such cows can take the handle out of his 
pump. And when it comes to beef, what is the 
matter with Herefords, Short-horns and the 
Black Polls ? 
Increasing the Milk Fats.— Mr. T. D. 
Curtis admits that all efforts to increase the 
proportion of fats to caseine in the milk of any 
cow by feeding have been unsuccessful. A 
man laid that down as an axiom at a dairy¬ 
men's meeting nearly 20 year ago, where Mr. 
Curtis, X. A. Willard and Harris Lewis were 
present ; but not one of them accepted the 
idea. At the same time all these men were 
teaching that the proper temperature to set 
milk for cream was (50 degrees ; while that 
heretical man maintained that the essential 
point was uniformity of temperature , and 
that, if this was secured, any lower tempera, 
ture, short of freezing, was just as good, and 
on some accounts better. This was before the 
“Cooley” idea had been made public. At a 
later meeting, the “ animal odor” notion was 
accepted as a fact; and Mr. Lewis declared 
that Arnold had “ conclusively demonstrated 
that the gases constituting the animal odor 
sometimes get awards changed in a mysteri¬ 
ous manner. I am reliably informed that 
this took place at the Provincial Exposition 
of Quebec last fall, the awards of an import¬ 
ant committee, at # the head of which was so 
highly skilled and honest a man as Prof. 
Brown, of Ontario, having been changed as 
regards the second premiums. This is the 
meanest kind of rascality, and equaled only 
by the notorious practices of the New England 
Society’s officials over a long series of years, 
which fiually caused the organization of the 
Bay State Society. 
Judging Beef. —As usual, Prof. Sanborn, 
of the Missouri College, is in the van of pro¬ 
gress here. His points are all well taken, 
although I cannot agree with him that by any 
amount of science and care in feeding, young 
beef can be made equal to that which has 
been more slowly matured. But business is 
business, and in both agriculture and horti¬ 
culture it is vain to think of serving the great 
public with the best goods, which only a small 
public is capable of appreciating, and is 
willing to pay for. I say I “cannot agree” 
credited. But it seems to be carrying the mat¬ 
ter too far to credit the re-wording of old and 
time-worn truths in agriculture, to any paper 
in which they chance to be found. I honor 
the spirit of such scrupulosity, but I doubt 
the good sense of the practice, and even the 
justice of it. If the Pickup Farmer, for in¬ 
stance, tells its readers to begin haying early, 
or to give the pigs plenty of clean straw, or 
not to confine fowls closely, or not to winter 
them in the horse stable, why should the Ru¬ 
ral, or any other paper, give special credit 
for the mere wording of an old truth, in a 
column of items ? If this is attempted, in 
three cases out of four, the credit will be 
given to the wrong paper. I see my own 
“ original ’’items, of the sort going the rounds 
of the press very often, and in most cases 
wrongly credited. I do not consider them to 
be original in any true sense, but rather as 
common ideas, which need repeated presenta 
tions as reminders. Any man fit to be an ed. 
itor will easily recognize a really original 
thought, or a peculiarly novel and sharp 
presentation of a known fact—and these 
Fig. 293. 
Fig. 294. 
If the above paper is not in error, the dairy¬ 
men of New York are a decade behind the 
times. The time to produce an article is the 
time when there is the greatest demand, and 
the highest prices are paid. 
* * * 
But winter dairying upsets all previous 
ideas as to the time to have cows fresh. The 
old notion was to have a cow fresh in spring 
when there was a full crop of pasture grass. 
But in winter dairying-cows should drop their 
calves mostly in October and November. Ex¬ 
perience has satisfied me that cows will make 
30 per cent, more butter in the course of a 
year, if they drop their calves at this season 
than if they do in the spring. I am now 
(August 1st) making half a pound of butter 
per day from native cows due October 1st to 
10th. The same cows would go dry four 
months in winter. 
* * * 
But suppose milk is sold to cheese factories? 
Then, January is the most desirable time and 
the most can be realized during the year. 
Butter can be made in winter when prices are 
Fig. 295. 
WORK OF THE CUCUMBER 
FLEA-BEETLE.—From Nature. (See Editorial Page.) 
are condensed into an inodorless liquid by 
rapid cooling, and remain in the milk ; but 
w hen heat is applied they at once expand and 
smell worse than at first.” About the same 
time Mr. Arnold maintained the “globule 
envelop” theory, and advised souring the 
cream to weaken the coating, and a close-fit¬ 
ting churn-dash to rupture it; while the only 
man who opposed this idea was “ sat down 
upon” hard by Prof. Wetherill, with the sup¬ 
port of all the “ expert ” dairymen present. 
Such was “ scientific dairying ” 20 years ago. 
T he world moves. 
Yet not Exactly True.— Prof. Armsby 
says: “by feeding rich foods the proportion 
of butter-fat can be increased.” That this is 
true I learned long ago —with cows that had 
been long under-fed. This is an apparent ex¬ 
ception to the general rule. I assume that by 
rich” food, Prof. A. means food rich in fat. 
I should prefer to state it thus : “ If an under¬ 
fed cow is put upon a full and well-balanced 
lation, there will often appear a slight increase 
in the ratio of the butter—fat to the caseine.” 
That is, starvation reduces the fat faster than 
the caseine, but only to a slight extent. 
Judging at Fairs.” —Dr. Hoskins calls 
attention to a very important matter under 
this heading, but he omits one point that was 
well worth referring to. It is the revision 
and alteration of the awards of expert judges 
by the officers of agricultural societies. That 
is, exhibitors in favor at headquarters can 
with the Professor; but I do not know that 
he really assumes the position I have ascribed 
to him. I have merely the impression that it 
is so. 
Artificial Comb. —I do not believe in do¬ 
ing any one injustice ; but I cannot see that 
Chemist Wiley is in a position on this sub¬ 
ject, that will justify him in stigmaMzing the 
writer who so sharply characterized his 
statement in the Popular Science Monthly, in 
the way he does. Mr. Wiley certainly did 
assume the full responsibility for that state¬ 
ment by his manner of making it; and yet 
the statement was grossly false, and highly 
injurious to an honorable industry. Now he 
throws the blame upon a dead man, without 
giving any proof to support his defense. I do 
not find in my file of the Journal of Chemistry 
that Dr. Hallock made the charge there. If 
not, what evidence is there of the truth of Mr. 
Wiley’s excuse ?—poor as it is for one who 
calls himself a man of science. And while he 
j s about it, it would be well if Mr. Wiley 
could clear himself of the much worse charges 
current, and so far as I know, uncontradicted, 
in regard to his acts in the sorghum sugar ex¬ 
periments in Kansas. Until that is done, he 
would show wisdom in not impugning the 
character of any one else. 
Giving Due Credit.—A principle of hon¬ 
esty requires that any really original matter 
either editorial or contributed, which appears 
in print and is transferred, should be duly 
should be credited, when it can be correctly 
done. But perhaps this over-nicety is prac¬ 
ticed as a tacit rebuke to habitual pilferers. 
If so, it is a waste of effort. Their skins are 
too thick to be punctured in that way. They 
would turn the point of a Zulu spear. The 
use of the blind credit, “ Exchange,” is ob¬ 
jected to and is objectionable—but what will 
you do with an item of little importance, yet 
timely, which you find in circulation, do not 
wish to claim as quite common property, and 
yet feel sure is not “ original,” where found ? 
Sometimes the use of “ Exchange ” is handy, 
too, when adverse criticism is required, and 
yet some one’s feelings may be spared by it. 
STRAY HINTS FOR THE DAIRY. 
A recent number of a New York agricul¬ 
tural contemporary, in reply to a New York 
correspondent asking where he might get a 
chance to learn butter-making in winter, 
stated that only on a very few farms in. the 
State was butter-making carried on to any ex¬ 
tent ; and that creameries were all closed. Is 
this a fact ? Have not the farmers of New 
York learned that butter can be made as 
cheaply in winter, when it will sell for 30 cents, 
as in summer, when it will sell for 15 cents ? 
high, and the cow can be paying for her keep 
and a profit also, instead of “eating her head 
off.” At about the time she would naturally 
shrink in her yield, she goes on green feed 
and thus keeps up a full flow. This is not 
theory; it is experience. It took us some time 
to learn the lesson, but it will not be forgotten 
* * * 
Another item not to be lost sight of, is the 
difference in the price of fall and spring 
calves, which is largely in favor of the former 
Last winter, December and January calves, 
about four weeks old, fed on sweet skim-milk, 
brought us about $7 each (this is in the West) . 
equally good ones in April and May, would 
not sell for §3. 
* * * 
But what shall we do with our dairy pro¬ 
ducts, when they have been manufactured? 
Sell them to the corner grocer for what he 
chooses to pay? Ship them to commission 
dealers? Sending them to the commission man 
is better. But the dairyman should strive to 
save all the profits he can. The nearer the 
consumers he can get, the better for him 
There are in nearly every village severa 
persons who will pay more than the market 
prices for good butter the year round. Of 
course, to supply these is a little more trouble, 
but work is what brings profits, if it is done 
in the right direction. Circumstances and 
location must have mucn to do with one’s 
market; but the wideawake mau will never 
be satisfied with the country grocer. 
