1858. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
119 
Extraordinary Product of Butter. 
Messrs. Editors —The great difference in cattle of 
the same breed, having quite contrary results as to 
profit to dairy and grazing farmers, was spoken of at 
our Club on Saturday, the 27th ult. This drew out 
some to speak of the value of Durhamsas milkers, Ac. 
Mr. Jacob H. Allen said he knew a person who had a 
cow, that in one year gave the enormous weight of 623 
lbs. 13 ozs. of butter. The cow was owned and kept by 
John Wing, Hart’s Village, Dutchess Co., and the re¬ 
cord commences March 14th, 1856, and ends March 
13th, 1857. 
From March 14th to April 16th, made --- 
Oct. 19th to Nov. 15th,. 
Nov. 19th to Dec. 19th,. 
January 24th to February 16th,- 
69 
lbs 
.15 
ozs. 
52 
CC 
1 
4C 
71 
1C 
11 
cc 
51 
cc 
1 
CC 
47 
cc 
8 
(C 
112 
u 
9 
cc 
58 
cc 
7 
CV 
50 
a 
5 
cc 
44 
u 
9 
cc 
36 
u 
15 
44 
28 
u 
12 
CC 
623 
4C 
13 
cc 
Butter weighed by the town sealer of weights and 
measures when fit for market The cow nine years old, 
and seven-eighths Durham. Her feed was three quarts 
of provender, made of corn and oats, mixed with her 
milk for the day. [So it reads.] In the winter, she 
had cut carrots once a day and provender once. She 
was taken good care of, and stabled during the winter. 
Her summer pasture wsfe small and poor. For the 
truthfulness of this statement, Mr. A. produced the 
proofs. W. M. Beauchamp. Skaneateles. 
- -« -»« -- 
A First-rate Barn. 
I mentioned to you that being in the neighborhood, 
I had visited the grounds and new barn of Mr. Ellis 
Clizbee, of Amsterdam, N. Y. I had not time to give 
the premises that critical examination which its great 
merit demands, and in which the enterprise and skill 
of its proprietor is so visibly illustrated. The structure 
is erected on the bank of a durable stream, giving an 
opportunity to form an underground cellar or lower 
story, free from frost, without much trouble of excava¬ 
ting. The building rises three stories high including 
basement, and comprehends the most room for the 
space covered of any building of the kind I have ever 
visited. A dam having been thrown across the stream 
a few rods above the building, gives an opportunity for 
conducting the water by canal, to the machinery situ¬ 
ated at one extremity of the building, so as not to in¬ 
terfere with the stables and receptacles for manure in 
that department, and by a shaft driving the machinery 
for various purposes situated in different parts of the 
building. The contrivance is admirably simple, and 
each in its place performs its alloted work in a thorough 
manner. I noticed first a machine for cutting straw, 
stalks, hay, &c., depositing its results in a large bin 
convenient for cattle feeding—next a thrasher, dis¬ 
charging the straw in a lower room of large dimensions, 
ready to be operated upon by the cutting knives, and 
the grain carried by elevators and stored in bins iman- 
other part of the building; from there shoots are pre¬ 
pared to conduct the grain to one run of stone for grind¬ 
ing ; (Mr. C. intends to put in another run o£ stone for 
which a space is left.) I saw as fine flour as comes 
from any of our western mills. Also a machine for 
wood-sawing. The out-buildings are not as yet com¬ 
pleted, a plan of which was however described to me, 
and when done I can truly say that no establishment 
of the kind that I have ever seen combines so much 
useful machinery in so small a space covered, as this of 
Mr. C.’s. The hospitality of the opulent proprietor and 
his enterprising son, together with a view of this recent 
structure, would well pay you a day spent in Amster¬ 
dam, saying nothing about the extensive carpet fac¬ 
tories, and also the extensive broom factory of Mr. G- 
W. Bouton, situated in the village. The cost of Mr. 
C.’s barn was $2,500. G. W. Durant. 
--- 
Planting Chestnuts. 
I wish to plant a grove of chestnut trees on our 
prairie soil—(where it is not indigenous)—in order to 
raise it for timber and other purposes. It has been 
cultivated by some of our nurserymen, and thrives 
finely. But it is said there is a secret in planting the 
nut, in order to have it come up well. Will you be 
good enough to inform me through the columns of the 
Country Gentleman, the modus operandi of preparing 
the seed for planting, and the right season for so doing. 
S. It. Alton , III. 
We are glad to impart the “secret” of success in 
planting the chestnut. It consists simply in never al¬ 
lowing the outer shell to become dry. As soon as the 
well-ripened nuts drop from the tree and are loosened 
from the bur, pack them the same hour in moist sand, 
peat, or leaf mould, and keep them thus moist (not 
wet) till planted—which may be late in autumn or the 
next spring. The chestnut is difficult to transplant 
and hence it is better to plant the seed on the spot 
where the trees are intended to stand. They may be 
planted like corn in “ hills,” and all but the thriftiest 
pulled up afterwards. As they need not be so thick as 
corn, they might alternate with it, if the ground could 
be prepared very early, so as to plant both at the right 
time. Early cultivation, like corn, causes them to grow 
rapidly; and being in rows, the wagon could pass easily 
through, in thinning out and drawing off the timber- 
- »- - 
Potatoes—Barge Seed and Small. 
Eds. Cult, and Co. Gent. —About the first week in 
May last, I planted a small patch of ground to pota¬ 
toes ; the seed for about half of which was taken from 
the refuse of a bin where potatoes had been kept 
through the winter. They were the smallest kind of 
“ small potatoes,” very few exceeding the quail’s egg 
in size, and extensively sprouted at that. The other 
portion of the plot was planted with large seed of the 
same variety (White Mercer) uncut. Neither had any 
advantage over the other as to location—soil uniform 
—and both sections were treated alike throughout. 
The potatoes when dug were all very large and fine. 
No difference was observable, except that the hill from 
which the very largest were taken happened to be from 
the small seed. Now, I have for years been the ad¬ 
vocate of large seed, but the above experience sug¬ 
gests the query as to whether soil, season and culture 
has not quite as much to do in giving us a large crop 
as the size of the seed. Will some of your readers try 
it a few times, and let us have the result 7 
Again—I planted same time as above, four hills, 
using one large potato cut into four pieces for each 
planted, and four other hills along side the first, with 
one whole potato in each, and weighed the product in 
October—the cut seed gave three pounds most in 
weight. I shall experiment further. H. Watkins. 
