344 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
and “cropped” for six successive years, was 
seeded to wheat in the Fall of 1882. Two 
quarts per acre of timothy seed were sowed a 
few days after the wheat was put in. Iu 
March, 1S83, six quarts of clover seed per 
acre were sown. In 1883. when the wheat 
was cut, the seeding appeared to be about 
seven-eighths clover and one-eighth timothy. 
The yield of bay in 1884, as estimated, was 
between two and three tons per acre. An 
abundance of moisture being present, the 
second growth started quickly and grew lux¬ 
uriantly. Desiring to sow this field to wheat 
in the Fall and having plenty of hay, the 
question arose whether it was best to cut the 
second growth for hay and purchase fertili¬ 
zers, or plow it under. In order to throw 
some light upon the question, the clover from 
an area of 1(1 square feet of average growth 
was cut and dried, and the roots of the same 
area were dug, washed and dried. The tops 
contained, when analyzed, 11.41 per cent., 
and the roots 9.85 percent, of moisture. Tak¬ 
ing the yield of 1(5 square feet as the unit, it 
was found that there was a yield, per acre, of 
air-dried hay, 3.295 pounds; of air-dried roots, 
4.S9S pounds. The analysis showed that the 
roots had not been entirely cleansed of the 
sand, although every effort was made to do 
so. 
ANALYSIS OF TOPS, TAKEN FROM SECOND GROWTH 
AUGUST, 1SS4. 
Nitrogen.2.81 percent. 
Potash... 2.74 “ " 
Phosphoric acid.53 “ *' 
HESULTS GIVEN IN TOUNDS PER ACRE OF TOPS. 
Nitrogen, 76.11 pounds at. IScents.$11.41 
Potash, 90.28 “ “ 04 *• . 3.61 
Phos. acid, 17.46 - « 06 ** . 1.04 
ROOlB. 
816.06 
Nitrogen.2 24 percent. 
Potash.....567 “ “ 
Phosphoric acid.. .44 “ “ 
RESULTS GIVEN IN POUNDS PF.R ACRE OF ROOTS. 
Nitrogen, 109.6 pounds at 15 cents.*16.44 
Potash, 27.74 “ “ 04 •* . 1.10 
Phos. acid, 21.52 “ “06 “ . 1 29 
8 Is.83. 
The clover was plowed under, and the 
wheat showed very quickly that there was a 
superabundance of available nitrogen iu the 
soil. It grew so rapidly', although sowed late, 
and was so large and succulent when Winter 
set in, that it was feared it would winter-kill 
unless protected by a covering of snow. The 
mistake was in not cutting and removing the 
grass, as there was an abundance of plant 
food for the wheat without it. The question 
naturally arises, if clover plowed under fur¬ 
nishes such a large amount of plaut food for 
the succeeding crops, why husband so care¬ 
fully farm manures. Here we have in one 
year & large crop of hay, and in the second 
growth and root*, plant food equal to ten tons 
of well preserved manure, or three-fourths of 
a ton of Li® h-grade auimoniated phosphate. 
We tern often forget that the clover does not 
creatiPnj^^j^L etc,, but simply utilizes what 
finds 
This fi^^Wi been under the plow for six 
conseeutiv^Pears; large crops bad been re¬ 
moved each year, and without doubt a por¬ 
tion of the manure which was applied to each 
crop had gone into the somewhat porous sub¬ 
soil. AH the clover did, was to recover it. 
What we want, then, is, first, good, rich 
manure with which to raise large crops of 
grain, followed by clover, to recover what 
otherwise would be largely wasted. 
APPENDIX. 
I am permitted, through the kindness of 
Mr. A. M. Breed, a mideut iu agriculture, to 
give the results of l*mvestigations as to the 
^Pqurial value of »ver. The samples were 
i£.;en from the se'nd growth, very late in 
October. The soil was a moderately fertile 
clay loam. Some timothy was mixed with 
the clover; all was tall and the clover was 
quite brown and dry. The area cut and dug 
was 25 square feet. 
Pounds. 
Weight of air-dried tops per acre.5,417 
“ “ “ roots “ .2,368 
Nitrogen, Tops “ .91.5 
Phosphoric, acid, “ “ 40.35 
Potash, “ “ 78.00 
ROOTS. Pounds. 
Nitrogen, per aero.47.36 
Phosphoric acid, " “ .27. 
Potash, *' “ .31 90 
The value or nitrogen, etc., iu the roots and 
tops of au acre, computed at the same prices 
as above, would be $30.10. 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
KILLING AND PACKING FAMILY 
PORK. 
Having seen several inquiries in regard 
to cutting up and packing pork, I have 
thought that some suggestions might not be 
amisa to some beginner in home-life experi¬ 
ence. First, I prefer not to slaughter in ex¬ 
tremely cold weather, believing that too hard 
freezing injures the pork. After the carcass 
has sufficiently cooled, I first remove the head; 
then separate the two sides; then remove the l 
leaf lard and ribs with the back bone and lean 
meat. After cutting off the hams and shoulders 
aud a piece two to four inches wide lengthwise 
along the belly, I cut the side pork in long strips 
three to four inches wide, running from back 
to front. This leaves the slices, when cut for 
frying, in a suitable size for serving, and 
allows of a succession of frying, baking, and 
boiling in the same piece. 
In the process of salting, the barrel having 
been previously scalded, I cover the bottom 
with half an inch of fine salt, then put iu the 
pieces, setting them up elgewise, making 
those in each layer tit as closely as convenient, 
and cover them with half au inch of fine salt, 
working as much of it between the slices as 
possible, and so on until the pork is all packed. 
During the week I make sufficient brine to 
cover the meat, by adding fine salt to boiling 
water as long as the salt will dissolve, or until 
I find salt remaining in the kettle; then I 
skim and, when the brine is cold, put it on the 
pork until the latter is well covered, having 
been weighted with a stone to prevent it from 
rising in the barrel. 
This is all that is necessary' until the ap¬ 
proach of warm weather—say house and cel¬ 
lar cleaning time. The brine should then be 
drawn from a tap in the side of the barrel, 
near the bottom, and scalded, adding more 
salt, it should be skimmed, and, when cold, 
put back upon the pork, the barrel hav¬ 
ing first been put in a cool place iu the cellar. 
The brine must be kept cool aud clear through 
the Summer, eveu if it requires one, two, or 
three scaldings and the addition of more salt. 
During my 30 years’ experience iu pork pack¬ 
ing for a large family, I have packed tons, 
and never had a pound to spoil. 
The bams I pack in barrels as closely as 
possible, and cover them with the following 
pickle: for every 300 pounds of ham, I put 
five pails of water in a kettle to boil; when it 
boils I add 24 pounds of fine salt, nine pounds 
of granulated sugar, and six ounces of salt¬ 
peter. I then skim, and when cold add six 
ounces of saleratus. 
Weight the hams, cover with the pickle, 
and let remain four to six weeks, according 
to the size of the hams; then hang them up 
to dry and smoke. Don’t forget to scald the 
pork brine as warm weather approaches, and 
put in a cool cellar. ira w, green. 
Livingston Co., N. Y. 
RAYS. 
Weeds in Lawns.— If dandelions, chicory, 
mustard, charlock, docks, mulleins, wild car¬ 
rots, whitew'eed, shepherd’s purse, plantains, 
or other vile weeds and strong-growing bunch- 
grasses appear in your lawn, bend your back 
aud pluck or cut them out. Give them a shake 
at the root before you pull, to unfasten them 
from the grass, else, if you don’t, you are apt 
to puil out a bunch of the sod along with the 
weed. Applications that will kill the weeds 
will kill the grass too, so there is no help for it, 
but to pluck or cut them out. Moss, mouse- 
ear, chickweed and sorrel may be checked by 
so enriching the surface of the ground as to 
cause an extra luxuriance of grass to choke 
them out. 
*** 
Mulch and Strawberries.—D on’t wait 
till your strawberries are in bloom or bearing 
before applying the “straw” mulch. The 
sooner now you put it on, the better for the 
plants and the easier for yourself. 
V 
Mulch and Currant Bushes.—A mulch¬ 
ing of straw, salt hay, thatch, grass mowing 
or other rough material under your currant 
bushes is also beneficial; it keeps the ground 
moderately cool and moist, and in the event 
of thunder showers or other heavy rains, pre¬ 
serves the currants from being spattered all 
over with grit. 
Late-Keeping Celery. —It is now the 5th 
of May, and I still have lots of celery'. You 
try it: sow some Golden Dwarf Celery seed 
now or anytime before the first of June, and 
when the seedliogs are up a little, prick them 
off about three inches apart in a bed specially 
prepared by mixing a lot of very fiDe-rotted 
manure and sand in it. They will lie fine 
plants before the first of August, when you 
may plant them out in rows 18 inches or two 
feet apart. Don’t earth them up at all in the 
Fall; merely about the end of October, gather 
a little earth about their necks with a hoe. 
At storing time they may be small and per¬ 
fectly green; but such is the kind of celery 
that will beep the longest. It must be kept 
cool in Winter. 
*** 
Disbud the Spruces.—I f you have aome 
pretty, little, shapely firs aud spruces in your 
garden, they will now have burst into growth, 
and at the end of every bra nchlet will be three, 
maybe four, finger like young growths; now 
if you rub off the middle ones, leaving only 
the two side sprout?, and continue to do this 
every Spring for a few .years, your specimens 
will assume a dense, stocky habit, and that 
too without showing any appearance of having 
been pruned. Cut back the leading shoot to 
within six or nine inches of its base. 
*** 
Drooping Retinispora.— One of the hand¬ 
somest and most elegaut of all evergreen 
shrubs is Retinispora obtusa pendula, and it is, 
moreover, one of the hardiest. It has none 
of thestiffness or formality of a pine or spruce, 
is closely branched and furnished to the 
ground. 
V 
The Umbrella Pine is a pyramidal pillar 
of untarnished health and beauty. The Win¬ 
ter did not hurt it. 
*** 
The Golden Arbor-vitas (Biota orient¬ 
alist most bravely stood the arctic shock of 
the past Winter, and has now changed its 
bronze brown winter coat for one of golden 
green. 
The Sunray Pine has not been killed out¬ 
right, but it is so nearly dead that I regard it as 
gone. And growing, one on either side of it, 
is the golden form of the same species, and 
not only are these not hurt iu the least de¬ 
gree, but they are now perfect cushions of 
yellow—by far 4he brightest and best yellow¬ 
leaved evergreens I know of. But it is a very 
rare aud scarce plant and young trees are 
priceless. 
V 
Teachings of the Past Winter —I never 
knew a harder Winter than the past one; but 
it has taught us many a lesson. We learn 
that, for general cultivation in bleak and ex¬ 
posed places, deciduous trees and shrubs are 
preferable to evergreen ones; that Austrian 
and Scotch Pines are unexcelled among their 
kind for shelter-belts, and the White Spruce 
among its kind; that evergreens of every 
kind are, if unsheltered, injured by long-last¬ 
ing, northwest, zero winds; aud that in case 
of iu-any-way tender trues or shrubs and es¬ 
pecially evergreens, or those to lie set out in 
cold or bleak situations, the spring time is by 
far the most favorable season in which to 
transplant them. 
The Japan Persimmon.— In December 
last, I pruned it, tied the shoots somewhat 
closely together aud to a stout stake, then I 
set over it two bottomless barrels—one on top 
of the other, filled them up with dry oak leaves, 
and tacked a piece of calico over the top of 
the uppermost barrel. A few’ weeks ago I un¬ 
covered it. The leaves were still quite dry, 
aud the persimmon as much alive as it would 
be if it were in Georgia. w. falconer. 
Offinj ijusharitirt). 
CHEESE-MAKING, No. 9 
T. D. CURTIS. 
STIRRING. 
When cheese factories first made their ap¬ 
pearance, it was no uncommon thing to see 
three or four boys aud girls, with their sleeves 
rolled up to their shoulders, and their arms 
the whole length in the vat, stirring the curd 
as soon as it received its final cutting and the 
heat was started. Occasionally now we tiud 
a factory where this wasteful aud uncleanly 
practice is continued. It was wasteful in the 
application of labor, if not iu the actual hand¬ 
ling of the curd, and uncleanly because of the 
amount of perspiration, in hot weather, from 
the sweatiug arms, that was introduced into 
the vat. Many now think the first stirring 
must lie with the hands. But it is fast being 
found out, that a clean rake with which to do 
the stirring, is better as w'ell as easier to use. 
A smooth hay-rake, with the ends of the bead 
cut off to within an inch of the second tooth, 
isas good as anything. With gentle handling 
at first, it is safer as w’ell as easier than using 
the bauds, and much more effective As soon 
as the heat begins lo rise, the stirring should 
begin, and there should be no rest until the 
highest point is reached and raising the tem¬ 
perature is stopped, This stirring Is necessary 
tu secure an eveu temperature throughout the 
mass. Without it, the bottom and sides would 
be much the hottest, and hence there, the ac¬ 
tion of the rennet would be the most rapid, 
resulting iu an uneven “cooking” of the curd. 
This would give an uneven texture and uneven 
enring. Hence constant, agitation is necessary. 
It ueed not, by any means, be violent, but 
should be continuous to the end. 
drawing the whey. 
The whey should be drawn sweet—or, at 
least, as soon as there is the least appearance 
of acid. It may be drawn any time after the 
curd is “cooked” enough—that is, the whey is 
sufficiently expelled and the curd is firm 
enough. It is important that the acid should 
not develop before this point is reached. If 
it does, the acid will dissolve the phosphates— 
lime, iron, magnesia, etc., the principal of 
which are the phosphates of lime for the bones, 
and of iron for the blood. These being dis¬ 
solved, they will run out of the curd with the 
whey, and thus impoverish the cheese aud 
render it indigestible to the extent that the 
phosphates have been removed. Formerly, 
the curd was allowed to soak in acid whey, it 
being thought necessary that the acid should 
be fully developed and the curd ready for the 
press before the wbey was removed, The re¬ 
sult was a firm—aye, a hard—cheese, which 
was sour and soggy aud slow to cure. A large 
amount of the renuet was neutralized by the 
acid, and the cheese never became mellow 
and buttery. Many buyers now think that all 
shipping cheese should be of this kind, because 
it is safer to handle than cheese with the phos¬ 
phates aud butter all left in it—for acid not 
only cuts the phosphates, but the Liner fats 
also, aud they are washed out with the whey. 
This character of cheese, made at the factory 
for shipping to a foreign market, is w hat has 
prejudiced the public against factory cheese 
and helped to give it a low standing—about 
one-lmlf—as an article of food. So it will be 
seen that the popular estimate of cheese for 
the table is not without foundation. 
Poult*!)*JW&. 
SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT POULTRY 
HOUSES. 
O. S. BLISS. 
There is much complaint among poultry 
men of the effects of frost and cold upon their 
fowls, and this or that breed is frequently dis¬ 
carded or rejected solely on account of its 
alleged inability to withstand their effects, 
But my experience in keeping the teRder, 
high-combed varieties in this high northern 
latitude through many long, cold Winters, 
untouched by frost and unharmed by cold, 
justifies.the opinion that the evils complained 
of are due wholly to the faulty construction 
and arrangement of the buildiugs In which 
they are boused. It may be set down as a 
rule, to which the exceptions are very infre¬ 
quent. that the poultry houses of the country 
at large, among fanciers as well as farmers, 
do not afford their occupants any such pro¬ 
tection as they ought. Not oue in a hundred 
of the most costly structures secures the best 
attainable results, as high authorities in poul¬ 
try matters award prizes for plans of houses, 
which do not afford any real protection ex¬ 
cept from the direct action of wind aud water. 
Faulty ideas of construction and especially of 
ventilation everywhere prevail. The mauia 
for enormous windows counteracts all there is 
of good in numberless structures. The in¬ 
ternal arrangements are often wholly at fault, 
and expose the occupants to unnecessary in¬ 
convenience, discomfort and even torture. 
Extravagant as this statement may appear, 
it is wholly within the pale of simple truth. 
To correct these errors of construction aud 
arrangement, supply the deficiencies, ami 
remedy the attendant evils, is inexpensive and 
within the means of the humblest when the 
subject is definitely understood. The under¬ 
lying principles are all simple aud plain aud 
worthy of most careful and critical study 
with reference to profit, as well as to the hu¬ 
mane treatment of the fowls. Comfort and 
health at e indispensable prerequisites to profit. 
Theoretically there is very little difference 
of opinion in regard to what a hen house 
should. be aud do. All are agreed that it 
should furnish the largest practicable protec¬ 
tion from extremes of temperature; that it 
should afforugood, healthful ventilation; that 
it should be well lighted; aud that the fur¬ 
nishings should be adapted to the habits aud 
convenience of the fowls. But the practicable 
controlling, aud harmonizing of the several 
diverging and conflicting forces which contri¬ 
bute to these results becomes au intricate and 
complex problem, which few have had the 
patience aud persorverauce to pursue to a 
liual solution. It involves a wider acquaint¬ 
ance with atmospheric influences aud the 
means of controlling them thuu falls to the 
lot of tnou who have not made the subject a 
special study. 
Having occasion a few years ago to provide 
new quarters for my poultry, I instituted a 
search among poultry publications, and after¬ 
ward umong poultry men, for a plan which 
should meet all the requirements of an eoo 
uomical, serviceable fowl-house. I am loth 
to treat lightly the opinions of men of ex¬ 
perience in any department of industry, and 
I studied this subject with the widest charity 
