1852. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
203 
degree of uncertainty may exist in consequence of differ¬ 
ing circumstances under which the trials were made. We 
are not informed whether the difference in the richness of 
the milk was owing to any marked difference in breed; 
indeed we infer that all were mostly of “ native” blood, 
or in other words made up of that inextricable mixture 
of sorts which can never be traced to its origin. The 
results given indicate much uniformity in quality, much 
more so than is found in different distinct breeds experi¬ 
mented upon in England. Aceordihg to Henry Colman, 
the following results in richness were obtained on a farm 
near Liverpool:— 
Yorkshire and common cows,. 8 per cent. 
Ayrshire,. 15 
Alderney,. 23£ 
That is, the Alderneys afforded three times the butter 
made from an equal portion of milk from Yorkshires. 
Thomas Bates furnished the following minutes of his own 
experiments:— 
1 quart milk, West Highlanders, produced,.... 2 oz. butter. 
“ Half bred Durham, . 2£ “ 
“ average of Short-horns,.1 “ 
Of some select or extra stock, the following was the 
result-.— 
1 quart milk, Short-hons, produced,. 2 } oz. butter. 
“ West Highlanders,. 2£ 
“ half-bred Durham,.2| 
Thus, we perceive, that by selection, the different 
breeds afforded a very nearly equal degree of richness 
in this instance. We are certainly in great need of fur¬ 
ther experiments to determine whether there is a marked 
and uniform difference characteristic of each breed, or 
whether good and bad are not to be found equally in all. 
In either case, the determination of the quality of milk 
given by single animals would be of great practical value. 
Maple Sugar and Molasses. 
With the annexed communication, we received, from 
the unknown author, a dozen pounds of maple sugar, 
fully equal in quality to any unrefined sugar we have 
ever seen. The remarks in relation to premiums on 
maple sugar, are worthy the consideration of Agricul¬ 
tural Societies. Eds. 
Eds. Cultivator — I send you a sample of maple 
sugar, and my manner of making the same. Great care 
is taken to keep every thing pertaining to the manufac¬ 
turing of this article, sweet and clean. The sap is care¬ 
fully strained before boiling; the syrup is taken out of 
the pans, and allowed to stand 12 hours, when it is care¬ 
fully poured off from the settings and strained. Two 
quarts of sweet milk are stirred into syrup that will make 
about one hundred pounds of sugar. It is then put over 
a slow fire, and heat to the boiling point, when the scum 
is taken off and it is again strained into another kettle, 
and boiled down sufficiently hard not to drain when 
caked. 
My boiling apparatus is taken from the Cultivator, new 
series, vol. 1, p. 22, excepting the wall to prevent the 
cold air from striking the sides of the pans. Great care 
should be taken to not have the sides of pans or kettles 
heated so as to scorch or burn the sugar, as there is 
where the dark color and bad taste is given to most of 
our sugar,—a taste which many think is peculiar to the 
maple, and can only be avoided by draining, dissolving, 
clarifying, &,c. Now I think, could our sap be converted 
into sugar by one process, without being in any way 
adulterated, it would be almost equal in texture, and far 
superior in taste, to our best refined sugar. 
I notice in awarding premiums on the best manufac¬ 
tured maple sugar, that the awards are given on sugars 
that have gone through the best process of refining after 
being made; it matters not of what quality the sugar 
may be in the first place; it may be made in the most 
slovenly and dirty manner, and be burnt black and bitter 
into the bargain; if the maker by some process makes 
it white and nice after that—no matter if the sugar 
loses the taste and flavor which is peculiar to the maple, 
and makes it more valuable than the cane, or what the 
loss or cost may be—he is sure to get the first pre¬ 
mium, in preference to a well manufactured article. Now 
I think there ought to be a distinction made between the 
best manufactured, and the best refined sugar. I do not 
think a man is entitled to the first premium, because he 
can take fifty pounds of sugar and refine it down to 
twenty-five pounds, although it may be equal to our best 
refined sugar. The object in awarding premiums, I take 
it, is to encourage improvements in the manufacturing 
of this article for culinary purposes; and I give it as my 
opinion that the well manufactured article, is worth 
more, pound for pound, than the refined one; therefore 
should be entitled to the first premium. 
To make this sugar into syrup for the table—put two 
pounds of sugar (cut or broken into pieces,) into a tin 
basin, add one-third of a quart of water—put it on to a 
stove, where it will soon dissolve. When dissolved it 
should be made to boil. If too much water is put in, it 
should be boiled down so that when cool it will be about 
as thick as good honey. Syrup made in this way, will 
be found to be as good as when first made new from the 
sap. E.B. 
P. S. The sugar I send you, is a fair sample of three 
thousand pounds made from our works. 
Value of Green-Houses to Invalids. —Dr. A. H. 
Ste vens, of Astoria, N. Y., long so eminent in his pro¬ 
fession, furnishes the following interesting fact to the Hor¬ 
ticulturist. c: Having for many years suffered from a 
pulmonary complaint, I am led to avail myself of your 
Journal, to offer some observations on a subject lying 
mid-way between our respective callings. Some ten or 
twelve years since, in visiting the green-house of Mr. 
Niblo, then my neighbor in Broadway, during the win¬ 
ter, I found the atmosphere exceedingly congenial. It 
abated my cough, rendered the expectoration loose and 
easy, softened the skin, and induced a comfortable state 
of feeling, approaching to exhiliration. Wishing to have 
such an atmosphere at command, I constructed a cold 
grapery, in which, whenever it has been convenient, I 
have passed the hours of reading and study. The cli¬ 
mate of a cold green-house, in a sunny day of the winter 
or spring, is a Florida climate, and is entirely different 
from that of an artificially heated atmosphere. I ven¬ 
ture to recommend it under most circumstances, to pul¬ 
monary invalids, in preference to the more expensive 
plan of removal to the south, involving, as it does, much 
discomfiture, interruption of business, hazardous expo¬ 
sure, and entire separation from friends.” 
