134 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
vent the spreading of Hie cheese, and thus prevent the 
danger of cracking and of loss from that source. We 
have found such strips of cotton of the greatest use; and 
the larger and richer the cheese, the greater their value 
to the dairyman. Milk may he tinged so as to give a 
richer hue to the cheese; but if the cream is all added, 
and the cheese well made, coloring matter will be unne¬ 
cessary. Annatto is the best coloring material, as it is 
harmless; which cannot be said of all the ingredients 
sometimes used for this purpose. There should be a free 
ventilation to the cheese room, but they should not be 
exposed to strong currents of air, as it makes them liable 
to cracking. Cheese should be turned on the shelves 
daily, and rubbed with butter made into an oil, at each 
turning. 
We have never known an instance where lard has been 
used in any way in the making of cheese, unless perhaps 
sometimes as a substitute for butter at turning the cheeses 
during the process of curing, and we think it would 
scarcely produce the effect attributed to it by our corres¬ 
pondent, even were it adopted in the place of cream, at 
the time of making. In our next, we will give the mode 
of making the celebrated Gloucester cheese. 
CREAM CHEESE. 
Mrs. Reynolds, of Connecticut, desires to be informed 
of the mode of making cream cheese, mentioned in Mr. 
Sotham's communication in the January number of the 
Cultivator. In reply to her inquiry, we are pleased to 
give the following communication from Mrs. Sheldrick, 
under whose superintendence the cheese spoken of by 
Mr. Sotliam was made. 
Messrs. Editors —According to your request, I here¬ 
with send you a recipe for making cream cheese; and if 
any of your numerous readers can learn any thing from 
my experience, I shall feel most happy in communicating 
what I well know to be worthy the trial of all good 
house-wives. 
Recipe. —Take one quart of very rich cream, a little 
soured, put it in a linen cloth and tie it as close to the 
cream as you can. Then hang it up to drain for two 
days-—take it down, and carefully turn it into a clean 
cloth, and hang it up for two more days—then take it 
down, and having put a piece of linen on a deep soup- 
plate, turn your cheese upon it. Cover it over with your 
linen; keep turning it every day on to a clean plate and 
clean cloth until it is ripe; which will be in about ten 
days or a fortnight, or may be longer, as it depends on 
the heat of the weather. Sprinkle a little salt on the out¬ 
side, when you turn them. If it is wanted to ripen quick, 
keep it covered with mint, or nettle leaves. The size 
made from a quart of cream is most convenient, but if 
wished larger, they can be made so. 
Arabella Sheldrick. 
Hereford Hall, March 8, 1844. 
the first of March, in drills four feet apart, every two or 
three feet, if the ground is rich, which it should be.” 
MINCE PIES WITHOUT WINE OR SPIRITS. 
Dorothy Dumpling, gives in the Southern Planter, 
her mode of making mince pies without wine or brandy. 
She says the best judges say, (and behind her back, too!) 
that her pies are as good as they ever tasted. 
Take 4 pounds of plums, (raisins?) 1 pound of currants, 
2 of cherries, 3 of beef suet, 4 of sugar, a fresh beeves’ 
tongue, half a pound of citron, ] ounce of mace, half an 
ounce of cloves, 1 nutmeg, the juice of 2 lemons, with 
vinegar to your taste. Make mince-meat of these ma¬ 
terials, and put it by for use. When you make pies, 
add syrup, or juice of sweet apples, to make the mince¬ 
meat liquid, and some fresh apples chopped fine. 
In place of citron, marmalade or preserves, will do. 
OKRA—“ GUMBO.” 
T. Affleck, Esq., gives the following mode of prepa¬ 
ring this vegetable:— <e A large mess of okra soup (call¬ 
ed gumbo,) should be served on every plantation at least 
four days in the week, while the vegetable is in season. 
The pods are gathered while tender enough to be cut by 
the thumb nail; cut into thin slices* and with tomatoes, 
pepper, &c., added to the rations of meat, forms a rich, 
mucillaginous soup. It is planted (in Mississippi) about 
foetcrinarg ^Department. 
SCOURS IN CALVES. 
Lovett Peters, Esq., in a communication in the N. E 
Farmer, says he has tried most of the remedies recom 
mended for this disease, but has found the following suc¬ 
ceed better than any other. ce It is a half a pint of cider, 
and as much blood, taken from the calve s neck; shook 
well together and given him with a bottle.” 
BLIND TEETH. 
John Johnston of Geneva, says he has had much expe¬ 
rience with blind teeth. He s ates that when they come 
out in such a way that the grinders of the umier jaw press 
on them, the eyes are always injuriously affected. The 
blind teeth should always be taken out as soon as they 
make their appearance. 
WARTS ON THE TEATS OF COWS. 
Cows are sometimes troublesome about being milked, 
in consequence of their teats being sore from w'arts. 
The Mass. Ploughman recommends rubbing the teats 
with the juice of milk-weed, and also the application of a 
poultice made of grated carrot. Roth may be good; at 
any rate they will do no hurt, but the best plan to obviate 
this trouble is, to cut off the warts with sharp scissors, 
when the cows are dry. Not much blood will flow, and 
the teats will heal in a few days. 
PROGRESS OF THE SILK BUSINESS. 
Mr. J. R. Barbour, of Oxford, Mass., has lately return¬ 
ed from a tour of observation in regard to the silk busi¬ 
ness. In the Boston Cultivator, is an interesting com¬ 
munication from him, giving valuable information rela¬ 
ting to this important branch of industry. 
Mr. B. states that there has been a large increase in 
the manufacture of silk in New-England within the last 
two years. Several new establishments have been start¬ 
ed in that time, and old ones that were prostrated by the 
mulberry speculation of 1839, have been resuscitated and 
are now going on prosperously.” He speaks of a large 
establishment just going into operation in Willingfon, 
Conn., for the manufacture of cords, gimps, and oiber 
trimmings. The building is over 100 feet long and three 
stories high. Messrs. Dale & Benmead are the owners, 
and they contemplate doing a large business. 
Mr. B. also speaks of the establishment of Messrs. 
Murray &, Ryle, at Paterson, N. J., which consumes 150 
1 hs. of raw silk weekly—also of thatof Mrs. McLanahan, 
Philadelphia, commenced in 1841. 
Mr. B. visited the two principal silk establishments 
west of the mountains, viz: that of Mr. Rapp, at Econo¬ 
my, Pa., and Mr. Gill, at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. He pro¬ 
nounces the goods of these establishments, equal to any 
of the same kind brought from England or France. He 
found Mr. Gill building a new factory 50 by 20 feet, and 
three stories high, for weaving plain pongees for print¬ 
ing. He could hear of.no establishment at the west that 
had failed or had been suspended; though many of them 
have suffered much from the want of more capital. 
Mr. B. says the valley of the Ohio has gone ahead of 
Nevv-England in the production of raw silk. He thinks 
the west and south will take the lead in the growth of 
silk, just as they do in corn and other agricultural pro¬ 
ducts, and for the same general reasons and no others. 
The proper question, then, he says, for eastern farmers, 
is, not whether the west can lead them in this crop, but 
whether silk is not one of the best crops they can raise. 
Indian corn is one of the best crops for the eastern farm¬ 
er, though it will be admitted that the west can take the 
lead in this article. Mr. B. says, “ I reason about silk in 
the same way. Here we are, fixed upon our hills and 
plains. Some of us would not abandon them for the fer¬ 
tile west if we could. Here we are, and here we must 
be, and we must do something. We are on a tread-mill, 
and it is work or die; and the only question is, what ar 
tides of cultivation are most worthy of attention? Soon 
er or later my readers will decide in favor of silk, as one 
of the class.” 
