13G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[May 30. 
men invite tlio opinions of tlic many. Tint for the seedling 
culture of tlie potato to be successfully earned out, it must 
receive a stimulus in tlie form of a society. And when we 
■ consider what has been done for floriculture and liorticul- 
I ture by the two great societies of this country, and agriculture 
by the Royal Agricultural; also tlio improvement that has 
been effected in the pansy or heartsease, by tlie combined 
means of similar associations ; and while we have cucumber, 
melon, dahlia, pink, and lastly, chrysanthemum societies, 
which are springing up in all parts, why should we not 
have a potato society ? It is true, that occasionally a basket 
or two of very early grown ones may find their way to some 
of the floral exhibitions, and also some large specimens to 
some of the agricultural meetings ; but we want a society' 
formed for the improvement, the seedling cultivation of the 
potato ; and endeavour to eradicate this _ disease, if not 
entirely to have it under control, and keep it in subjection. 
I would suggest that a central one be established in Lon¬ 
don, and branch societies in all parts of her Majesty’s do¬ 
minions. Furthermore, I feel persuaded that if Her Most 
Gracious Majesty or his Royal Highness Prince Albert were 
properly applied to, they would feel proud at becoming the 
patrons of an institution established for the better cultivation 
and improvement of so useful and staple a commodity as the 
potato, and upon which to a certain extent depends the well¬ 
doing of nations, more particularly Ireland.—G. Hasker, 
Ball's Pond, Islington. 
THE DAIRY. 
A Dairy is always an object of interest. The first request, 
when showing our possessions to town or country friends is, 
“ Let us see the Dairy." And certainly a well kept dairy is 
a pleasing sight. The excessive cleanliness, the coolness, 
the neatness, the sweetness, is delightful, even to those who 
have been born and bred in the pure air of the country; 
what must it be then when life has been passed amidst the 
turmoil, the heat, and the smell of a town ! Should you 
happen to pay a visit to a farm-house whose mistress is not 
famed for cleanliness, walk into the dairy. You will be 
pretty sure of meeting nothing there to disgust or annoy you,^ 
for cleanliness in that department becomes a matter of 
pounds, shillings, and pence. Butter cannot be sold unless 
it is good, and that it will never be if cleanliness to the nicest 
point is not attended to. 
If possible, a dairy should face the north. The window 
and door should be opposite each other, in order to have 
a current of air through the dairy. The flooring should 
be either brick, stone, or slate. The shelf also, on which the 
pans are placed, should, if possible, be made of slate or 
stone. China is used in “show dairies,” (“model" dairies 
I suppose they' are now called), but of course that is 
beyond the means of any, except the favoured few. Wood, 
by so quickly absorbing liquid, is very objectionable for 
shelves or flooring; but should it be found in a dairy, 
plenty of soda must be dissolved in the water with which 
it is washed, or it will always retain a disagreeable smell. 
I object to the wooden milking-pails even; infinitely pre¬ 
ferring tin; and as to milk standing in pans made of 
wood, it is wholly inadmissible. Earthenware, tin, or glass 
pans are easily kept clean; and the cream rises in them better 
than in the wooden ones. Zinc trays are much used in 
large dairies, and even those made of lead, but I do not like 
their appearance. 
Now, having said thus much on the “ properties" of a good 
dairy, let us follow the milk from the time it is taken from 
the cow until it appears at table in the form of butter. 
When a cow is milked great care should be taken that 
every drop is drained from her; tlie last “ droppings” are 
always the richest. Let it be carried quietly and steadily to 
the dairy, where it must be strained into the pans appointed 
to receive it. In summer it may be skimmed in twelve 
hours; in winter the milk should stand twenty-four before it 
is touched. Each milk-pan should be skimmed trice in 
summer, and, if possible, three times in winter. The cream 
when skimmed should be put into a deep earthenware pan, 
which pan should, in hot weather, be put into a pail of cold 
water. If your dairy is a cool one, churning trice a week 
will be sufficient; if not, it must be done three times. Before 
putting the cream into the chum, wash the churn well with 
cold spring water in summer, and with hot water in winter. 
From an horn - to an hour and a half is the usual time cream 
takes before the butter comes ; very much, however, depends 
on the weather, the kind of churn used, and the amount of 
attention bestowed on the cleanliness of the dairy. 
When the butter is taken from the churn put it into a 
shallow tub, pour cold water on it, and beat it thoroughly, 
wrapped in a cheese-cloth, rolled in the form of a ball. This 
cloth being very porous absorbs the butter-milk ; but care 
must be taken that it is constantly washed in cold water, 
which must be at hand for that purpose. The water in 
which the butter is lying must be frequently changed, until 
no appearance of milk is seen ; during the last washing some 
salt must be mixed with it. When the salt is well beaten in, 
the butter is ready to be made into shapes, either of half a 
pound, or into small pats. Should it be very soft when made 
up, put it into spring-water, in which a little saltpetre lias 
been dissolved. If you require butter for salting, attention 
must be paid to its being perfectly dry, and free from every , 
drop of water. Many people prefer beating it with a porous 
cloth, to extract the butter-milk, instead of washing it in 
water. The salt which is used should be of the finest 
quality. Before mixing it with the butter it should be 
pounded quite fine, and dried before the fire ; the usual pro¬ 
portions are 5 lbs. of salt to 50 lbs. of butter. The inside of 
the tub in which the butter is to be placed should be washed j 
with a mixture of salt and water; and whilst damp, rub the 
sides with salt, and sprinkle some at the bottom. II hen the 
butter has been well mixed with the salt, press it into the tub i 
as tightly as possible, and fill it full; sprinkle some salt at 
the top, and tie it down with a bladder. In some counties 
this method of salting butter is carried on to a great extent, j 
but in situations where a ready sale is found for fresh butter 
it is seldom practised. | 
There are several ways in which skim milk may be turned ; 
to account; the most usual are, fattening pigs on it, or 
making skim-milk-cheeses. Some, however, should always 
be either given or sold to the poor around you. The prac¬ 
tice is much appreciated, and adds materially to the comfort 
of our poorer brethren: “He that hath pity on the poor 
lendeth to the Lord,” “And look, what he layeth out shall 
be paid him again,” are the words of “ the wise man.” And 
true indeed they are, for if we look on the poor as “ mes¬ 
sengers of the great King,” we shall do them all the good in 
our power, for the sake of the King’s Son, who sends them 
to us, in order to try our love for Him ; and the payment wo 
shall receive for these imperfect services is such that it fills 
our mind with astonishment, and we are ready to exclaim 
with David—“Lord! what is man that thou art mindful of 
him, and the son of man that thou so reganlest him ? ” 
A Friend. 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Blanching Rhubarb— I know that any simple contriv¬ 
ance for gardening purposes is acceptable to some of the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener, and I am, therefore, 
tempted to describe the mode adopted here for growing rhu¬ 
barb. I am not kitchen gardener enough to know whether 
it is of general practice. Just when the rhubarb is about to 
start, they drive three stakes or slips of board about three 
feet long into the ground, round each plant, so as to bo about 
two feet, or two feet six inches, out of ground, and slightly 
inclining together at the top. Round these stakes they twist 
hay-bands, fastening off the ends by twisting them amongst 
tlie hay, so as not to get loose, and leaving the top open. 
By these means the rhubarb is drawn up; if it is not drawn 
too fast, you obtain a great length of stalk ; and when you 
want to cut, away you slip the hay-bands off the top altoge¬ 
ther, like a chimney-pot; and then, having cut what you want, 
put it on again like an extinguisher, with no trouble at all. 
Of course the hay bands should reach close to the ground.— 
C. IV. Estcourt. 
Squirrels. —A late contributor accuses the squirrels of 
gnawing off the top trigs of his spruce firs. I have my 
walks and plantations strewn with these fragments ; but if 
your correspondent will take the trouble to examine these 
twigs, he will find that in far the greater number of instances 
I the pith has been excavated by an insect (probably Cossus 
