How were they cooked, and what was the 
opinion of their edible qualities? In the 
American Angler, Prof. Charles IV. Smiley, 
of the Fish Commission, states that about 600 
replies were received in answer to this circu¬ 
lar. Over 350 had not yet tasted carp. The 
following is the gist of the testimonials of 
those that bad eaten the fish: 1. Moderate 
praise, from fair to very good, 40; 2, unquali¬ 
fied praise, and very emphatic expressions of 
approval, 96; S, comparisons with other fish, 
very generally complimentary, 30; 4, criti¬ 
cisms as to softness or muddy taste, 19; 5, in¬ 
different and uncomplimentary reports, aside 
from muddy taste and softness, 10; 6, a few 
opinions in regard to bones, 7; 7, a few re¬ 
ports containing hints upon various ways of 
cooking carp, 31; total, 243. 
through the curd mill, salt being mixed with 
it at the rate of three to four per cent., and 
put into the press vats. Some dairies are sup¬ 
plied with an oven large enough to hold the 
cheese of each day’s make, and the vats are 
placed in the ovens, no pressure having been 
applied to the curd, and remain iu them until 
the following morning, when tbe3 r are placed 
in presses. The warmth of the oven helps in 
the expression of surplus whey, ripens the 
curd, and, so far as the salt will admit of it, 
develops a little acidity. The development of 
acidity, however, is not systematically carried 
out in the Cheshire dairies, and does not seem 
at present to have had much practical atten¬ 
tion devoted to it. As a consequence of the 
lack of uniformity of system, the Cheshire 
cheese varies greatly, and, generally speaking, 
it may be said that the reputation it once bad 
has of late peal’s suffered some decline. 
DAIRY NOTES FROM ENGLAND, 
PROF. J. P. SHELDON. 
CHESHIRE CHEESE. 
If a reputation stretching back into pre¬ 
historic antiquitj T —so far, I mean, as pastoral 
annals are concerned—aud sustained with no 
great deal of fluctuation until the present 
time, may be taken as a guarantee of respect¬ 
ability and of genuine worth, then Cheshire 
cheese is, and has been, one of the most, if not 
actually the most, respectable and valuable 
of the varied and distinct dairy products of 
“ Old England.” The tale goes that a visitor 
from one of the tropical countries was once 
descanting, in a Cheshire farmer’s house,on the 
magnificent fruit produced in the laud he 
came from. “Aud how often do you produce 
it ?” said the farmer, tired of his guest’s 
praise of the foreign clime. '* Once a year," 
replied the visitor. “Once a year, only!” 
said the fanner; “just wait a minute.” He 
went out and presently returned to the 
room, bearing in his arms a large Cheshire 
cheese. “ Here,” said he, placing the cheese 
on the table, “ is the sort of fruit we produce 
once a day!’’ The ancient popularity of 
Cheshire cheese is well preserved in the signs 
of numerous old-fashioned inns and hostelries, 
called “The Cheshire Cheese,” in various 
parts of the country. 'Whether or not the 
Cheshire farmers are as proud of their cheese 
at the present time as they were in the old 
days to which the tale refers, I am hardly in a 
position to say; probably they are not, for the 
“Cheshire lumps” have found very serious 
competitors in the Scotch aud Euglish Clied- 
ries. They were grown in matted rows, ana 
given clean and thorough culture. Beets, tur¬ 
nips, and earrots were grown between the 
rows the first season, aud 1 believe the vege¬ 
tables thus grown paid all the cost of culture 
that year. Last season I sold from this patch 
289 quarts of strawberries, for which I receiv¬ 
ed a total of $44.50, aud I believe I could just 
as readily have sold the product of half an 
acre at equally paying rates if I had had them, 
and this iu a section where there is no large 
village within a circuit of eight or ten miles, 
though we are within reach of several small 
ones. 
Now I have no hesitation in saying that 
there are many places iu all sections of our 
country whore comparatively nothing is done 
in the growth of small fruits, but where, if 
some enterprising man were to take hold with 
energy, and plant carefully of proper varie¬ 
ties, large profits might be obtained in the cul¬ 
ture of small fruits. 
My advice to all beginners who are inex¬ 
perienced in the work is, plant huly of the well 
tested varieties such as succeed well every¬ 
where, among which I would recommend the 
Crescent, Wilson, and Sharpless Strawberries, 
and from my experience with raspberries I 
would name the Gregg, Souhegau, and Ohio 
of the cap varieties, and of the reds, Cuthbert 
and Turner as among those most likely to prove 
satisfactory. Many others might be added to 
the list, such as would succeed equally well, 
perhaps even better, on certain soils and under 
certain conditions; but I have named those I 
believe to be the most universally successful. 
Delaware Co., N. Y. E. J. brownell. 
Spring Planting.—A good rule to observe 
in planting trees, says Josiah Hooper in the 
Weekly Press, is to select a time soon af¬ 
ter the frost is out of the soil, and the surface 
reasonably dry. The earlier the better for 
most trees, so that the roots may commence 
working before the buds swell. There are a 
few exceptions, however, when the roots are 
of a thick, fleshy character and, if disturbed 
too soon, will frequently decay. A notable 
example may be found in the magnolias, with 
roots of the above description, aud experience 
has demonstrated the utility of settiug them 
out just before the buds commence perceptibly 
to swoll. A poiut to be always borne iu mind 
when removing evergreens, is not to allow the 
roots to become dry. The rnomeut they are 
out of the soil they should be freely sprinkled 
with water and wrapped in a damp cloth, un¬ 
less the weather should be moist and cloudy. 
Water sprinkled over the foliage also answers 
a most excellent purpose, as it prevents rapid 
evaporation. 
->♦« — 
Raising Sorgum.— Mr. Schwarz, in the 
Farm aud Fireside, speaking of sorghum cul¬ 
ture, says that as Fall plowing has always 
given the best resultB, he tries to get all the 
grouud intended for cane plowed in the Fall 
and early Spring. When the time arrives to 
plant, he does not plow again, but with a 
heavy barrow or cultivator goes over the 
ground both ways until he gets a fine seed¬ 
bed about two inches deep. The planting is 
done with a drill that makes no furrows—a 
Hoosier one-horse corn-planter is very good 
for the purpose. Where planting in drills is 
desired, he uses a wheat drill, using the second 
fluke from each end, making the rows 40 
inches apart. Just before the seed, is ready 
to come up. he uses the smoothing-harrow, 
and when fairly up, if too thick, he cultivates 
crosswise with the drill. At least five pouuds 
of seed should be drilled per acre in order to 
do this, which may save all the labor of hoe¬ 
ing, unless the season is a wet one. After 
this the walking or riding cultivator, with 
narrow shovels, is used as often as necessary 
to keep the caue clean until it is about four 
feet high, when it may be left alone. In poor 
clay soil, about 150 to 200 pounds of super¬ 
phosphate drilled in with the seed,will double 
the yield. 
Preventive of Currant Worm Ravages. 
—The currant worm, no doubt, lies in the 
ground all Winter, and, after the frost is over, 
it ascends to the growing leaves, there propa¬ 
gates, and begins its ravages. In order to pre¬ 
vent this, a good way is to get common tobacco 
stems, to be had at any tobacco factory, and 
place them around the bush on the ground, 
about three inches on the surface. This 
should be done in the Spring, just before the 
frost is out of the ground, aud no worms will 
be found on the bushes, thus keeping the 
foliage clean and the fruit perfect. Tobacco 
is death to them. This remedy, which he 
found in Purdy’s Fruit Recorder, was very 
successfully employed by one of our subscrib¬ 
ers last season. 
THE FAMILY MELON-PATCH, 
In the growing of melons for tbe private 
garden, quality must necessarily -outrank all 
other considerations. Next to this in impor¬ 
tance are earliness and productiveness. Like 
the repeaters at the polls, it is desirable that 
melons should come early and often. Owing 
to tbe influence of soils on the different varie¬ 
ties, it may be necessary to do some experi¬ 
menting before we can hit upon the best kind 
for our own ground. Weight and keeping 
qualities are secondary matters in the family 
garden, and it should be borne in mind that 
quality in the melon does uot improve as the 
size increases. 1 believe that a good plan for 
the private garden is to select some choice 
variety, and then grow only the one kind. In 
this way the grower can save his own seed 
each year, and know that it is of first quality. 
The readiness with which varieties intermix 
makes it questionable whether they will be 
kept pure if one attempts to grow different 
sorts. It is not certain that different varie¬ 
ties will not “mix” if planted less than 100 
yards apart, aud if planted eveu at that dis¬ 
tance there is no certainty about the matter; 
but if there is only one variety on tbe place, 
we know that we cau keep it pure, and also 
that we may improve it by careful selection. 
While the melon does not require the amount 
of ma il'ure that is used in growing the cabbage 
or the onion, still, next to a light, warm soil, 
heavy fertilizing is one of the most important 
things—always bearing in mind that the man¬ 
ure should be well rotted. Proper cultivation 
in tbe family melon-patch has a double iuterest; 
it is necessary in order to attain the best re¬ 
sults; aud theu there is so much more enjoy¬ 
ment connected with it. There is more satis¬ 
faction in 10 hills thoroughly cared for, than 
in 100 improperly planted and then left to 
shift for themselves. Then, whether the 
patch be large or small, let it be properly 
tended. If you have suitable manure at hand, 
broadcast it liberally and plow under. Then 
where you are to put each hill, dig a hole as 
though you were settiug a post. Fill this up 
with a mixture of soil and well-rolled, fine 
If the patch is to be irrigated, it 
imported into England. Cheshire cheese, in 
fact, no longer commands anything of the 
nature of a speciality, on account of shape and 
size, aud no small quantity of American 
cheese, is sold under the designation of Ches¬ 
hire, in this country. This cheese resembles 
the Cheshire closely in form and general qual¬ 
ity, and is called Cheshire, from tbe first. 
After all, however, a really good Cheshire 
cheese cannot be so closely imitated in any 
other country, that a connoisseur iu cheese 
would not at once detect the difference. And 
whatever peculiarity such Cheshire cheese 
may possess, finds its source in the character I 
of the soil of the country, which is situated 
on the geological formations known as the 
keuper marl and the buuter sandstone, and a 
further influence is, no doubt, contributed, to 
the herbage, more particularly of some parts 
of the country, by the immense deposits of 
saline matter, which have been utilized for 
ages. A good example of Cheshire cheese has 
a peculiar and pleasant flavor, which is not 
easy to describe, and it has all the mellowness 
and “ body,” which are the test of quality 
when a cheese is ripe. In the makiug of 
Cheshire cheese, just as in the making of any 
. other English kind, there has been and still is 
a great variety of methods or practices em¬ 
ployed, and the superiority of the cheese of 
one dairy over that of an adjoining farm a 
disparity, by the way, that is found here, 
there and everywhere—Is owing to the ‘ hap¬ 
pier knack” which one dairy-maid has got 
hold of as compared with that of the other. 
There is, in fact, no well defined approach to 
uniformity of method in Cheshire cheese¬ 
making. nor have the principles of any one 
method obtained anything like general recog¬ 
nition; yet at the same time is it probable that 
the circle of practices has been narrowed of 
and is still narrowing, in the direc- 
AWAY WITH THEM 
HON. MARSHAL P. WILDER. 
be troubled until all the improper, useless and 
indelicate names which are attached to many 
of our fine fruits, shall have been expunged 
from our American catalogues, and who that 
has a fibre of delicacy in his soul, is not 
ashamed of the vulgar, extravagant and 
abominable titles that some of these now 
wear, and which are a disgrace to the nation. 
But we will have no more of these, and let us 
be thankful that at last a reform has been be¬ 
gun, which, I hope and fondly believe, is to 
work a complete revolution on this subject 
in our own and other lands. This has already 
been commenced, as will be seen by the cata¬ 
logues of the Massachusetts and other great 
horticultural and pomological societies of our 
country. The catalogue of tbe American Po¬ 
mological Society, now in press, will strike 
the key-note which is to govern the march of 
this grand reform, aud with which we are to 
keep step in the progress of this most neces¬ 
sary work. This is one of the most important 
measures ever adopted by the American J o- 
mological Society. Let it go on to prosper 
through all coming time, aud then we shull 
manure 
should be elevated above the surrounding sur¬ 
face, as the loose soil will settle when flooded. 
Put the hills eight feet apart, and after the 
plants have passed all danger of frosts and 
insects, thin to one vine. This will enable 
you to see how many melons each plant pro¬ 
duces, and to save seed from those only which 
show the most productiveness as well as early 
maturity. 
This year I had 100 hills of the Hackensack 
planted by themselves. The average for the 
patch wasonly four to the hill, while one hill 
ripened 10 good sized melons, though they 
were very late. The melons from different 
hills varied greatly in size and also in mark¬ 
ings. The quantity was variable, and the 
flesh ranged iu color all the way from the 
deep green of tbe Nutmeg to a pale yellow. 
Of course, in saving seed, it makes a great 
difference which type of melon is selected, if 
it is to be cultivated year after year. Especi¬ 
ally with the water-melon is it desirable to 
late years, 
tion of simpler aud better understood prin¬ 
ciples. 
In the more advanced Cheshire dairies are 
found superior utensils, and improved ar 
rangements, along with, of course, more 
clearly defined notions as to the why and 
wherefore of the different processes through 
which a cheese passes in the making of it. 
Among the more prominent of the improved 
dairy appliances, is the milk-vat, patented 
and invented by Mr. Cluett, of Tarporley. 
This vat may be called a small edition of the 
milk-vats in general use in the American fac¬ 
tories, made of different sizes, to suit the re¬ 
quirements of larger or smaller dairies, and 
further description of it is unnecessary. The 
evening’s milk is kept in this vat, cooled by a 
supply of water in the spaces between the 
inner casing of tin and the outer one of wood. 
This milk is, as a rule, more or less skimmed, 
and afterwards wanned to the desired temper¬ 
ature, before the morning’s milk is added to 
it. Renuet sufficient to coagulate the milk in 
50 to 60 minutes, is added, the milk being then 
at a temperature of—well, the temperature 
varies according to the taste of the diffei- 
ent dairy-maids, some having it as high 
as 94°. The coagulum is broken down in 
the usual way, and in due time it is passed 
BURR’S NEW PINE STRAWBERRY. 
In reference to an inquiry in the Rural of 
February 15, as to where this berrj could be 
obtained, the originator, Mr. John Burr, of 
Leavenworth, Kan., writes us: “I believe it 
to be extinct. I have been trying to get it 
for several years, and have had many sent me 
from various sources and places, as the New 
Pine, but in no case have any proved true. 
They were mostly of one kind, but quite in¬ 
ferior, to and unlike the original.” 
A writer in the Pacific Rural recom¬ 
mends the following emulsion for destroying 
scale insects; “Take one quart of whale-oil 
soap and one quart of hot water; this v ill 
make two quarts of soft soap; add to this two 
quarts of kerosene, and stir till the soap and 
kerosene unite. This it w’ll do, forming an 
emulsion sufliciout for 10 gallons of water. 
Apply with a spraying pump, stirring the 
mixture frequently while using.” But we do 
not see that the addition of thu whale-oil soap 
is any improvement upon tbe milk emulsion 
which has been recommended in these col¬ 
umns many times. 
SMALL FRUIT NOTES. 
This is a section in which little has been 
done in fruit culture, especially in small fruits, 
and perhaps a few notes ol’ my experience in 
this direction may be of iuterest to Rural 
readers. I have long believed that with pro¬ 
per care aud attention, the growth of small 
fruits might be made a profitable industry in 
our part of the State ; but until during the 
past two years I have not myself been situated 
so as to engage in the work, and even yet I 
Mr. Parker, u subscriber living in South- 
era Australia, sends us an account of his suc¬ 
cess with the B-b. Centennial Wheat, from 
which it appears that it will prove especially 
adapted to the soil aud climate of Australia. 
Ho planted 460 grains—450 of which grew— 
the product of which was 126 pounds of ex¬ 
ceedingly line wheat. The stools contained 
from 18 to 40 stalks each, with heads so large 
The Edible Qualities of German Carp. 
—In order to ascertain, as nearly as possible, 
the value of carp as a food fish, about July 20 
the United States Fish Commissioners sent 
out circulars to parties to whom carp had 
been sent, requesting them to answer the fol¬ 
lowing questions; Have you eaten carp? 
