OCT. 9 
THE RURAL WEW-YORK 
is used, the pans must be moved along.to All 
the place of those skimmed at one end and 
make room at the other end for the fresh 
milk. Hereafter I shall describe my method 
for arranging the shelves in a convenient way 
for this and other purposes. The pans should 
never be covered. If it is necessary to cover 
anything to exclude flies, mice or other ver¬ 
min, the windows should be covered with fine 
wire gauze, and to guard against mice the 
shelves should be purposely arranged. (This 
will be explained by-and-by.) 
When the milk has stood 3b hours the cream 
will have risen, and should be skimmed off. 
At this time the cream will be thick and ad¬ 
herent, and on good milk that has been set 
two inches deep in shallow pans, should be at 
least a quarter of an inch thick. This' will 
give 13 per ceut. of pure cream, which is as 
much as I have ever knoicn any cow to 
give, although it has been often said that such 
a cow gives25 or 30 per cent, of cream. One 
of my cows will show 28 tier cent, of cream in 
a five-inch-deop test-glass; but this is not 
pure cream. This same milk set in a 20-inch- 
deep pail will Bhow ibout six inches of cream; 
but when cream rises in a deep vessel a large 
quantity of milk is brought up with it and 
stays with it, and the 28 per cent, which is 
shown in a deep Cooley pail, shrinks in a Fer¬ 
guson Bureau pan to 12 per cent. There is an 
advantage, however, in this dilated cream, 
which tB, that it is in precisely the best con¬ 
dition for good churning; while in skimming 
the pure cream at least au equal quantity of 
milk should be poured off with it into the 
cream iar, and both be stirred up together. 
To remove the cream, a small, fiat cream 
knife should be passed around the edge of the 
pan to loosen it, and the film of cream 5s then 
floated and pushed with the cream knife over 
the edge of the pan into the cream jar. This 
will remove enough milk with the cream to 
dilute it sufficiently. Every time cream is 
p jured into the jar it should be stirred, other¬ 
wise there will be danger of having white 
specks in the butter. 
A GOOD FAMILY COW. 
I have often admired a little Alderney cow 
belonging to a lady friend, who modestly 
wishes her name not to be made public. Sim¬ 
ply to look at such a cow is suggestive of 
creamy milk and golden butter. A few days 
since I had a talk with this friend about milk 
and butter, during which she showed me her 
account with this cow, the only one she has. 
A family of twelve (including servants) with 
occasional visitors, have to be supplied with 
milk ; but she has generally managed to save 
one milking each day for butter. 
She began keeping au account on the28th of 
February, when the churning yielded five 
pounds. On the 25th of August (the day be¬ 
fore I saw the account book) the churning 
gave four pounds and a half. The whole 
amount of butter made during the interval of 
six months was one hundred and ninety-one 
pounds. This, it seems to me, is a great show 
from a small COW when you take into consid¬ 
eration the prolonged drought,and that a large 
family was supplied with milk at the same 
time. It all the milk hud been saved for butter 
the result would have exceeded four 
hundred pounds for the six months; and 
the lady thinks she does better thau this when 
there is plenty of good grass. She is very 
careful to know that the cow is well cared for 
aud gently treated. 
I fiud from the dates that there were two 
churnings a week, those in the first week in 
March yielding eleven pounds, and the next 
week, uiue aud one-half pounds. In the first 
week of June the yield was ten and a half 
pounds, and in the two following weeks it 
amounted to nine and ten pounds respectively. 
The last two churnings (August 25) or one 
week, gave eight aud a half pounds. The 
reader can get the weekly average from the 
figures before given, but he must keep in mind 
that only one milking a day was 9aved for 
butter, aud that bay had to be used for feed 
duriug a part of the drought. I have more 
thau once eaten the butter, and can ask for 
notbiug more delicious. I inquired, “ Do you 
ever use artificial coloring for your butter ?” 
The reply was decidedly earuest and charac¬ 
teristic. “No! I don't want any frauds about 
my butter." This case is given to show what 
can be doue with a good cow, good food, kind 
treatment, and a goodly share of the '* know 
howand this “ know how ” might be learned 
by many who have all the requirements for 
keeping a nice little Alderney. 
Puteii B. Mead. 
— - - ■ ♦ ♦ » - 
The ootlook for Cheese is favorable for 
good prices. The make in England is reported 
by the best authorities to be small and im¬ 
ported stock has been sold close up to arrival. 
In this city dealers say accumulation is not 
extra-heavy, while reports from the chief 
cheese-makiag regions indicate that the stock 
held back is, as a rule, comparatively light. It 
is probable therefore that the present slight 
depression will be only temporary. 
Iffrtrsman. 
NOTES. 
BY A STOCKMAN. 
“RooTsare a joy to shepherds, but a cause 
of anxiety to masters,” says the Agricultural 
Gazette. Unfortunately we are not in danger 
of suffering much anxiety in this respect, for 
our supply of roots is not so liberal that sheep 
are likely to be over-fed with them. This too 
applies more to these succulent, over-grown 
roots that have been highly manured with su¬ 
perphosphate, than to our more solid ones, 
grown upon less highly fertilized land. But 
the cautiou is worthy of regard, because an 
over-feeding of roots in cold weather is dan¬ 
gerous to in-lamb ewes and so chills the inter¬ 
nal organs as to endanger the vitality of the 
fetus. 
What is the reasou that we. handicapped as 
we are with higb-priced labor and the enor¬ 
mous burthens and risks of long railroad at)d 
shipping charges, can compete in foreign mar¬ 
kets with the native farmers and beat them 
by a large margin in prices, if not in quality ? 
Perhaps the gentlemen who came from Eng¬ 
land to investigate this problem have not yet 
solved it completely. They have missed, it 
maybe, one very important condition of the 
problem. For instance, in a recent issue of 
the London Times there were two leading ar¬ 
ticles side by side; one discussing this very 
question as it was affected by the importa¬ 
tion of American meat and bread, and its in¬ 
fluence on English agriculture; and the other 
referring to the opening of the season for 
partridge shooting. To hunt and shoot, 
over the farms occupied by their tenants, 
game that has been fed upon the crops grown 
by those tenant farmers, and at their expense, 
is one of the privileges exacted by the owners 
of the land, aud five hares consume as much 
as one sheep, while partridges and other feath¬ 
ered game consume and destroy a large por¬ 
tion of the grain. How large a part in the 
solution of this question do these facts com¬ 
prise ? 
Do sheep owners realize the loss occasioned 
every year in the condition of their flocks by 
the abounding sheep ticks ? It is rare to see 
a flock that is not greviously annoyed by these 
pests, and the sheep are constantly nibbling 
iu their fleeces to allay the irritation caused by 
them. I have knowu iambs to be so pestered 
with ticks, after the sheep have been sheared 
and Iheticksdeprivedof shelter have left them 
and gathered upon ihe lambs, that they have 
died in consequence. And yet there is an ef¬ 
fective remedy, viz: dipping the lambs early 
iu the season or both sheep and lambs later. 
The most effective dip is an infusion of tobac¬ 
co aud sulphur. The late Mr. Grant, the large 
sheep owuer of Ellis Co., Kausas, once told 
me that the produce of wool was increased 20 
per cent, by two dippings in the year, one im¬ 
mediately alter shearing and one in the Fall. 
The sheep aud lambs feed and thrive so much 
better from the ease given to them as to make 
this difference. Erorn my own experience I 
am sure he did not overrate the benefit and 
profit. 
The French people have more ready cash 
in individual possession than any other nation 
in the world. It is not the wealth of a nation 
that makes the people rich, but the general 
diffusion of wealth. This is the ease in France. 
The French are a nation of small farmers. 
There are more laud-owners iu that country 
than in America. The farms are small; the 
majority are under 20 acres, and a very large 
number under 10. It may not be that this is 
the only reason for the money wealth of these 
people; they are notably economical aud thrifty. 
But the Btuall farms have something to do 
with it. The fat tuers of some of the eastern 
counties of Pennsylvania, where the farms are 
comparatively small, could well eompete with 
the French in their possession of money wealth. 
Almost every fanner has his hoard invested. 
These men have a habit of feeding a few head 
of beef cattle or a flock of 6heep every Winter. 
They sell little grain but wheat, aud feed their 
fodder and coarse grain to purchased stock. 
They make more profit to the head of stock 
than is made upon large graziug farms, and 
their land is rich and high-priced, because of 
the large quantity of manure that is made in 
feeding 6tock. The consumption of meat Is 
continually increasing and with the extension 
of manufactures there are more mouths to 
fill every year, so that it is not probable the 
supply can ever become excessive. 
What shall he the farmer's domestic meal 
supply ? This is worth considering as well 
as what he shall produce for sale. The farm 
should feed itself, for it is a waste of money 
for a farmer to employ a butcher to eater for 
him. Beef is out of the question unless it is 
salted, and salt beef is only a makeshift en¬ 
forced by obvious circumstances. Poultry 
aud mutton will furnish a constant supply, 
with occasional helps from other sources. 
Mutton hams cured aud smoked are excellent 
for Summer nse, and If the legs are cured a 
carcass of mutton can be easily disposed of 
in a farmer’s family. This is a very impor¬ 
tant item for consideration, when a farmer 
asks himself “Shall I keep a few sheep or 
not, and what kind shall I keep ?" If I were 
to advise him in regard to the latter point, 
for domestic use I should say, Merino grades 
crossed with South-Down. 
The comparative value, in some cases, of 
sheep aud cattle is curiously shown in the in¬ 
stance of the Ealkland Island Company which 
occupies the island of that name in the Atlan¬ 
tic Ocean east of Cape Horn, and Patagonia. 
This company owns more than 100.000 sheep, 
which have been obtained by crossing the 
native South American kind by Cheviot rams. 
The income from this flock is $150,000 annu¬ 
ally, while from nearly 30,000 cattle the yearly 
product is only a few thousand hides. In 
speakingof thiscompany, a contemporary not 
quite a thousand miles from where geograph¬ 
ies are published, mentions “the adjacent 
country of Buenos Ayres." It is a question if 
two places distant from each other more than 
15 degrees of latitude can be called adjacent. 
This reminds me of a citizen of the Quaker 
City at the recent sheep exhibition, who was 
admiring a pen of handsome MerinoB; look¬ 
ing at the card, he remarked to me. “These 
are Merino sheep ; Merino ? Merino ? where is 
Merino? I suppose these 6Ueep come from 
there, don’t they?” To which 1 wickedly re¬ 
plied “Why yes ; of course." 
ttsfenkg. 
ENGLISH MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
Your mention of the Herdwick Sheep (in the 
Fair No.) remiadB me of a circumstance which 
happened many yeai'B ago, and which may be 
of interest to your readers. 1 was visiting Eng¬ 
land when a young mau, nearly 30 years 
since, and passing through what is known as 
the Lake region, found myself in a picturesque 
country of beautiful lakes, but very small to 
an American view, embosomed in mountains 
and woods, with most charming dells and val¬ 
leys interspersed. Here were the homes of the 
poet6 and the Cumberland mountain sheep; 
and the latter I must say were the more in¬ 
teresting to uie. Rydal Mount, the home of 
Wordsworth; Graaemere, the home of Mrs. 
Hemans, and the little lodging house where 
Hartley Coleridge stupiiled himself with opium, 
and every night after a debauch drank up, in 
his burning thirst, even the water provided 
for hiB oft-forgotten ablutions, wore all visited 
as a matter of course, but left few pleasing 
impressions for their human connections. 
The grand beauties of Helvellyu were more to 
my taste, and on its slopes aud crags I made 
the acquaintance of the flocks of Herdwick 
sheep and the shepherds to the manor born, 
with their wonderful dogs. 
Low down on the mountain side I came 
across a man gesticulating somewhat in the 
manner of an old-fashioned semaphore tele¬ 
graph. Waving his arms aud throwing his 
cap, with a face set steadfastly up the moun¬ 
tain, one could not but follow his view. 
Away up among the mountains small patches 
of gray could be seen moving over the slopes 
and gathering into a central masB. These 
were sheep which were being collected by the 
dogs in obedience to Bignals given by the 
shepherd at least a mile below. Having a 
good view of the slope, the latter could see the 
scattered sheep, aud could direct the dogs to 
them, where they were grazing behind huge 
jutting crags, but out of sight of the sagacious 
animals. In a 6hort time the sheep were col¬ 
lected, and not too soon, for the clouds were 
fast gathering on the mountain and the storm 
foreseen by the shepherd was near at hand. 
Down the mountain, pell mell, oyer rocks and 
ravines, galloped the sheep with dogs on their 
flanks and rear. The flock was 60 ou on the 
road and driven homeward. As 1 followed, 
talking with the shepherd, another large flock 
appeared iu front quite filling the road. Here 
seemed to me a dilemma—how could these 
meeting flocks avoid getting mixed, and if 
mixed what could separate such half-wild 
creatures again ? At a word the dogs dart¬ 
ed ahead and in a moment crowded the 
sheep to one side of the road; the other 
flock was turned iu the same way to its 
side of the road, and, like two passing trains, 
the flocks scampered past each other in two 
long lines, separated by a narrow space in 
which the dogs were. It was my first expe¬ 
rience with mountain sheep and shepherd dogs, 
aud as I trudged along the road in company 
with the shepherd—one single man in charge of 
more than 3.000 sheep, but having a score of 
dogs to help him—he related to me the most 
wonderful stories of his dogs, and of his sheep 
as well. 
But to make a practical application, let me 
say that these sheep make profitable the poor¬ 
est possible pastures. The mountain sides, 
covered with heather and scrubby vegetation, 
furnish pasturage which is turned into useful 
wool and the best of mutton for flavor. The 
annual rental of such mountain pastures iu 
consequence of this use, affords a considerable 
income to the owners of the land, and the 
farmers make good profit from their flocks 
Some time we shall be glad to have such 
sheep on our mountain ranges which are now 
totally useless, but which will then afford sub¬ 
sistence to many shepherds and much wool 
for our coarse manufactures. h. s. 
-» » » ■ - . . 
CLOSE CONFINEMENT OF SHEEP DURING 
WINTER. 
I have a small flock of pure-bred South- 
Down sheep, but shall Winter only about 80. 
I shall let them run dally ou a 10O acre pasture 
lot whenever the weather is not too rough, 
feeding them nights and ruorniugs with rowen 
hay, and once a day with half a pint of grain 
or other stimulant. I shall give all those ewes 
lambing early a few carrots and a little corn 
meal, and I shall let these as well as the rest 
run ont in the sunshine a few hours every day 
there is auy; and even if snow Is lying on the 
ground, that will not prevent them from going 
out for two or three hours. I will give a re¬ 
port next Spring and show that these South- 
Downs will have more and better lambs than 
any ewes managed in the usual coddling way. 
I mention this and confidently make these as¬ 
sertions, because through some stupid mis¬ 
takes, it is over and over again repeated that 
English sheep cannot be kept except in 
small numbers; that they cannot live exposed 
in rainy weather, and although nobody at¬ 
tempts to compare Merino mutton with theirs, 
yet it is really thought the Merinos are hardier. 
The fact is, that In England every farm of 
about 300 acres keeps more sheep than many a 
thou sand-acre farm in the United States, and the 
farms of that size also grow double the grain 
and support double the cow stock, in addition 
to the Bheep, that any farms of the same size in 
America do. 
In consequence of less roots being fed in the 
United Stales, the j-ouug 6heep do uot grow so 
fast, acd the first fleeces shorn are uot half as 
heavy as those from yearling sheep in Eng¬ 
land. I am a T are that South-Downs havje 
much less wool than other breeds, and that (Me 
Oxford-Down has much longer wool, and that 
the fleecesweigh about double the weight. The 
Oxford Down is au example showiug the folly 
of some breeders in being so very much op - 
posed to crossing; for this breed was perfected 
from crosses- <>. a. 
®|t Dorsrmaii. 
BREEDING TROTTING HORSES. 
In an admirable article on this subject in 
the Kentucky Live Stock Record, it coutends, 
in order to obtain Ihose of first-class perform¬ 
ance, for a copious infusion of thoroughbred 
blood, either late or remote. In this we en¬ 
tirely agree with our respected cotemporary, 
for how else could the fine form and limbs, 
high spirit, intelligence, indomitable will aud 
endurance that characterize onr best trotters 
be obtained. Not from the cold-blooded horse 
surely, for where have these ever been found 
in him to any remarkable degree? But the 
advocates of cold blood say that he gives the 
trotting action. Admit this, and what would 
this action amount to, when great speed and 
endurance were required, unless well fortified 
with crosses of the thoroughbred. Tet seve¬ 
ral of the latter, it is said, occasionally possess 
fast trotting as well as running action. This 
we believe was particularly the case with one 
or two ox the progenitors of imported Messen¬ 
ger, the fountain-head of the best American 
trotters. 
Although admitting the value of paelDg 
blood in assisting to make up some of our 
fastest trotters, still our cotemporary prefers 
that of the racer, if he must choose between 
the two. when a fresh cross is needed. Iu this 
again we think he is right, notwithstanding 
the pacer has undoubtedly a large infusion of 
the thoroughbred in his composition. This 
may be seen in the fine high-spirited amblers 
and pace* s, bred pare or nearly so. In Cuba 
and Spain, from the Andalusian, which is a 
direct descendant from the Barb brought over 
from Africa by the Moors, when they Inva¬ 
ded Spain many centuries ago. 
It is contended that the progenitors of the 
fine-limbed Narragansett pacer, so famous for 
years past for speed and endurance, were 
brought from Cuba to Rhode Island in vessels 
engaged then in the West India trade : and 
that the pacers of Kentucky and Teuuessee are 
high-crossed descendants of the thoroughbred, 
which have been going on ever since the first 
settlements of these States. 
Now as to what is thoroughbred, our cotem¬ 
porary says the fifth consecutive coss from 
the cold-blood horse is admitted into the Eug- 
