06T. U THE RURAL NEW-/ORKER. 
®pc <$utrisi, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Cost of Making Uniter and Cheese nt Creameries 
and Factories. 
“ Kane Count" III., asks whether ehccse 
ami butter can bo made at the factories and 
creameries for loss than two and four cents re- 
peetively, and if sofor how niueli less. These 
are the lowest figures at which these products 
are manufactured in his neighborhood, and 
farmers there complain that the factories take 
every cent of profit in milk. 
Answer l>y Professor L. II. Arnold. 
It costs the same to manufacture a given 
quantity of milk whether made into butter or 
cheese, and if reckoned by the pounds of pro¬ 
duct, the price for making a pound of butter 
should be two aud a half times the price for 
making a pound of cheese. The price at which 
a manufacturer can afford to make either de¬ 
pends upon several circamstauees, the chief of 
which is the quantity of milk he can depend 
upon receiving. It will cost more iu propor¬ 
tion to make up 3,000 lbs. of milk a day than 
it will to make up 15,000 lbs. a day. The former 
will require one hand who is an expert, whose 
time will be worth, say, $60 a month; the latter 
can be made up by ouc expert and three cheap 
hands worth $20 a month each, equal to a $120 
for a month's labor. The cost for water privi¬ 
lege, buildings aud apparatus is also much less 
for a large quautily of milk than for a small 
one. The price of furnishiug and also of board 
and labor varies in different localities, so that 
it would be impossible to say just what a pound 
of butter or cheese could be manufactured for, 
unless all the varyiug circumstances were 
known. 
Priees have varied this season very widely. 
Iu cheese factories they have ruu from 80 cts. 
a hundred, (where there is no charge for use of 
factory) to $2 50 a hundred and all the whey 
thrown in, the profits from which vary accord 
ing to the skill with which it is fed. 1 find 
variations running all the way from 20ets. to 
$1 for the whey from 1,000 lbs. of milk. In 
Pennsylvania it is a common practice to manu¬ 
facture milk for one-sixth of the product. In 
New York State cheese is made by the 100 lbs. 
at $1 to$1.50, generally at $1.25, which is equal 
to $3.Id per 100 lbs. for butter. In Canada the 
average price is $2 for drawing the milk and 
making anti celling 100 lbs. at ;:hcetc, the de¬ 
livery of the milk costing from 40cts. to 75ets. 
pel 100 lbs. of cheese, according to the length 
aud compactness of the routes to be traversed. 
Iu addition to the foregoing," Kaue County” 
aud other parties coucemed may be interested 
in the items of expenditure as they occur iu 
the management of factories. Accordingly I 
append the actual expenses paid by a Joint 
Stock Company for running their factory last 
year. 
rounds ol' milk reooi. od.3,378.118 
Pounds of cheese mu le. 327.538 
Paid for dolivorintr milk.$1,560.60 
Paid lor labor of making ehoese. ..$1,308.44 
“ “ 1886 rennets. 258.00 
*' "85 cords Of w oOd, including 
Hawing. 107.00 
“ " 2836 yds. 40 inch bandage at 
4?i cts. 127.87 
“ “ 11,800 lbs. Liverpool salt, 
$176 for 240 lbs. 78.75 
*• ** 25 gallons Mitchell's color¬ 
ing at $3.80. 80.00 
" " 6,192 boxes. 519.20 
“ " furnishing aud labor of making.$2,484.38 
“ " delivering, furnishing and unify... 4 , 034.80 
•* *• furnishing and making loo lbs. 
cheese. .....76 et«. ami 80 I 000 
To this may be added a fair rent for use of 
factory aud apparatus, which would be 30cts. 
per hundred for cheese or 75cts. per hundred 
for butter, making the total cost for furnishing 
aud making 100 lbs. of cheese $1,05 and 85-100et. 
or for a hundred pounds of butter $2.64$. There 
was an average of five hands employed iu this 
factory for doing the work which four could 
have done, and the rennet aud coloriug were 
needlessly expensive, while the fuel was below 
the average cost. 
The proper variations for running smaller 
factories may be made by varying the items 
above, which would bo affected by reducing the 
milk received. 
Picking Apples. 
F. \V. -S’., Baden, Fa., wants some informa¬ 
tion in regard to the picking and saving of 
apples ; he asks, 1, when is the best time to 
pick; 2, if it is a good plau to leave them out 
ou the sod iu the orchard exposed to the 
weather for two or three weeks after they have 
been picked; should they be put in the cellar 
at mice? 3. Can the Fallawater be picked Octo¬ 
ber 1st. 
Ans.— This depends upon the season of rip¬ 
ening aud the character of the fruit. Summer 
pears and apples should be gathered at least a 
week before they are ripe; if left on the trees 
till perfectly ripe, they not only become very 
liable to injury in packing and shipping, but 
many of them, especially those of a mealy tex¬ 
ture, will be perfectly worthless. Winter 
apples aud pears should remain ou the trees 
until dauger of frost. All kinds of fruit should 
be gathered only when it Is perfectly dry ; if a 
shower should come up while the work is pro¬ 
gressing, the gathering must be suspended till 
the fruit has again become dry. Furthermore, 
the gathering should all be done by hand, and 
in baskets of a convenient size to be carried np 
the ladders and in the trees; the branch should 
be held with one hand and the fruit gathered 
with the other, being careful not to tear off the 
leaves or spurs from the tree or the steins from 
the fruit. Iu emptying the basket, the fruit 
should not be turned out, but carefully takeu 
out one bv one and at the same time classified 
into two or more grades, according to size and 
soundness. Winter fruit should then be 
brought under shelter in a fruit-house, dry 
cellar or similar plaec where it may be laid in 
heaps four or five thick for two or three weeks 
in which time a large portion of the *' sweat" 
or superfluous moisture will pass away; it can 
then be packed and shi oped for the market. 
It is customary to keep apples in barrels 
during the winter, but for home consumption 
it is much better to have them spread on 
shelves of a convenient width to reach across. 
This facilitates the selection of just such speci¬ 
mens as are wanted, and, what is of greater 
importance, the fruit can be gone over when¬ 
ever needed for the separation of all that is 
decayed. It often happens that the greater 
part of a barrel of choice fruit is spoiled by 
decay, one or two decaying apples rapidly 
spreading the disease to those around. When 
spread on shelves, such can immediately be 
detected and removed. The place in which to 
keep fruit should be a dry, frost-proof room 
or cellar, with an even temperature of about 
45 u F., if possible, and with means of ventila¬ 
tion whenever necessary. The second ques- 
tiou is answered by the above. It is a very 
shiftless aud negligent method to leave fruit iu 
heaps in the orchard for two or three weeks 
after it is picked, exposed to the weather, to 
marauding animals and a temptation for 
thieves. 3. Yes. It is a winter apple, aud 
should be picked on the apprehensiou of frost. 
Eurhnrla Amazonlca. 
'‘Californian,” Napa Co.,Cal. ( We desire that 
allinquirers shall give their names and addresses.) 
has purchased several bulbs of the above- 
named plant, but has so far met with complete 
failure iu the cultivation of them, aud there¬ 
fore inquires what treatment they should re¬ 
ceive iu order to make them flower. 
Ans. This plant, which is also known as 
Eueharis gandiflora. belongs to tbe Amaryl- 
lidaceie, aud is a native of Chaco. New Gren¬ 
ada. It- a Cm a to vo i>1l*uI and muri be grown in 
a hothouse to attain the best results. The 
bulbs will succeed well when potted in good 
fibrous loam, with the addition of a little peat 
and well decomposed sheep manure, and a 
slight sprinkling of silver sand. The drainage 
must be good; and it may here be remarked 
that good drainage does riot eousist merely in 
the quantity of potsherds used,but much more 
in the careful maimer in which they are placed 
iu the pot. The Eucliaris can, by a little judi¬ 
cious management, be made to bloom at almost 
any season, but it is particularly valued as a 
winter bloomor. To this end, pot the plants, 
say, in June or July, aud set them in a high 
temperature aud moist atmosphere where they 
should receive a liberal supply of water after 
they have started to grow, aud they should be 
shaded the same as other soft-leaved stove 
plants. About September, place them in a 
cooler house, aud give them but little water un¬ 
til the begiuuing of November. After this 
period they should be put in a house with a 
night temperature of about 65 u F. and again 
liberally watered both at the roots aud on the 
foliage when the flower scapes will soon begin 
to make their appearance. 
Cyclopedias. 
J. .4. C., Greensborough, VI., asks what are 
the distinguishing characteristics of Apple¬ 
ton’s, Chambers’s and Johnson’s Encyclo¬ 
pedias. 
Ans. — Appleton’s, as the only genuine 
American work of the sort, devotes more space 
than any of the others to topics of special 
American interest. It is well arranged; its 
information is the result ol' the latest research¬ 
es. and while there, are very few subjects dis¬ 
cussed at leugtb. the range of topics embraced 
in it is very extensive. Chambers’s Encyclo¬ 
pedia has a great deal to say ou a number of 
scientific subjects; dwells ou matters of inter¬ 
est to the inhabitants of the British Isles at 
considerably greater length thau on subjects 
in which Americans take special interest, but 
lias the reputation of being very accurate, 
while revised editions are issued often enough 
to keep up with the times Johnson's is is¬ 
sued by American publishers in four bulky 
volumes aud contains u large anmuut of in¬ 
formation greatly condensed- It treats of 
nearly as many matters of interest to Ameri¬ 
cans us does Appleton’s; but at considerably 
less length. It is an excellent work for its 
size. Tbo Encyclopedia Britannica, a new 
edition of which is now being issued in this 
country, is probably the best of all those here 
mentioned, iu its fullness of Information, es¬ 
pecially ou subjects of world-wide interest; 
but it, too, is lackiug in the minute informa¬ 
tion on American matters to which Appleton's 
can lay claim. The first eight volumes only 
are issued at present, and judging from these, 
it will be nearly twice the size of Appleton’s. 
Making V'incgar. 
8. O., Aiken. 8. C., asks for information 
about the manufacture of a good domestic 
vinegar, made from the juice of grapes or 
apples. 
Ans. —Vinegar from grapes may be made 
as follows: The wine is stirred into a large 
tun which contains Ices, and when thoroughly 
mixed, is squeezed by pressure through cloth 
sacks into an iron-bound vat, whence, after 
standing some hours, it is drawn off into casks 
for fermenting. These casks have ouly a 
small opening at the top, and are kept at a 
temperature of 77 deg. F,, to 86 deg. F. After 
14 or 15 days, the vinegar, now formed, is 
drawn off (cautiously so as not to disturb the 
sediment) into barrels which contain birch- 
wood chips. This clarifies it, and after stand¬ 
ing a few days it may be syphoned off into 
the casks in which it is to remain. The residue, 
containing “ mother,” is employed to ferment 
all the subsequent liquor by simply pouring 
the latter into tbe cask that was used pre¬ 
viously. To make vinegar from cider, the 
following recipe is recommended. Place in 
the cider barrel a small piece of bread soaked 
in vinegar, or else a piece of sour dough. Add 
about a pint of vinegar and set the harrcl in a 
warm place (75 deg. F. to 85 deg. F.). Malt 
will produce the same effect as the dough and 
so will yeast and lean meat. The vinegar will 
clarify itself by settling, aud on being drawn 
off from the top by means of a sypbou, a clear 
liquid is obtained. A good table vinegar may 
be made by dissolving three pounds of white 
Biigar in a gallon of water and fermenting 
with yeast. 
Competing for Corn Premiums. 
0. L. O., Hunt's 8la., Knox. Co., O., says 
that on account of the dry weather or for 
some unknown reason, only about half of his 
Blount’s corn came up, so he has but about 
70 stalks, and he asks, 1st, will it be worth 
while for him to report as one of the com¬ 
petitors for the corn premiums; 2nd, at what 
period must the fodder be weighed. 
Ans.—I n accordance with the conditions 
that must be adhered to iu order to compete 
for the premiums, as published in the Rural 
of Apr.,1 26th aud May 3Lst of the current vol¬ 
ume, <gar friend can report as one of the com¬ 
petitor*! fie wishes, nut since the premiums 
arc to iKr awarded according to thu yield from 
the number of kernels planted, his chance of re¬ 
ceiving one is not very flattering. 2nd. Both 
ears aud stalks should not be weighed until 
they are ripe, perfectly dry (free from the juices 
of plant growth) and free from all atmospheric 
moisture, so far as this can be effected by air¬ 
drying. If they were to be weighed in I he 
green state, or at any prescribed period, we 
could not exercise the fairness we desire iu 
comparing the yields and distributing the 
premiums. As has been stated elsewhere, it 
will be well for each contestant to provide 
himself with proof of his entire proceeding, 
such as the evidence of a justice or other 
competent authority. 
Alfalfa. 
,7. F. F., Utica, Mich., referring to J. S.’s ar¬ 
ticle on Alfalfa, in the Rural of Sept. 20, asks 
whether it would be likely to thrive iu that 
section on saudy soil. 
Ans. —It is very doubtful whether Alfalfa, or 
Lucern, would do well so far north. It needs 
a warmer climate thau red clover, requiring 
greater heat and more sunlight. It is peculiar¬ 
ly adapted to a hot, dry climate, as its roots 
penetrate to a great depth, far below the influ¬ 
ence of an ordinary drought, aud there find 
moisture euough to keep the plant green and 
vigorous while all other vegetation is scorched 
or drooping. The roots have been traced to a 
depth of 13 feet. While a good top-soil is of 
great couseqnenco with clover, a permeable 
snb-eoil is essential to the success of Alfalfa. 
This may be loamy, sandy or gravelly, but it 
must tie thoroughly broken up to a very con¬ 
siderable depth to give the plant a fair chance. 
Alfalfa languishes in a compact day soil or iu 
light soils lying oyer au impermeable sub-soil. 
We do uot know of a single instance in which 
the plant has thriven so far north as Macomb 
Co., Mich.; though it has doue well 011 a rich, 
deep, warm soil in several places in the Mid¬ 
dle States. 
Miscellaneous. 
O. S. B. BunU'U. N. Y., wants information 
ou the followiug questions: 1. What cun he 
put around his pcacli, apple and plum trees 
to keep the grubs from thorn ? 2. One half of a 
treejon his place is girdled, shall be let it stand, 
or set a new one? 3. How much salt is it safe 
to put around a treo six inches In circumfer¬ 
ence? 4. Where can he get the best fertilizer 
for barley, warranted. 
Ans. —1. Various remedies have from time to 
time beeu suggested, such as heaping up 
mounds of sand, earth, ashes etc., around the 
trees, but most of them seem to be of doubt¬ 
ful utility. A mound a foot or more high 
around peach trees, interferes with the Ransom 
process of fighting the cniculio; therefore it 
has been recommended to encircle the base of 
the tree with a sheet of tin a little larger than 
the circumference of the tree, and fill the space 
between that and the trunk with coal ashes or 
earth. This should be done in May; iu Sep¬ 
tember tbe tin is removed, an examination 
made for borers, which can generally be found 
by the gum oozing out, aud tbeu the trench i@ 
left bare during the winter. This will answer 
also for plums. In the case of apple aud pear 
trees, it lias been found that 6oapy mixtures 
are obnoxious to the beetles at tbe period of 
egg-layiug. Soft soap mixed with lime and 
potash and applied to the base of the trunk 
in Juue and again in July, has proved aftectual. 
In September the whole orchard should be ex¬ 
amined for borers, and these should be killed 
either by inserting a wire into the holes or by 
cutting the pests out. 2. Wo should in this 
case take the value of the tree and how well it 
bears the injury into consideration before it 
is replaced bj r another. If it is a large tree, 
it may be best to save it, if possible. In that 
ease, cover the wound with grafting wax or 
tar. 3. A couple of handfuls. 4. Of any firm 
that advertises fertilizers in the Rural. The 
analyses arc in nearly all cases attached to the 
bags; if uot, they will be furnished on appli¬ 
cation to the dealers. 
L. IT. R., New Bloomfield , Mo., asks for some 
good disinfectant for use iu stable and privy. 
Ans. —Cabolic acid, charcoal dust, chloride 
of lime, plaster, copperas, and many other 
substances are effectually used for this pur¬ 
pose. One of the best disinfectants is the sur¬ 
face soil about the house, made thoroughly 
air-dried and sifted through a coarse seive to 
remove atieks, pebbles and other extraneous 
matters. This can be cheaply obtaiued by 
everybody and when enriched by the deodor¬ 
ized substances, forms an excellent manure. 
A. L., Crawford, Chenango Co., N. Y., asks 
several questions respecting the seedling 
Grapes of the late T. B. Miner, now adver¬ 
tised in this journal. 
Ans, —Mr. Miner, two years ago, sent us 
specimens of his Grapes. They have grown 
thriftily but have not yet fruited. Illustra¬ 
tions of several of his varieties appeared in the 
Rural of September 30.1876, and he brought 
bunches to this office for examination. They 
aro seedlings of the Concord selected from about 
iff 000, and we have great hopes that they wiU 
prhve worthy of extended cultivation. 
A. F. F., Fall River, Mass., asks where he 
can obtain some Mulberry trees he has seen 
mentioned in the Rural ; 2, is there any ad¬ 
vantage iu grafting the Grapevine; if so, when 
should it be done aud how ? 
Ans. —If the Mulberry trees are intended for 
feeding silk-worms, Morns alba, M. nigra and 
multicaulis are the only ones worth purehas- 
ingg, and these can be supplied by most largo 
nurserymen, like Ellwanger & Barry, Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y. 3. The Grapevine can be grafted, 
but there is no advantage in doing so. 
S. M- J., Cleveland, N. 1'., sends some vari¬ 
egated leaves from a beech tree found in the 
woods, and asks whether the variegation is 
something unusual and how it could be per¬ 
petuated. 
Ans.—S uch variegation is not uncommon in 
the leaves of Beeches growing in the shade. It 
is not permanent, however, aud cannot be 
fixed. 
Old Subscriber, Decatur , Ala., requests that 
we give directions for growing au Osage Or¬ 
ange hedge. 
Ans. —Will our friend please see the Rural 
of April 86th where the same query was an¬ 
swered briefly aud to the point. 
B. F. M., Penryn, Cal., asks if the Bronze 
Ricinus is a kind of Castor Oil Bean. 
Ans. —Y'es, in the same manner as the pur¬ 
ple-leaved Beech of the gardens is a variety of 
the Beech growing wild in the forest. 
0. L. II., Spirit Luke, la., asks where can be 
got the People’s Practical Poultry Book ? 
Ans.—T he work can be obtaiued through 
this office, price, $2. 
I. F. II., Lynn, Mass., sends flower aud leaf 
for name : lie bought the seed for Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Japonicum. 
Ans. —That is the right name. 
C. IF.. Church Hill, Md., wants to know 
now much salt he should apply to the acre of 
wheat. 
Ans.—F rom three to ton bushels. 
Communications rkckivkd for the week ending 
Saturday, Orr. 4. 
J. W. G.— L. R.—Clinton—L. J. A.—V. J. E.—C. 
lb—L. It. II.—F. F. W.—G.—J. W. S. -H. C. E —II. 
B. K.—T. R.—R. R. P.—VV. S. B.—W. M. U.—B. H. 
—M. S. W.-O. A. n.—A. N. S.—H. S.—F. S.—S. R. 
IK.—E. M. D.—T. M.—II. L. K.-J. G. R.—W. N. W. 
—N. W. B.—A. M.-R. C.-M. S.—W. H. R.-Mrs. J. 
E. 8.—F. D. B.—G. M. M.— J. M.—E. C. II.—Mrs. W. 
J. F.—A. F. F.—M. B. D —W. S. B.—L. W. G.—H. 
B. K.-J. R.-C. S.—F. G. R.—W. F.—E. M. D.— 
Ml'S. B.—J. A. C.—B. F. M — G. J. K.—G. M. M.~ 
F. D. B.—C. R. D,—J. W. S.—Miss C. A. N,— 
