairying iu the Northwest during the 
past fifteen years, and argued that this growth 
was to continue. He said tho chief commercial 
elements of cost entering into dairy products 
delivered in the markets of the world, arc : Hows, 
machinery—such as buildings arid fixtures— la¬ 
bor, transportation, and feed. In comparing 
tho Northwest with the other great dairy regions 
of tho country, the cost of the first three items 
may bo regarded as practically equal, with some¬ 
thing of advantage possibly to the West in the 
itomof cows—an advantage which in future wo 
may expect to sec diminish. In the item of 
transportation to the Eastern markets, tho dif¬ 
ference is against the Northwest, but from points 
east of the Missouri River not to exceed one and 
one-half cents per pound. Tho cost of trans¬ 
portation to the Sou them markets is probably 
about equal. 
The greatest difference, however, appears iu 
the item of feed -the advantage being altogether 
iu favor of the North weft. The price of corn 
ho estimated, at the present time in New York, 
to bo fi5 cents, and oats 50 cents, in t he dairy 
regions of Iowa and Illinois corn is worth from 
25 to 50 cents a bushel; oats, from 15 to 25 cents 
a bushel. These prices ho thought high for the 
West, as most dairymen raise their own feed, 
which is worth loss on the farm than in market, 
while in New Y ork it would be worth less iu mar¬ 
ket than wheu delivered on tho farm. 
Thus, ho thought, from economical considera¬ 
tions, the dairy interests of the West have a 
bright prospect before them. In considering 
the quality of dairy products of the YVcst, and 
comparing them w ith the dairy products of other 
dairy regions, the whole matter, he thought, 
must be narrowed down to skill in manufacture 
aud that is possible to the YVest. Perfected ma¬ 
chinery is available to all. The air of the West 
is equally as pure and its sunshine more contin¬ 
uous and health-inspiring; the water is eqnally 
as good, though it is only fair to admit that good 
water, in some localities, is less common and moro 
difficult to obtain than in the East. Western 
pastures are varied: some as good as can be pro¬ 
duced anywhere, others deficient in quality at 
certain seasons; but here corn fodder, com and 
A NEW BUTTER PACKAGE 
We have lately had our attention called to a 
stone butter package that ought to come into 
very general use. It is patented, as will be soon 
by tho cuts herewith given, so that thoso intend- 
_jj ing to use the tubs 
will have to he refer- 
/ \ red to tho makers, 
f J IIUIHiKLL & CilKSK- 
I , nao, Geddes, N. Y. 
JS As long as we can 
remember, tho care¬ 
ful housewife set 
great store by her 
earthenware butter- 
crock, and for suffi¬ 
cient reasons. Hero 
wo have a package 
whose shape* is so 
modified as to fit it 
for use. as a convenient vehicle for keeping and 
transporting butter, and we think it combines 
some very excellent features. Tlio package it¬ 
self is of stoneware, made beveled like a com¬ 
mon pail. The advantages of tlds shape over 
the ordinary straight butter-pot are apparent. 
The surfaces, inside and out, are thoroughly 
glazed, and will withstand the action of salt or 
acids. By inverting tlio package, tho butter 
may be easily removed for weighing or examina¬ 
tion, and can be replaced without, injury either 
to the package or its contents. And in cutting 
out the butter in smalt quantities for retail or 
for family use, there is but little liability of tho 
butter crumbling or breaking up. 
It is provided with a strong ash-cover, the 
edges projecting slightly over the top, thus af¬ 
fording protection to the package in handling. 
fAT’DAPK. 2' 7 
H ! S75 J 
I JAN>.3. Ii| 
y, '877 ; 
ESTIMATING THE BUTTER PRODUCT OF 
COWS. 
Estijiatixu the quantity of butter a cow will 
yield during the year by testing a given quantity 
of milk at a certain time and making that tho 
standard, is quite unreliable, as every practical 
dairyman knows that milk varies greatly in its 
butter yield from time time. Tb© record of Col. 
N ewki.’s cow, as reported recently in the Country 
Gentleman, appears to have been deduced from 
some such standard, for it is not easy to believe 
that any cow could have produced in eleven 
months and two days tho enormous quantity of 
977.72-100 pounds of butter. 
Philip Snyder of Yinelaud, N. J., in com¬ 
menting on this record, iu a late number of tho 
above-mentioned paper, gives a record of the 
quantity of milk required for a pouud of butter 
at different seasons from bis own cow, and sayB 
that although her actual yield for the year was 
396 pounds 12 ounces, yet if her product had 
been calculated from thirteen tests made of her 
milk, nine of the number would have made it in 
excess of the actual yield, and in several in¬ 
stances enormously so. nis eow gave 10,612 
pounds of milk for tho year of 3GG days, and the 
quantity of milk required to make one pound of 
butter varied iu different seasons from 31.11-100 
pounds, iu July, to 1G.45-100, in January. At 
the latter yield as a standard for calculation, the 
cow would havo yielded, theoretically, G45 pounds 
of butter, whereas the actual yield was some 249 
pounds less. 
It must be quite evident that all calculated 
yields of butter, by taking a given quantity of 
milk as the standard for the pound of butter, 
must bo regarded with suspicion, unless well- 
PAT’DAFRiv; 
; JAN.23. 
; 137 7. 
The cover is firmly fastened to the tub by means 
of four tinned iron clamps, each of which fits 
tightly to a wedge-shaped lug in such a manner 
that the more the cover is turned, the more 
tightly it fits, so that, with a gasket in the groove 
cut in each cover, the joint can be made air and 
water-tight. 
The small sizes are furnished with a handle, 
making them convenient and useful for any pur¬ 
pose for which an ordinary pail is desired. Tho 
prices at which they are sold are reasonable, and 
considering the uses to which the paekage can 
bo put, we think it would become popular in the 
family. 
FANCY CHEESE AND FANCY PRICES 
A correspondent, who says he keeps about 
20 cows aud makes farm dairy cheese, inquires 
how he can get tlio most money out of his pro¬ 
duct, and he concludes as follows: —“If you 
will point out the styles of cheese w hich com¬ 
mand best prices, the latch-string of my house 
shall always hang out to all the editors of the 
Ritual with free access to somo excellent cigars, 
at least so pronounced by good judges, though 
made from tobacco of my own raising.” 
Though smoking cannot be placed among the 
