m THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. DEC i 
are, and turn your attention to the taste by 
catering to the palate instead of the eye. 
A recent editorial in the N. Y. Times char¬ 
acterized the modern strawberry as an over¬ 
grown mushroom. That will do very well as a 
simile. I fear some of you (if you ever knew) 
have forgotten the taste of our native straw¬ 
berry. Certain it is, a large portion of our 
present population are strangers to it. 
If you will give us a berry with the vigor 
aud health of the Sharpless, the shape and 
color of the Bidwcll, the productiveness of the 
Downing or Manchester, as grown here, with 
size anywhere from that of the Downing to 
that of the Sharpless, the quality aud perfume 
of the cotch Ruuuer with a firm, solid flesh 
and a good keeper, you will fill an important 
vacancy. Who will produce it? A handsome 
reward awaits the lucky individual. 
Will auy of the new candidates about to 
present their credentials this year come any 
nearer iilling the above bill than their prede¬ 
cessors ? Nous rrrrons. 
Dmrt) J^ushaixfrnj. 
DAIRY NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 
PROFESSOR J. P. SHELDON. 
It is uncommonly interesting to note the 
state of unrest, and almost of perturbation, 
into which a good mauy dairy folk have fallen 
in late yeare, particularly, in this country. 
Almost everything connected with the dairy, 
from a cow to a pound of cheese, and a milk- 
pail to a centrifugal separator, seems to be in 
a state of transition from the old order of 
thiugs toward an undefined something or 
other, which few people seem to be quite cer¬ 
tain about. This sort of thing is more or less 
satisfactory, so far as it has gone, for it is a 
prelude to inquiry aud progress, though some 
people are a good deal bewildered by it at 
times. Disturbance and agitation, more or 
less pronounced, appear to be inseparable 
from incipient reform in almost all walks of 
life, and no new thing can displace an old 
one without treading on somebody’s toes. 
Once on a time it was said that dairying 
stood still, while other branches of agricul¬ 
tural industry were advancing. Iu England, 
at all events, the taunt was true enough then 
but it is true no longer. Nor is it true now iu 
Ireland, or Scotland, or Wales, whatever it 
may have been, ten or a dozen years ago, iu 
those interesting countries. A sense of the 
need for improvement Jn dairy matters has 
obviously taken possession of many leading 
men in these islands, and the councils and sec¬ 
retaries of our leading as well as our follow¬ 
ing agricultural societies are penetrated with 
a commendable desire to do something to fos¬ 
ter a spirit of emulation among the people— 
of emulation which shall lead to improve¬ 
ment. 
It is clear, /nay say, that this spirit of 
emulation has at length been aroused in 
many places, though not so clear that the 
need for Sirfcber efforts in the same direction 
may be regarded as over and past. On the 
contrary, it may be said that such efforts are 
more requisite now than ever, in order that 
the good already accomplished may be firmly 
planted, aud that further improvements may 
be secured. Much has been done, no doubt, 
but a great deal more requires doing before 
our dairy interests are In ati even tolerably 
satisfactory condition, if we regard them in a 
general and average light. The principles of 
cheese and butter making have been repeat¬ 
edly stated, but so far, the average quality of 
our cheese and butter Ls far enough below 
what it ought to be and might be. Theoreti¬ 
cally speaking, all cheese and butter should 
be flue, so long as the milk from which they 
are mude is good; practically, we know ouly 
too well that, in the present state of dairy 
education, it is puerile to expect any such re¬ 
sult. 
As I have said, however, efforts are being 
made to bring about a better state of things, 
as well in the breeding and management of 
stock as in everything else on which the suc¬ 
cess of dairying depends. As usual, we fol¬ 
low the lead of our American rivals iu 
these tilings. Cheese factories aud creumeries 
we have copied from yon, but we have 
uot run them ou anything approaching the 
thoroughness of America. Iu the art of 
breeding cattle for beef, we may regard our¬ 
selves as quite ahead of you ; but you are 
equally in advance of us in breeding for milk. 
You come to us for cattle, and then you define 
and develop their milking properties to a de¬ 
gree which bewilders us not a little. Few 
men iu these Islands have taken record of the 
milk-yielding capacities of their cows with 
anything like system and completeness, and 
uot two per cent, of our dairy farmers could 
tell you how much butter their cows respec- 
lvely yielded iu a year. 
The milk and butter records of American 
cattle, which from time to time are published 
in our agricultural papers, have caused some 
stir in this country. These records are so 
concise and definite, that they make an im¬ 
pression at once. It is clear that your dairy¬ 
men take more particular puins than we do 
iu these matters; and it is equally so that your 
example is not easy to follow. The steps that 
we are taking, I hope to notice in future num¬ 
bers of the Rural New-Yorker. 
DAIRYING IN CALIFORNIA. 
The dairy interest is a growing one in this 
section of California, and although the old 
methods of gathering cream and ruakiug but¬ 
ter prevail universally (so far as my infor¬ 
mation goes), we make a very high grade of 
butter; but I am led to believe from readiug 
the Rural and other journals devoted to 
dairying, that if we adopted some of the mod¬ 
ern inventions and improved systems of our 
Eastern brethren, California butter would be 
of a more uniform grade—there would Vie 
more of the liigli-grade and less of the inferior 
article. I hardly think the factory system 
will get a foot-hold here for some years to 
come, for the reason that our farmers are 
holders of large tracts of land compared with 
the possessions of farmers where the factory 
system prevails in the East, and consequently 
the farming districts are not so thickly set¬ 
tled. and you cannot find a farmer who 
makes butter who does uot religiously believe 
he can manufacture as good butler as any¬ 
one else, if not a trille better, and a majority 
of them would inwardly look upon the estab¬ 
lishment of a factor)' as a meddlesome, inno¬ 
vating competition, A stirring young man 
from one of the Western States located iu a 
certain part of this State where considerable 
dairy farming was done, aud erected quite an 
establishment for making cheese and butter, 
and gave out notice that be was ready to buy 
milk from the farmers. The first year, if he 
had not bought 25 head of cows, lie would uot 
have manufactured a pound either of cheese 
or butter. Last year he managed to get part 
of one farmer’s milk, and as he is now de¬ 
voting his energies to buying cows, I am of 
the opinion he has given up hopes of securing 
for his factory any milk beyond that from his 
own cows. 
The dairies situated near San Francisco 
Bay or the ocean, experience little or no 
trouble from excessive heat. The tempera¬ 
ture is about right for butter-making. The 
pasturage is almost perennial, and on the 
coast districts, consist® almost entirely of na _ 
tive grasses. In late years many farmers 
have begun to learn the advantage of stabling 
and feeding their cows during the wet season. 
Taking into consideration climate, pasturage, 
fertility of soil and market, this country, or 
rather this section of it, is especially adapted 
to the dairying business, and all we need now 
is the benefit of the experience of Eastern 
friends and their improved methods. 
Vallejo, Cal. f. a. l. 
- 
WEIGHT OF MILK. 
Referring to the inquiry and answer under 
the above caption ou page 743 of the Rural 
of November 10, I desire to say that many 
practical tests by careful weighing and mea¬ 
suring pure milk of average quulity set at a 
teruperuture of 60 degrees, establish the weight 
of u standard gallon at 8.6 pounds instead 
of 8.675, as stated in the answer under con¬ 
sideration. 'Ibis would make the quart weigh 
2.15 jiounds instead of 2.16. This Is rapidly 
cotniug to be a recognized standard. The 
fault in the answer alluded to results from 
assuming 1.034 us the specific gravity of milk. 
I have rarely seen a sample of pure milk of 
over 1.032 specific gravity, and I have never 
seen any account of any entire lot of cows pro¬ 
ducing milk as heavy as 1034, though single 
cows have done so. Flieshman’s average of 
the milk of 124 cows is 1.0317; Quoreune’s 
averugeol’ milk of 103 cows, 1,0322; McAdum’s 
00 cows, 1.032; 1’rof. Chandler’s 100 cows, 
1.03184. The standard of the New York 
Board of Health is 1.020, though this is under¬ 
stood to be a minimum and not an average. 
Adopting as the standard the general average 
1.032, and adding the 32 thousandths to the 
standurd for water, 8 388, we get precisely the 
same figures as those reached practically. 
There cannot be auy question but that un¬ 
skimmed milk of a specific gravity of 1.08-1 
should huve the appellation spelled poor in¬ 
stead of pure. There seems to be a lamenta¬ 
ble ignorance on this subject. We frequently 
read and hear of a quart, of milk being reck¬ 
oned ut two pounds, and then agaiu at two 
pounds six ounces, and anywhere between. 
Georgia, Vt. o, h. bliss. 
• — - «» « 
In England there were last June 3,600,000 
cows aud heifers in milk or calf, aud ubout 
180,000 persons are concerned in the dairy in¬ 
dustry. If each cow gives 450 gallons of milk 
a year, the product will be worth over $200,- 
u 0,000. 
tieCrops. 
EXPERIENCE WITH POTATOES, ETC. 
My Niagara Grape seedliugs failed to grow. 
Only two seeds germinated, and those both 
gave up the race for life soon after they made 
their appearance above ground. The Shoe- 
peg Cora was not ripe when frost came, but 
we cut the stalks and green ears aud fed them 
to the cows aud so saved all there was of it. 
The flower seeds wore banded to a daughter 
and they were a success. The Blush Potatoes 
have not yet been tested for the table; the 
yield was fair for this remarkably cold, wet 
season. We are testing our new sorts, some 
of which we have purchased from the differ¬ 
ent seedsmen, others have been sent us to test 
aud report to the persons who sent them. 
Some of those that have cost us the dearest, 
prove the poorest, both in quality and yield, 
among which Wail’s Orange, is, lam sorry to 
say, one of the poorest. This year it was 
planted on a Timothy and clover sod, a nice 
sandy-gravelly soil. About one lull iu five or 
six died before the tubers set, or so soon after 
os to prove a perfect failure. We had nearly 
two rows across a plot some 25 rods in length, 
the product of a quarter of a pound grown in 
1882. On one side was planted the Rubicond; 
on the other the White Star, both of which 
yielded nearly or quite double as much ns 
Wall’s Orange, and they were much the finest 
potatoes. Iu one instance, four hills of White 
Star yielded more than 12 hills of Wall’s 
Orange, grown side by side, the product being 
carefully weighed. Iu quality, Wall’s Orunge 
is strong and rank in taste, as tested in my r 
family, cornered with such sorts as the 
Beauty of Hebron, White Star and Early 
Mayflower. By the way, I think the Early 
Mayflower as near perfection in color and 
form of tuber and quality for the table as auy 
potato now iu cultivation. If there is a better 
potato now iu cultivation I would like to get 
it. 1 certainly think I have never seen a 
better one that I have had the pleasure of test¬ 
ing. My son, with a neighbor, went over our 
potato plot, aud he dug different sorts, to show 
the neighbor, as the latter was quite interested 
in new sorts; and my son gave him three sorts 
to take home aud cook, either by baking or 
boiling, as he preferred; but each sort was to 
be cooked all alike, no names of the kinds 
being given, so the person he gave them to did 
not know what they were, only by color. 
When asked, after he he had tested them, how 
he liked the potatoes, tie said the two white 
sorts were first-rate; but of the off-colored ones 
he said he did not want any such potatoes as 
they were. They were too strong and too poor 
for him to eat. The white sorts were White 
Star and Early Mayflower; the colored ones 
were Wall’s Orange. When told the colored 
sorts were the dearest we had ever paid for, 
he replied that, if they cost more, he did uot 
care for that; they were not fit to cultivate 
or eat compared with the white ones. My soil 
may not suit "Waif’s Orange. We have tried 
them for two seasons on the best soil we think 
we have, and they have sadly failed both years 
iu yield and quality. We shall be forced to 
discard them. As grown on my farm, com¬ 
pared with such potatoes as White Star, 
Beauty of Hebron, White Elephant and Eurly 
Mayflower they are wholly worthless. With 
others they may do better; but, according to 
my experience with potatoes, they will never 
prove as valuable as have those already named, 
as Early Rose, Early Vermont, Snowflake, etc. 
Rome, N. Y j. t. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH POTATOES. 
This season has proved the correctness of 
my conclusions and theory of the past— 
namely, that the potato raiser cannot be too 
particular in regard to seed. 
Although good crops are sometimes grown 
from seed of those kinds that have been long 
raised, as a general rule a few years sulliee 
for most kinds to outgrow their usefulness. 
They lose much of their vitality, and wo 
must ever be on the ulert in this branch of 
agriculture to reach the best result. Right 
here i wish to add my tribute to the untiring 
energy shown in the Rural Experiments, aud 
also in the distribution of seeds, at great cost 
to the paper, that its subscribers and the pub¬ 
lic might be benefited. Thorough culture and 
good soil will uot make up for seed “ run¬ 
out.” After a careful survey of seed-potatoes 
offered I concluded that for my section, the 
Beauty of Hebron for an early potato, 
the White Elephant, aud the new Blush fol¬ 
iate, would be the kind for ns to try. The 
seeds of the two first were easily obtained ut 
fair prices. The new- Blush cost some $12 per 
bushel. Three acres of land under a high 
state of cultivation were planted to White 
Elephants, excepting half au acre under the 
Beauty of Hebron. The land was rich with 
manure harrowed in, and fertilized in with 
tobacco-stalks, or fish and potash and salt. 
The yield of the early kind was about 300 
bushels to the acre; while that of the Ele¬ 
phant was 400. 
The next experiment with the last-named 
kind was on land in fair condition, without 
manure. The same treatment was given iu 
the bill. The yield was 800 bushels per acre, 
of very smooth, nice tubers. 
Seventy-six pounds of seed of the New 
Blush were tried on the same lot with the 
same treatment as the ia.st received, the only 
difference being that the pieces were cut close 
to one eye. Planted on 14 rows, 22 rods long 
and two-aud-a-half rods wide, comprising 55 
rods of ground; yield, 157)4 bushels. They 
were nice potatoes. All were dug with one of 
R. H. Allen’s potato diggei s. As the outside 
rows were uot as good as the middle, a trial was 
made of the eight best rows, which gave a 
yield of over 600 bushels to the acre. The 
tubers are of medium size, uniform, with very 
few small ones. The vines are leafy aud 
small, stems slender aud branching. Tuber 
white, excepting at the seed end, where it 
shows a beautiful blush, from which it was 
named.- It is very hardy, and stands the dry 
weather best of any kind of seed. Its eating 
qualities are unsurpassed. Although sold to 
me as earlier than the Elephant, I consider it 
later. Farmers caunot be too particular with 
seed. Northampton, Mass. C.T. p. 
BLACK TEETH IN SWINE. 
The Rural’s criticism on what I wrote you 
in regard to “ Black Teeth in Swine,” in a late 
issue of the paper, was uot unexpected; but 
its accusation of cruelty is unjust. I do not 
delight in cruelty to any animal. Black teeth 
in swine are not real or natural teeth, but 
resemble a shoe-peg in form, aud are found 
between or at the side of the natural teeth, 
and can be removed with nippers without 
lancing, causing but little pain to the animal. 
The Rural has decided that there is no such 
a thing. May I ask, do you know by expe¬ 
rience? A just judge will not condemn until 
he is sure. D. D. 
|We certainly did not deny the existence of 
“ black teeth” in swiue; but we did deny that 
their presence was the cause of auy discuse, 
What we did say was that “other ailment, 
commonly due to indigestion, dera ged biliary 
or urinary secretions, etc., are sometimes attri¬ 
buted to the presence of black teeth.” Nor 
did we for a moment dream of accusing our 
friend of cruelty in removing them, but we 
said that the usual practice is to examine the 
teeth of the ailing pig and to hammer out any 
black ones found. Can our correspondent say 
this is uot a common practice ? As a matter 
of fact, the teeth referred to are the milk or 
deeiduous teeth, and will fall out of themselves 
in time. If they do not they may cause irri¬ 
tation and general fever and ill health. But 
they are not naturally bluek. The discolora¬ 
tion is caused by disorder of the stomach. 
This is common in all young animals, and 
children are subject to the same effect from 
long-continued indigestion due to improper 
feediug. It is a common opinion that sugar 
candy, aud other sweets injure the teeth of 
cbildreu, and cause them to be discolored and 
to decay, and the gums to be sore. But purents 
do not remove the teeth, they remove the 
cause of the disorder, or the doetore do it for 
them. And so a veterinarian would do the 
same for the pigs. There is no harm in remov¬ 
ing the tooth if it is done In the manner our 
friend suggests, but some persons eonfess to 
knoeking them out, which is altogether too 
rough a way even with a pig. When the ena¬ 
mel of the teeth is destroyed, and a black 
coating is deposited upon them, this cannot 
he removed. But the cause of the disorder 
may, and then all the sickness iucidont to this 
trouble will disappear, although the black 
teeth will remain for some time, and perhaps 
permanently. We have not decided there are 
no black teeth. On the contrary, we have 
admitted the fact bv frequently explaining 
the cause ol' them uuu suggesting a manner of 
preventing them by uvoiding the cause, aud 
of removing it when it has already occurred, 
Pigs are proverbial y greedy animals, and a 
young pig Will eat until it is completely gorged 
and its stomach Is distended to excess. Tuis 
we know by experience, as we kuow of every¬ 
thing we speak positively of iu these columns. 
Food so gorged is not properly digested; un¬ 
digested food produces disorder of t he stomach; 
the animat is uot nourished; it is stunted and 
puny, and if the owner will take such a pig 
and small its breath it will be fouud foul aud 
offensive. This is always the condition of 
those pigs of which complaint is made that, 
they have “black teeth." The black teeth 
are the effect of the disease and not the cause 
of it. This we kuow also from experience 
and as a remedy we recommend that young 
pigs be fed with wise moderation aud with no 
more than they can digest, aud with sweet, 
• ound food.— Ed.] 
