388 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 12 
that he had, and had compared them often. He is of 
the opinion that the Red Cross is superior in quality 
to Red Dutch and to many other currants. 
_ C. A. GREEN. 
CEMENT FLOORS FOR STABLES. 
A group of seven structures were burned at our 
nursery farm last March, making it necessary for us 
to erect large buildings, among them a horse barn. I 
had read so much in agricultural papers about cement 
floors that I gave orders to the carpenter to make 
plans for putting in such a floor in our horse stables. 
He seemed surprised at the order, stating that a good 
plank floor was good enough. I informed him that 
my idea was to save the liquid manure as well as to 
have a durable floor. Shortly afterwards, I began to 
investigate the question of cement floors. I called at 
the large sale stables and livery stables at Rochester, 
and asked the opinion of the owners about cement 
floors. The reply was, “ We do not use them.” 
“ What is the trouble with cement floors ? ” 
“ Our horses would slip upon them.” 
“ But suppose the cement floors were corrugated? ” 
“That might be better, but it would be an experi¬ 
ment.” 
“Are there any cemented floors in the stables here 
in the city ?” 
“Yes, our largest dry goods company has such a 
stable floor.” 
“ Do you know of any other floor of that character ?” 
“ We do not know of any other.” 
Later I inquired of a friend of large experience, and 
he informed me that cement floors were not desirable 
for horse-stable floors. 
“ What is the trouble ? ” I asked. 
“Cement floors are too hard for horses to stand 
upon. Have you not noticed that it is more weari¬ 
some to walk upon rocks than to walk upon carpets, 
or a grassy lawn ? Of course you have. Well, it is 
just as much harder for a horse to stand, day in and 
day out, upon the rock floor than it would be on a 
turfy pasture or board floor as it would be for you.” 
“ How about the thousands of car horses which 
were stabled at Rochester for so many years ? ” 
“ They were all stabled on wooden floors. The ex¬ 
perienced man who had charge of them, after careful 
investigation, would not have a cement floor in their 
stables.” 
“ What kind of lumber should be used ? ” 
“ Green elm spiked down so that it will not warp 
makes the best horse-stable floor.” 
“ How would hemlock do ? ” 
“ Hemlock would splinter up under the horses’ 
feet.” 
“ How would hemlock do for the general floor of 
the stable, with a two-inch green elm plank length¬ 
wise over the hemlock floor in the stalls ? ” 
“ That would do very well.” 
On investigating still further, I at once wrote the 
carpenter that I had changed my mind, and would not 
put the cement floor in my horse stables, but would 
use the hemlock covered with green elm plank. This 
will, probably, cause some comments from your read¬ 
ers, and indicates that some things are advocated in 
the agricultural papers which are recommended 
rather on theory than actual experience. For in¬ 
stance, if I had been asked a week ago about the ad¬ 
visability of putting in cement floors, I should have 
said by all means put them in. While I have had no 
actual experience with cement floors, as a matter of 
theory I approved of them on account of the saving 
of the liquid manure, as well as on account of the 
durability of such floors, but after investigating the 
subject as I have, I would not recommend them. 
Cement floors cost, perhaps, twice as much as ordinary 
plank floors, and require an experienced man to make 
them suitable for stable use. chas a green. 
Monroe County, N. Y. 
STEAM PLOWING IN CANADA. 
To give an intelligent idea of the steam plow I am 
using, it will be necessary to describe the land on 
which it is used. The County of Kent in which this 
city is situated, and the adjoining county of Essex 
to the west, are largely flat tableland whose streams 
discharge in Lake St. Clair. At the mouth of these 
streams are large blocks of wet, marshy land, varying 
from a few hundred acres in extent to many thou¬ 
sands. These lands, until within the last 10 or 12 
years, were considered worthless, the haunts of wild 
ducks and other game, the huntsman thinking that 
Providence had provided him a perpetual hunting 
ground. However, during the period of agricultural 
prosperity, land had attained a high price, conse¬ 
quently any land capable of cultivation was eagerly 
sought. The attention of some was directed to these 
low-lying lands ; most of them proved to be a bed of 
clay covered with the richest black loam, varying in 
depth from a few inches to 10 and 11 feet thick, but 
their altitude in many cases, was only a few inches 
above the lake level. Nearly every one said that they 
were the natural dumping grounds for the overflow 
and sediment of the higher lands, and should remain 
so for all time to come. Others, seeing the great fer¬ 
tility of the lands, determined to reclaim them, 
The Provincial Legislature was applied to to pass a 
drainage act which, in application and scope, is very 
much the same as a State law. This law provides that, 
when a majority of the land owners make a petition 
to the municipal council to have a survey and an es¬ 
timate of the cost of draining a section of those low 
lands, it becomes their duty to have the survey made, 
with estimate of cost annexed. When this is pre¬ 
sented to the council, they frame a by-law based on 
the engineer’s report, and submit it to a popular vote 
of the owners of the land affected. If a majority are 
in favor, the by-law is passed, and a court of revision 
is appointed to adjust any differences in assessment. 
When all is passed, the municipality issues deben¬ 
tures, usually extending over 15 or 20 years ; these 
are sold by public tender. They usually bear five per 
cent. One becomes due each year. The municipality 
charges these as they become due, directly to the 
lands improved. The engineer’s estimate and speci¬ 
fication is advertised ; the lowest tender, if satisfac¬ 
tory security is furnished, is usually accepted, and 
the work proceeds. Dredges are usually employed. 
Channels are cut to convey the water to the lowest 
point, either on the lake shores or on the river as the 
point of outlet may be, and embankments are thrown 
up to prevent the water outside the system from com¬ 
ing in. When the dredging is finished, steam pumps 
are put in at the point of discharge. In two works 
that I finished, these pumps are supposed to have a 
capacity of 32,000 gallons per minute. 
In two of these systems, the canals cut by the 
dredge were from nine miles long in one case, to 11 
in the other, averaging 30 feet wide, and from six to 
eight feet deep. The land on which I am trying the 
steam plow is one of these reel aimed blocks, 700 acres 
in extent, with a dredge cut on three sides as above. 
It is within the gas belt of Leamington. The black 
muck varies on this block from 2>£ to 11 feet deep. It 
was covered with a rank wild grass, but as it is becom¬ 
ing dry, this grass ceases to grow, and weeds of a 
most luxuriant growth take its place. The land is 
too soft to plow with horses, but when plowed with 
the steam plow, and drained quickly, it becomes solid 
and then can be worked easily with horse power. 
My experiments so far are with two traction engines 
placed 60 rods apart, each having a five-eighth inch 
wire cable 62 rods long. This cable is wound on a 
horizontal spool, propelled with a sprocket chain 
from the main shaft. The plow is of steel, with a 
reversible board, turning a furrow 16 inches deep, 
and 3 % to 4 feet wide. The engines are run on three- 
inch oak plank, and draw the plow back and forth 
between them. We have done good work, but so far, 
it is too slow to reverse the plow, and therefore, 
makes the work too expensive. alisteh mckay. 
Chatham, Ont. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.1 
Keeping Qualities of ‘ Dairy” and “Creamery” Butter. 
J. D., York County, Ont. —Will creamery butter keep as long 
and as well as dairy ? I find some consumers who claim that it 
will not. If such is the case, farmers should be slow in buying 
separators, because they eau send their butter to market only 
once a week or once in two weeks, while the creameries ship 
theirs daily, and it goes at once to the consumer. Does the but¬ 
ter made from cream allowed to sour keep better than butter 
from sweet cream ? 
Ans.—I t is now pretty generally understood that 
butter spoils because of the development therein of 
undesirable forms of -bacterial growth. If an unde¬ 
sirable form get into a butter, whether it originates 
in the creamery or the dairy, and if the conditions 
enable it to multiply rapidly, the character of the 
butter will deteriorate regardless of its origin. The¬ 
oretically, because of the large number of dairies 
contributing to creamery butter, there is a greater 
probability of this class of bacteria finding access. 
Moreover, I think it is safe to say that most creamery 
butters contain rather more water than do most dairy 
butters, and that the conditions of bacterial growth 
are, on that account, a little better. I think, too, 
that, as a rule, creamery and separator butter is 
usually made from cream that is not soured quite as 
much as the average dairy and deep-setting creams. 
In proportion as the development of the lactic acid 
bacillus extends, it tends to kill out other bacilli, and 
there would, consequently, be somewhat less oppor¬ 
tunity for their development and growth. I know of 
no reason why, if the butters be frozen, the average 
creamery butter should not keep as long as the aver¬ 
age dairy butter; but when not thus kept, it seems 
to me that, from the above theoretical reasons, the 
probabilities would be somewhat in favor of the 
longer keeping of dairy butter ; not because it is 
made in a dairy, but because of lessened opportunity 
for bacterial infection, smaller amounts of water, and 
greater development of the acidity. 
Vermont Ex. Station. Joseph l. hides. 
This matter has never been a subject of experiment 
in our laboratory. All I can say is, therefore, at 
second hand, and is not of special value consequently. 
My opinion from all I can learn is something as fol¬ 
lows : Creameries do not, as a rule, sour their cream 
as thoroughly as do private dairies. This will, prob¬ 
ably, affect the keeping property of the butter in 
some degree. While experiments are in conflict, the 
majority of experimenters conclude that the souring 
of the cream assists in the keeping property of the 
butter, and that butter made from sweet cream has 
less keeping power than that made from soured 
cream. The reason is, apparently, something as fol¬ 
lows : The bacteria in the cream will grow in the 
cream during the ripening and after a proper growth, 
the acid developed or the churning and salting largely 
checks the bacteria growth, thus enhancing the keep¬ 
ing property of the butter. If, however, the cream 
is churned at once, the bacteria begin to grow in the 
butter and continue to do so without check until the 
butter is impaired in quality. The souring thus 
causes a fermentation to take place in the cream in 
condition in which it can be checked by the churning, 
while if the souring does not occur beforehand, there 
is nothing to check the fermentation in the butter 
before it becomes too pronounced. Of course, if sour¬ 
ing does thus enhance the keeping property of the 
butter, the fact that creameries do not sour their 
cream so completely as private dairies, would tend to 
produce a butter with less keeping property As to 
the fact of creamery butter being inferior in this 
respect, I have no information beyond the somewhat 
general opinion to that effect. You will, of course, 
recognize that, in making the above statements, I am 
merely giving second-hand opinion and, moreover, 
that experiments are at present not in harmony with 
each other. Some dairymen have insisted that butter 
made from sweet cream has better keeping property 
than that made from sour cream, while others insist 
that there is no difference. I do not think that there 
is enough uniformity in the results of observation to 
make it possible to state the “exact facts in the case.” 
The above is, so far as I can say, the more general 
opinion of those who have had experience and made 
direct experiment on the subject. 
Connecticut [prof ] h. w. conn. 
Short Cuts to Clover and Timothy. 
A reader in Paulding County, O., has 10 acres of clay land now 
rented, which he wishes to get into Red clover and Timothy as 
soon as possible. The ground is now in rye, and he cannot work 
it before the first of July. The ground is not well drained. He 
suggests the following plan for working this land: Work up 
about the first of July and sow cow peas; late in the fall, turn 
under the peas and sow rye; in the spring, seed to clover and 
Timothy. Cut the rye for feeding in June, and then let the grasses 
come on to occupy the land. What do you think of this plan ? 
I have had no experience with cow peas, but if it 
were mine, I would plow as soon after the rye is off 
as possible, keep it well worked until the time of 
seeding, and then drill in the rye with about six 
quarts of Timothy and 300 pounds per acre of cone and 
superphosphate rich in phosphoric acid, and potash. 
In spring, sow clover. c. w. b. 
Ford, O. 
I would harvest the crop now on the ground, then 
plow it in headlands, three or four rods apart, to give 
drainage, work it up well, and sow to wheat or rye 
about September 20. I would sow the Timothy seed 
with the wheat or rye, seed to clover in the spring, 
and let the grasses then take possession. I have had 
no experience with cow peas. i. c. 
Muskingum County, Ohio. 
In this county, I would tile drain as soon as I got 
possession, after which I would put in the best pos¬ 
sible order for seeding, and sow to Crimson clover; 
plow under as late in the spring as I could sow oats 
with a good prospect of success ; harrow well, then 
sow three-fourths seeding of oats and a peck of grass 
seed to the acre ; cut the oats in the milk for hay, 
and let the grass have the land. If I could not tile 
drain, then I would plow the land in August, let it 
lie fallow until spring, then treat as above, with oats 
and grass. I do not like rye as a nurse crop—think it 
smothers the grass and leases it too tender to stand 
the sun after the rye is removed. I am trying cow 
peas for the first time, this summer, on heavy clay 
land. I have a tract of seven acres of heavy red clay 
on a hilltop, and last June was an old worn-out field, 
so badly grown up with sprouts and briers, that it 
was impassable for horse or man, except in cattle 
paths. In July and August, I had it grubbed and 
burned, and August 12 plowed deep. I let it sun¬ 
burn during August and September, and freeze dur¬ 
ing winter. The first part of April, I seeded to oats 
lightly, and sowed a peck of Red clover to the acre. 
