1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
2o7 
GOOD QUESTIONS FOR CHEESE FARMERS 
What Is Common Custom? 
1. A man in midsummer is caught watering his milk 
to the extent of 40 per cent. All milk is made up at $1.15 
per 100 for cheese. The proprietors “settle” the matter 
satisfactorily to themselves, but the patrons think that 
they should have had a share in the proceeds of the 
deal. VV'hat is custom under such circumstances? 2. The 
proprietors in hiring a cheese-maker insert a clause in 
the cheese-makers contract that if any of his cheese 
falls a certain amount below best market price he shall 
make good the amount. No such clause exists in verbal 
contract between proprietors and patrons. Patrons 
think that proprietors should make good to them this 
amount, as it would seem to be a paying busines.s—fur 
a time—for the proprietors to hire a cheap, poor cheese- 
maker. What is custom? 3. A man who lives three- 
(luarlers of a mile from the cheese factory objects be¬ 
cause he is charged the same price—five cents per lOO— 
for hauling his milk as his friend who lives a good four 
miles from the factory. What is the usual rule? 4. 
Take average price of cheese and butter for tiie 1!K)2 
season, and average of cost between creamery and cheese 
factory for making, and which paid the best? k. d. h. 
1. I do not. know what State K. D. R. lives in so 
cannot tell about the State law. it would seem, how¬ 
ever that in a ease where a 40 per cent dilution was 
carried out the farmers who suffered should share in 
the revenue. In New York the Department of Agri¬ 
culture assumes full police powers, pays all of the ex¬ 
pense of prosecution, and so collects all fines, which 
perhaps is right. In doing so much neighborhood 
gossip and ill feeling is thereby avoided. 2. In the 
cheese sections there is an unwritten law that cheese- 
makers shall assume losses that are directly traceable 
to their negligence. The skill of the makers all 
through our central and northern New York cheese 
sections is of a very high grade at present, and the 
lo.sses from secondary quality are usually 
the result of poor milk. If the maker 
violates his instruction and accepts milk 
out of which good cheese cannot be made 
he certainly should foot the bill. It will, 
of course, depend upon the standard set 
by the management, and managers vary 
greatly in their judgment of good milk. 
Hire a first-class cheese maker of good 
judgment and tact, give him full author¬ 
ity to reject every can not up to his stand¬ 
ard. and then stand by him when the test 
comes, and you will have little trouble 
with poor cheese. 3. There is no justice 
in taxing a man the same price for haul¬ 
ing short distance that is paid for a long 
haul, but a flat rate usually prevails for 
such work because the teamster must 
pass over the whole route, and he there¬ 
fore says he cannot consistently make any 
variation in price. Should he begin such 
a practice there would be trouble always 
between the farmers where the change of 
price was made. These two neighbors 
might live near each other and each would 
demand the same rate. Railroads very 
frequently make a flat rate where some 
institution of a public nature is to be aid¬ 
ed and built up. Sugar beet factories are 
an example. 4. The average price of milk 
for cheese making per 100 pounds will 
rule higher by a few cents than the same 
milk made into butter. When the differ¬ 
ence in value of whey and skim-milk is 
considered there is not much variation in 
value. The cheese sections as a rule re¬ 
ceive milk of a lower per cent of fat, and 
so when published statements are made 
they usually show a more favorable re¬ 
turn for butter, including skim-milk, but 
as I have observed and figured the net 
value of a pound of fat is greater in the cheese sec¬ 
tions, even when computing the extra value of skim- 
milk on account of extra cost of hauling, etc. Of 
course there can remain for any lengtli of time but 
little difference because markets are carefully walcli- 
ed and changes are quickly made, and the proper 
equilibrium restored. ii. e. cook. 
AN ACRE OF BUSH FRUITS IN WISCONSIN 
I am thinking of planting an acre of .small fruits ex¬ 
cepting strawberrie.s. Will you give me a plan for same, 
in such proportions as to be about equal in production? 
.Mso state varieties suitable for our climate; soil is .sand 
and clay mixed, sloping to south slightly. 'What would 
he approximate cost? c. k. n. 
Hayward, Wis. 
If I were to plant an acre of bush fruits in Sawyer 
C.o., Wis., I would divide as follows: Four-tw'elfihs of 
the area black raspberries, four-twelfths red rasp¬ 
berries, three-twelfths blackberries, one-twelfth cur¬ 
rants and gooseberries. If the raspberries are set 4x() 
feet it will require 022 plants each of red and uiack. 
the number of blackberry plants required at the same 
distances is 400. If the remaining area, one-twelfth 
of an acre, is divided equally between currants and 
gooseberries, 77 plants of each will be needed. In se¬ 
lecting varieties something will depend upon local 
conditions, although the bush fruits as a rule are more 
stable under varying conditions than strawberries. 
For black raspberries, one-third Conrath’s Early and 
two-thirds Gregg would make a good combination. 
For reds one-half Marlboro and one-half Cuthbert. 
For blackberr ies one-half Eldorado, one-half Ancient 
Briton. Curr-ants are used mainly for jelly, and 
quantity is more desirable than size of individual 
fruits. Red Dutch leads in bushels. If larger currants 
are wanted plant a few President Wilder or Cherry. 
Downing is the standard variety of gooseberry for 
this region. The cost of the stock will depend upon 
the size of plants purchased and when and where ob¬ 
tained. One Wisconsin nursery firm offers berry 
plants as follows: Raspberry and blackberry, ?3 to 
$4 per 100; currants, $8 to $10 per 100; gooseberries, 
$10 to $20 per 100. In round numbers $75 would prob¬ 
ably pay for the stock needed. It w'ould be advisable 
to order 10 per cent more plants of each variety than 
the number indicated, and plant in nursery rows to 
supply missing plants during the Summer. 
Madison, Wis. p. okanki'iki.u. 
MODIFIED STABLE VENTILATION. 
Will you give me a few points regarding the construc¬ 
tion of the King system of stable ventilation? f. l. p. 
North Jackson, Pa. 
Our system is the King in principle, but “modified,” 
and does w'ork every day in the year—and strongly. 
Instead of having turns, angles, and slopes in the air- 
shaft it goes straight up from the floor of the stable 
to a height of 30 feet and about the ridge of the barn. 
See Fig. 80. We have one of these airshafts to each 
12 (!Ows, and find it am|)le. We are sure that small 
shafts and more of them will give better satisfaction 
than a large one to draw from a larger area of stable. 
Our ventilating shafts (see Fig. 80, A) are 14x12 inches 
inside tneasuremeut. and are made of pine boards of 
that width; made with true joint corners, airtight 
from top to bottom. A board shaft is far superior to 
a metal one, as it is not affected by temperature as 
metal would be. By some experiments we made in 
timing the flight of light substances up through the 
shaft, we estimate that about 24,000 cubic feet of air 
passes up this shaft in 24 hours. The cost of these 
small tubes is not great, less than $5 each witn the 
hood, which is simply a sheet of galvanized iron bent 
in a half circle and nailed to the top, to keep rain 
from the inside. It is of no use to try to ventilate a 
stable with an airshaft unless the stable is close. Side 
cracks and overhead openings are fatal to the system. 
We found that, close our stable as nearly as we could, 
and that means close, we could see no difference in 
the strength of the current of air passing into the 
shafts. Still, we want to have the air come into the 
stable at the toi) of the room, so in Fig. 80. B, is de¬ 
picted the intake, a six-inch galvanized iron stovepipe 
set at the sill and opening at the top of the room. 
This puts the fresh air into the warm air of the 
stable, and there is no seeming change of temperature 
lower down in the room. The warmth of the iron 
pipe in the stable has quite an effect in the pull of 
fresh air. The pipe should have a damper in it to 
shut off the current when necessary, and the shaft 
should have its opening at the side at the floor and 
not in thg bottom, and this should be a little door 
opening in, that can be closed or opened at will. This 
door needs to be about 10x16 inches. The value of 
this ventilation is that it carries off the moisture of 
the stable while it is vapor. After it condenses, it is 
too late, so there should be a constant change of air 
going on all the time. We discovered that when the 
air in a stable was kept dry there was much less 
change of temperature inside the stable, with its cor¬ 
respondingly less shrinkage of milk, incident to the 
drop in temperature outside. Then there is a great im¬ 
provement in the way of absence of cowy odors, and 
with absorbents and the like, a stable can be kept 
with little trouble in the best of sanitary condition. 
JOHN GO! r.H. 
CONCRETE FLOORS AND WALKS, 
“Iticreased use of concrete” In Thf R. N.-Y. of Feb- 
l•Uill'y M causes me to ask W. W. Stevens to tell us the 
.'iinount of cement it will take to make a concrete walk 
with 100 square feet of surface of a certain thickness. 
Burlingame, Kas. e. k. t. 
The use of cement and the manner of mixing it are 
not as well understood by farmers generally as they 
should be. Cement walks, cellar or stable floors are 
better than those made of stone, brick or wood, and 
any handy man can make them. The first requisites 
for the work are good sharp sand and the very best 
grade of Portland cement. If it is a walk you wish to 
construct first dig a trench one foot deep, just as 
wide and long as you want your walk. Next fill this 
trench with coarse sand or gravel eight 
inches deep, but if you have neither you 
may u.se coal cinders, packing down what¬ 
ever is used with a maul or heavy block 
of wood with a handle fixed to it. Next 
place smooth straight boards four inches 
wide along the sides of this trench, fas¬ 
tening them with stakes. Place boards 
four inches wide across your walk, three 
feet apart, and you have your mold ready 
for first layer of cement. Have a strong, 
tight mortar box and into this put sand 
and cement, four parts of the former to 
one of the latter. Mix this thoroughly 
while dry, then apply water with a 
sprinkling can, mixing all the while till 
you have a stiff mortar that you can han¬ 
dle with a shovel. Dump the mortar into 
your molds and tramp down 3i/^ inches 
thick, filling four or five molds at a time. 
Next take fine sifted sand and cement, 
equal parts, then apply water and make a 
soft mortar, and spread this on top of the 
coarse cement one-half inch thicK, or to 
the top of boards and level it off by draw¬ 
ing a straight edge over the frame. Then 
trowel it down and leave it a few days to 
dry. Before the troweling is done remove 
the partition boards and fill up level. This 
kind of a walk can be made at a cost of 
four cents per square foot if you do your 
own work and have gravel on the farm. 
If all material has to be bought and labor¬ 
ers are employed to do the work it will 
cost from eight to 10 cents per foot. Cel¬ 
lar floors are made in the same way, but 
if the bottom is dry two or three inches 
of sand will be sufficient to lay the ce¬ 
ment on. For stable floors or driveways 
the cement should be five or six inches 
thick to insure a durable floor. 
Gate posts are made by digging a pit in the ground 
as large as wanted for post, and then a box mold is 
made, same size as jiost, and two feet high. Fill in 
first with stone pounded up about the size of a man’s 
fist, and then mak-e a mortar of three parts sand and 
one part cement, about the consistency of cream, and 
pour this into the form. As soon as this sets, move 
mold up and fill again till the post is of the desired 
height. When dry give it a coat of cement all around. 
This can be checked off into squares to resemble 
square stonework. 
Another use of cement is in making water tanks for 
live stock. Make the bottom just as you would a walk 
only have it heavier and on solid foundation, also put 
in necessary pipes for filling and draining, so frost 
will not injure. Next make a form on this founda¬ 
tion with boards the length and width desired for the 
tank. Inside of this set up another form 10 inches 
smaller than the first at the bottom, and sloping to 
six inches at the top. This will give a slant to the 
inside of tank, so that it will not freeze and burst. 
Fill one foot with rock and then put on the cement 
.grout, and so on till tank is as high as desired. Plas¬ 
ter all over when dry. This kind of tank 12 feet long, 
30 inches high and four feet wide can be built for $6 
or $8 if the farmer does the work himself. In mixing 
sand and cement do not make too much mortar at a 
time, as it hardens quickly. w. w. .stevens. 
