290 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept. 
MONTHLY NOTICES—TO COBBESPOIVDE1VTS, 
Communications have been received since our last 
from Many Subscribers. W. B. H.. J. P. F., A Subscri¬ 
ber, Jas. Mapes, E. M. Cramer, H. C. B., W. R. 
Smith, Alb. C. Richard, E. C. Frost, Edward Jessup. 
H. W. S. Cleveland, C. E. G., W., E. A. G. 
Books, Pamphlets, See., have been received as fol¬ 
lows : Report of the committee on Agriculture in the 
House of Representatives, from the writer, the Hon. 
J. I. Slingerland. —Thompson’s Coin Chart Manual, 
containing 613 faC-si miles of gold and silver coins.—An¬ 
nual Report of the Mahoning County (Ohio) Agricul¬ 
tural Society, from J. M. Edwards. 
Potato Disease. —We have received too late for 
this number, a communication on this subject from C. 
E. G. He states that the disease has made its appear¬ 
ance in the neighborhood of Utica. It has also appear¬ 
ed in this vicinity, and many other parts of the country; 
but to what extent it will injure the crop, cannot yet be 
ascertained. We have seen some lots early planted, 
that were already more than half destroyed. 
Prof J. F. W. Johnston —We are authorised to 
state that the Secretary of the N. Y. State Ag. Society 
has received a letter from Prof. Johnston, in which he 
says that owing to the pressure of business on his 
hands at the present time, he has concluded to post¬ 
pone his contemplated visit to the United States till 
next year, when he hopes to spend several months 
among us. 
11 Honorable Testimony.” —The late Elijah Wil¬ 
lard, Esq., of Jonesborough, Illinois, a subscriber and 
correspondent of the Cultivator, directed by his will, 
that four entire setts of the work—fourteen volumes 
each—should be purchased and presented to the far¬ 
mers in the neighborhood of his late residence. We 
acknowledge the reception of the order, which has 
been filled—the volumes being bound in uniform style. 
Blue Buckwheat. —Mr. Lotan Smith, of Liberty, 
Sullivan county, N. Y., has left with us for distribution 
a sample of grain known by this name. He states that 
it is a surer crop than common buckwheat, and will 
make more flour to the bushel—is not injured by hot 
sun, and can be safely sown by the 20th of June. 
Devon Cattle. —The attention of those wanting 
this valuable kind of stock, is invited to the advertise¬ 
ment of Mr. Cowles, in this number. He has taken 
great pains in the selection of his breeding animals, 
and has many good specimens of the breed. 
Produce of one Grain. —Mr. Kirtland, of the 
Cantonment Farm, Greenbush, has left with us a bun¬ 
dle of straws, the product of a single grain of Multi¬ 
cole rye, the present season. There are 124 stalks, 
with fair heads. The grain came up last spring, and 
in consequence of standing by itself, and being later 
than the fall-sown rye of the same kind, it did not fill 
well; but the number of stalks indicates an astonishing 
reproductive power. 
Fitzgerald’s Portable Burr-Stone Mill. —We 
have lately witnessed the operation of this mill by 
horse-power. With one of Wheeler’s powers, moved 
by one horse, it ground corn and oats sufficiently fine 
for “ feed,” at the rate of from four to five bushels an 
hour. We saw the same mill tried for grinding wheat 
—steam being applied to it, with a three-inch belt. Two 
bushels of very hard wheat were well ground in thirty 
minutes. There are bolts belonging to the mill, by 
which excellent flour can be made. 
Stafford’s Process of drying Grain. —In ou r 
June number we spoke of this invention. Mr. Staf¬ 
ford has since sent some corn-meal, prepared in his 
way, to the Secretary of the N. Y. State Ag. Society, 
for distribution. We have tried it, and found it excel¬ 
lent, both for bread and puddings. 
Lawrence Scientific School. —We are pleased to 
learn that this very important and valuable branch of 
Harvard University, continues to receive the well-de¬ 
served countenance and encouragement of the public. 
The chemical department is under the charge of Prof. 
E. N. Horsford, whose interesting letters from Ger¬ 
many, while he was a student in the celebrated Gies¬ 
sen Laboratory, and many other able articles from his 
pen, have been read with much satisfaction by the rea¬ 
ders of the Cultivator. Lectures will be given on 
zoology and geology, as heretofore, by Prof. Agassiz. 
The term commenced on Monday, the 28th of August. 
The general course of instruction will be essentially 
the same as was pursued last term, of which we gave 
some notice in our current volume, page 127—(April 
number.) Particulars can be ascertained by applying 
to Prof Horsford, at Cambridge. 
Atmospheric Churn. —We have witnessed the ope¬ 
ration of a churn by this name, said to have been in¬ 
vented and patented by Johnson & Lewis, of Sanga¬ 
mon county, Illinois. Its chief peculiarity consists in 
forcing atmospheric air through the cream or milk, by 
means of a hollow upright shaft, having holes in the 
upper end, to the bottom of which is attached a trans¬ 
verse tube, open at each end—-the latter being made to 
revolve horizontally through the cream by means of 
gearing attached to the shaft. The turning of the 
shaft causes the descent of the surrounding air, which 
passes through the cream, and escapes from its surface 
in the form of bubbles. It is claimed that butter can 
be produced by this churn, from cream, in less than five 
minutes, and from new milk in fifteen. In the trial 
which we witnessed, butter was produced from cream 
in seven minutes, and from milk in nine. Mr. Emery 
was present with one of Kendall’s churns, and produ¬ 
ced butter from cream in ten minutes. An equal quan¬ 
tity of cream was used by both churns—the Atmosphe¬ 
ric produced one pound of butter, and Kendall’s one 
pound seven and a half ounces. Such was the result 
on this trial—-how it would be on other trials we can- 
not say ; neither can we say positively, what was the 
occasion of so great a difference in the amount of but¬ 
ter produced by the two churns. The Atmospheric 
churn appears to operate on a correct principle—that 
of mingling the air with the cream ; but we are not in 
favor of such rapid churning. Having formerly had 
some experience in making butter, we should prefer 
that the churning, for a quantity of ten to twenty pounds 
of butter or more, should be prolonged to thirty min¬ 
utes, at least. According to our experience, the best 
butter is not produced by a very short nor a very long 
period in churning. If it is churned too quick, the se¬ 
paration is not complete, and the butter, besides being 
less rich, is deficient in quantity; if the process is con¬ 
tinued too long, the butter is likely to be oily. Wo 
think our best butter makers would decide that churn¬ 
ing for ordinary quantities, should occupy from thirty 
to fifty minutes. 
Cheese and Exports. —Herkimer county, N. Y. has 
produced 8 million pounds of Cheese annually. St. Law¬ 
rence 9 million, and the whole state, according to the 
