334 
YHE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
tagious disease. All this is so strangely mixed 
up. that all I eau gather from it is that Mr. 
Coffin is mad because we have here, an unde¬ 
niably healt hy climate, or that I said so. But 
this Is not why Mr. Coffin is so mad as to lose 
bis good manners, if he has any, and call me 
a fool, and a Kip Van Winkle, and a man hav¬ 
ing gaping Ups, while he wishes I had sense 
enough to keep my mouth shut; yet he quite 
forgot to offer any proof that the A merican 
climate is not the healthiest climate in the 
world for stock. I won’t imitate Mr. Coffin’s 
peculiar style of argument, but simply say 
that, it is wonderfully strange that be, who, 
at all interested in this matter, is a stockman, 
should endeavor to induce persons at borne 
and abroad to believe that this country is a 
hot-bed of contagious diseases, and so try' to 
ruin our foreign trade, when be knows as well 
as I do, that such a belief is raise. As an in¬ 
stance. I would refer to the reports of foot- 
and-mouth disease (one especially alarming to 
English fanners) as existing in Kansas and 
other parts of the country. The false reports 
with regard to this matter were copied into 
English journals and created much excite¬ 
ment, toour great injury there. How are men 
like Mr. Coffin to repair this injury, and take 
back all their injurious statements made with¬ 
out any knowledge of the facts? Mr. Coffin 
has not attempted to disprove one word 1 
wrote, and be cannot; not even the statement 
1 made that this boom is worked to make 
money. The evidence is all in this direction, 
for some persons are making money out of 
this excitement, which has been based on false 
representations, and Mr. Coffin need not go 
far to locate one instance of this. I defy Mr. 
Coffin to name one place in the United States 
where there is to-day any dangerous conta¬ 
gious cattle disease, and I do not believe he 
can locate one single ease of it. If he knows 
of one, it is his duty to make the fact known. 
This being thus, it is not 1 who am the fool or 
the one who is asleep, and who should keep 
his mouth shut. 
collars and a regular harness, and that if they 
bad, they t could draw loads much better. The 
experiment is going to be tried. 'Ibis will re¬ 
quire collars and hames made especially for 
the purpose. 1 have seen oxen working with 
breeching which was attached to the yoke, 
and a single one hitched to a cart, wearing the 
collar of a horse turned bottom side up. A 
team of oxen in harness is a new dispensation, 
and, as mv wife says, belongs to an enlightened 
age. 
** 
.Objection is often made to Merino sheep 
that they do not give milk enough to raise 
t heir lambs. I have never had any trouble on 
this account, if they were out to grass when 
the lambs were born. The Merino sheep at 
Kirby Homestead were kept through the past 
Winter on oat-straw and oats. This is the 
cheapest way in which sheep can be wintered, 
aDd when kept in this manner, it seems to me, 
every farmer can ufford to keep sheep aud 
to make them profitable. Holt a pint of oats 
a day is not expensive food for a sheep, and 
the straw most furmers let go to waste. This 
year the lambs came in April, before grass. 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
con. F. D. CURTIS. 
F; 
0 
^Kt’IVR 
A 
Fig 1. 
ba 
TH rr 
dividual. Coomassie is a grand cow, and so 
was Bomba, but neither can be regarded as a 
fair type of her family, and if 1 bought a de¬ 
scendant of either I would much prefer to 
have an animal which had been tested, or the 
immediate descendant, of a tested Individual. 
I think common prudence would dictate this 
course to any purchaser. A breeder, or, 
rather, a purchaser, cannot afford to “go it 
blind" to aDy extent, except, perhaps, in case 
of a family whose members have been submit¬ 
ted to numerous and oft-repeated tests. Su;h 
a family is the Stoke Pogis. Coomassie blood 
is valuable, und a little of it euhances the 
price of animals possessing it, perhaps to an 
undue extent. Bomba was a superb animal, 
and made a grand tost; but. did she ever repeat 
it? I think not. How is it with the Stoke Po- 
gis family 1 W by, they are being tested all the 
time, and they are always improving their re 
cords. Inasmuch as Eurotas and Mary Anne 
of St. Lamberts, are so similar in breeding, 
the ltest results can be obtained by crossiug 
the blood of Eurotas and that of Stoke Pogis 
3d, and when i say Stoke Pogis 3d, I speak ad¬ 
visedly. The blood of Old Pride of Windsor, 
Amelio, Pauline, and Victor, has become very 
desirable, aud through Stoke Pogis 3d. it can 
be obtained most effectively. I think that in 
the next few vears the Stoke Pogis will be 
used for the purpose of crossing in other fami¬ 
lies more than auy other stock we have. 
K. K. MORELAND. 
In the early part of the Winter, one of the 
breeding sows, on account of exposure to the 
cold by being turned into the barn-yard for a 
couple of hours, had a severe attack of inflam¬ 
mation of the lungs. With a great deal of ef¬ 
fort, by applying hot water aud keeping up 
the heat on the surface w’ith hot bricks aud 
blankets, she was restorod to health. She was 
so nearly dead that the skin w r a* blistered in a 
number of places without her appearing to 
feel any pain. For three days she never left 
her bed or took auy nourishment. This was 
undoubtedly the best kind of treatment. She 
appeared perfectly well afterwards and is now 
in fine condition. The same kind of treat¬ 
ment (steaming and keeping hot) would un¬ 
doubtedly have, u year ago, saved a Jersey 
calf which died from inflammation of the 
bowels." In all such cases the surface and ex¬ 
tremities of the body are cold on account of 
the blood being driven inward, resulting in 
inflammation in some of the internal organs, 
where it settles, and the animal requires such 
vigorous treatment, as medicines taken inter¬ 
nally are not sufficient. The treatment must 
be prompt and thorough, and the animal must 
be kept warm afterwards. Such inflammation 
is caused by the chilling of the body, and a re¬ 
newal of chills would be likely to be fatal. 
*** 
Wbeu the sow, mentioned above, had 
reached the period when her pigs were due, 
she appeared to be in perfect health. The pigs 
came, but such weak things I never sa w be¬ 
fore. There were ten of them, and after 
w'orking over them all night I made up my 
mind that there was no use in trying to save 
them. They were too weak to suck, and the 
birth-sack adhered to them. They were al¬ 
most destitute of hair, showing that they were 
not fully matured, and, in spite of ail I could 
do, they died. I cannot account for tbisunna- 
tural condition in auy other way, except, that 
during the sickness of the mother there wasuo 
development of the offspring. It is au inter¬ 
esting physiological fact if it is so. A recent 
writer states that he bad a litter of pigs that 
did not divest themselves of the birth-suck, 
and he could not account for it. 1 tbiuk that 
the peculiar condition of his pigs must have 
been caused by the sickness of the mother, the 
same as in my case. 
*** 
Too close in-breeding will produce the unna¬ 
tural conditions described above, and also 
malformations. Weakness in the offspring is 
most commonly a result of inbreeding. This 
was not the case with my pigs. 
*** 
My wife has made up her mind that a yoke 
for our .oxen is a “relic of barbarism.’ It 
seems impossible to get a yoke aud bows to 
fit them so that they can work without galling 
their necks. She insists that they should have 
Dtxinj IjiishanDni. 
DAIRY NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 
PROF. J. P. SHELDON. 
DAIRYING IN DERBYSHIRE. 
Poultry House. Fig. 165. 
For about three W'eeksprevious the dams were 
given hay in place of the straw, with the 
same amount of oats With this care there was 
no lack of milk. I suspect that the main rea¬ 
son wbv some people have failed in having 
their Merino sheep do well, is because the 
sheep are thin and weak, the owners forget¬ 
ting that milk con es from surplus fowl. "W hat 
1 mean by this is, that if the full wants of the 
body are not supplied, t here will be no milk, 
and when they are fully supplied it is just as 
natural for a Merino sheep to have milk as for 
any other animal, aud I have no doubt but 
that their milk is richer in proportion to the 
quantity than that of larger sheep. They are 
the Jerseys among sheep. It is the practice of 
a goes! many to provide for the young, by feed¬ 
ing grain to the mothers a few days before 
they are born This is a great mistake. Such 
preparation should really begin before W inter 
commences, by having the sheep in good con¬ 
dition and keeping them so all the time. 
When this is done by feeding straw, the 
change to bay produces a surplus which sup¬ 
plies the milk without the feverish condition 
which the extra feeding of grain would be li¬ 
able to produce at this time. 
JERSEY BREEDING. 
The Jersey breeders are scrutinizing the 
breeding of every family of Jerseys that has 
acquired any notoriety, in order to make the 
best crosses aud secure successful “nicks,” and 
thus add to the value of their herds. Ama¬ 
teurs are liable to fall into error by esteeming 
too highly, families which owe their reputa¬ 
tion to the performance of some one noted iu- 
The county of Derby is one of the most 
varied, geologically speaking, and also one of 
the most picturesque in Eugiand. The north¬ 
ern half of it is on the carboniferous limestone 
formation, and abounds In hills und dales, in 
slopes and table-lands. Ou many of the hills 
the soil is thin, and the herbage scanty, while 
the absence of trees makes them look more 
bleak and barren than they ought to look, or 
really are. The hard rock, which denudes 
and crumbles very slowly by the action of the 
weather, crops out frequently on the surface, 
yet the bills provide fair pastmage for sheep 
and young stock. The slopes and table-lauds 
for the most part are well covered with a soil 
which is always sound and responds at once 
to the skill of the husbandman. In the valleys 
the soil is generally very deep and rich, the 
accumulation ot uges, aud the herbage is at 
once most varied in character, and of very 
vigorous growth. (Springs and ruuuiug 
brooks are found, as a rule, in the valleys; but 
on the higher lands an artificial store of water 
is secured iu ponds and ineers, which are hol¬ 
lowed out five or six feet deep, and lined with 
tempered clay, which is protected by a coat, 
of concrete beneath and one of well-laid 
stones above. The southern hail is much less 
billy, the keuper marl being the prevailing 
formation, with hunter sandstone pushing 
through in places. The soil is generally of a 
heavier, deeper and stronger character than 
in the uorth. degenerating into a very stiff 
clay iu parts, which requires draining lu a 
systematic mauner. The district is well tim¬ 
bered as a rule, and presents a rich prospect 
to> the eye ol the traveler, is well sheltered, and 
generally fruitful. 
Derbyshire is a noted dairying and stock- 
raising county, and is, perhaps, more celebra¬ 
ted for cart horses than for either sheep or cat¬ 
tle, tnougli at the same time its bovines and 
oviues are well esteemed iu the markets. The 
farms, as a rule, are “mixed farms;" that is, 
they carry cattle, sheep, and horses, with 
about four-fifths of tbe land in permanent 
grass, and tbe rest in arable cultivation. The 
tendency, however, for some years past, has 
been to lay down more of the land to perma¬ 
nent grass, so that the proportion of arable 
land is rapidly diminishing. Taking the 
county throughout, nearly eight Dinthsof the 
land is in permanent grass, but this includes 
the mountain pastures, which are hopelessly 
outside tbe limits of arable cultivation. The 
farms run from five or six hundred acres, 
downwards to mere holdings of six or eight, 
but the general rule is from oue to three hun¬ 
dred acres. The land is owned, for the most 
part, by great territorial magnates, like the 
Dukes of Devonshire, Rutland, and Portland, 
and by wealthy Commoners; but there are 
many small owners intermixed, some of whom 
farm the land they own. The tenant farmers 
are a shrewd aud sturdy race, slow, but sure, 
in bargains, toilers, for the most part, along 
with their men, strong in tbe muscle and rud¬ 
dy in the face. It is probable that Derbyshire, 
as a county, has suffered less than most others 
during tbe seven weary years of depression 
through which we have been passing, and out 
of which we think and hope we are now emerg¬ 
ing. This result is attributable to the preva¬ 
lence of grass land, tostock-raisiDg, and to the 
general soundness of the soil, as well as to the 
industrious and frugal habits of the rural 
population. 
The leading agricultural industry of the 
county is dairying, iu which stock-raising oc¬ 
cupies a prominent position. The cattle are 
universally of Short-horn blood, and are good 
milkers withal. Cheese-making was erstwhile 
the universal practice, and Derbyshire cheese 
found ready sale in many parts of i he coun¬ 
try; but of late years the milk-trade has de¬ 
veloped rapidly, aud It is probable that not 
much more than half the quantity of cheese is 
now made as was the case 10 or 15 years 
ago. The production of milk, however, is 
probably greater, a great deal of it occurring 
In the Winter. Away from the railways, 
however, cheese is still made as of yore, aud 
on the same old-world lines. It may betaken 
without saying, that on the sound soils of Der¬ 
byshire, cheese-making is a simpler and easier 
process than iu most other counties, and this 
holds good wherever limestone soils, or other 
naturally sound soils, prevail, and where 
"high farming” i» not pushed too far. The 
equipment of Derbyshire farm-house dairies is 
still of a simple and primitive character, gen¬ 
erally speaking, though lever presses are now 
in common use. The utensils proper are, how¬ 
ever, of the type of GO. and perhaps of 100, 
years ago, some of them of good old English 
oak, but most of them of tin. Usually the 
cheese is made in the farm-house kitchen, and 
seldom in dairy rooms specially constructed for 
the purpose. Tbe “cheese kettle, as it is 
called, or milk-vat, ns it is termed in Ameri¬ 
ca, is commonly of tin. but sometimes of brass 
or oak, and wit hout any outer jacket to admit 
of the use of steam, or of water either hot or 
cold. It is seldom that you find a thermometer 
iu regular use in a Derbyshire dairy, though 
many are kept for ornament and tor occasion¬ 
al reference. The dairymaid trusts to her 
touch for the temperature of the milk at 
“setting” time, and it is surprising how regu¬ 
lar is t he touch of an experienced dairymaid. 
The evening’s milk, as a role, is kept till the 
following morning, and then warmed aud 
mixed w ith the morning's, the two together 
being made into cheese; in some dairies tbe 
cheese is made twice a day, from perfectly 
fresh milk each time, but 1 strongly doubt if 
any advantage is gained this way. Where 
cheese is made once a day, and this is tbe rule, 
the twiee-a-day system being lound in very 
few places, and only with old-lasliioned dairy¬ 
maids; the evening's milk is kept at a tolera- 
bly low temperature, and a little of the cream 
is usually taken for butter; in tbe best dairies, 
however, no cream is taken for butter, as, in¬ 
deed, we may take it for granted that, save 
where the land is highly farmed, nothing is 
gained by taking it. The temperature of the 
milk when the rennet is added may be taken to 
be about 80 degrees, Fahr.; but this, of course, 
will vary, more or less, where a thermometer 
is nut used. 
The coagulum is sometimes broken with a 
dish of wood or tin, very gently, but common¬ 
ly with a regular curd breaker, consisting of 
a network of intersecting wires, in w hich the 
spaces are about an inch square. The curd is 
pressed to tbe bottom of the kettle with a per¬ 
forated “sinker.” which is made of tin aud 
fits the kettle, and the whey is taken off as 
soon as it is separated. The curd is then cut 
into lumps repeatedly, and put under pressure 
betweeu-times. to express tbe remainder of 
tbe whey; finally, it passes through the curd- 
mill, and is put under heavy pressure in the 
wooden vats. No salt is mixed with the curd, 
generally speaking, nor is any applied to the 
outside of the cheese till the following morn¬ 
ing; and here, as we see, the curd ripenssome- 
wbat, and perhaps a little acidity torms in it, 
before tbe salt is applied. Thus it happens 
that the Derbyshire dairymaid unconsciously 
employs acidity, without which, in some shape 
or form, it would appear that no cheese can 
be properly made. To the uncertainty of its 
employment, however, we may with tolerable 
certainty attribute the irregular character of 
Derbyshire cheese, and the presence of “sweet” 
cheeses now and again in many dairies. I 
have known a marked improvement made in 
a large Darby shire dairy, at the house where 
l was born, by keeping a portion of one day’s 
curd to mix with that of the following day, 
after the manner described in tny paper ou 
Lancashire cheese making. The Derby shire 
dairymaids, however, do uot understand the 
principle involved in the systematic “ripen¬ 
ing” of milk, though they unintentionally 
employ it sometimes. A well made Derbyshire 
cheese, how ever, is as pleasant a thing to eat 
as one may reasonably wish for. 
A few cheese factories have been running in 
the county for ten or a dozen years, and most¬ 
ly with good success; but they have been kept 
iu check by the milk-trade. This Spring, how¬ 
ever, another one has been built for tbe use of 
