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OH LIQUID MANURE.
BY
PROF. AUGUSTUS YOELCKEK,
Os the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, Eng
land.
On the characters of soils not benefitted hy liquid \
manure , and on the causes of failure.
Soils containing a fair proportion of clay. es
pecially stiff clay soils, are diametrically opposed
in tlieir chemical and physical characters to
those which are porous and sandy. Generally,
the more retentive and stiff soils contain not on
ly the more common mineral elements which we
tind in the ashes of plants, such as lime, mag
nesia, soluble silica, sulphuric acid, kc., in suffi
eent abundance, but also the more valuable
mineral substances, such as phosphoric acid and
potash. They moreover possess in a high de
gree the power of absorbing ammonia from the
atmosphere, and retaining it; and in addition to
this ammonia, under good cultivation, the vege
table remains, left in such soils in the shape of
roots and leaves from former crops, yield plenty
of organic food for plants. It is true, that stiff
soils are not always very productive; but gene
rally speaking they contain within themselves
all the elements of fertility, and it is only for
want of proper cultivation that their productive
powers are not fully developed.
Whatever the agriculturist may think of the
Lois Weedon system of culture, the Rev. Mr.
Smith certainly has the great merit of having
shown with indefatigable perseverance and zeal
that certain clay soils only require constant
working in order to yield remunerative crops of
wheat in succession for a number of years. This
would be an utter impossibility if they did not
contain a practically inexhaustible store of miner
al elements of nutrition, and if they did not
under his system of cultivation also provide an
ample supply of organic food.
In illustration of this part of my subject, I
may mention the following analysis, which I re
cently made of a soil and its subsoil of moder
ately retentive and naturally very fertile pro
perties.
The soil and subsoil contained in one hundred
parts:
Surface soil. Subsoil.
Organic matter ami water of combina
tion* 4.8 S 2.69
Alumina 2.15 5.39
Oxides of iron 8.15 7.16
Lime 11 ‘4®
Magnesia 16 L 22
Potash.... 49 .88
Soda 46
Phosphoric acid 12 .19
Chlorine trace trace
Carbonic acid 81 1-19
Insoluble silicates and sand 88.81 80.24
consisting of
Silicic acid 65.11 62.61
Alumina 2.86 14.55
Lime -85
Magnesia 50 .28
Potash. 25 1.77
Soda 09 .21
100.00 100.00
♦Containing nitmgen 182 09
Equal to ammonia 220 .11
Submitted to a mechanical analysis, these soils
furnished:
Surface soil. Subsoil.
Hand 46-16 56,15
Clay 18.09 41.79
Lime, Megnesia, Ac 1.87- .47
Organic matter 4.88 2.59
100.00 100.00
The surface soil, it will be noticed, contains a
considerable proportion of sand, whilst the sub
soil contains less sand and more clay. We have
here an example of a friable loamy soil resting
on a stiffish clay subsoil.
It will be observed that the surface soil
abounds in all the mineral matters which are
required by cultivated plants, and also contains
an appreciable quantity of nitrogenized organic
matters. If we calculate the total amount of the
available fertilizing substances for a depth of
soil of only ten inches, we shall find a quantity
of mineral and organic fertilizing matters, in
comparison with which the amount of manur
ing constituents supplied in fifty thousand gal
lons of liquid manure appears altogether insig
nificant. I believe this to bo the chief reason
why little benefit results from the application of
liquid manure to clay soils and fertile friable
loams. It may be said, if these soils abound in
available fertilizing substances, how is it that
upon them ordinary farm-yard manure is employ
ed with advantage ? To this objection I would
reply: Farm-yard manure, in the first place, is a
more perfect manure than liquid manure, inas
much as it contains a considerable proportion of
soluble and insoluble phosphates which are very
deficient in liquid manure, and, being a bulky
manure, performs important mechanical func
tions that cannot be realised by the use of liquid.
In the second place, I would observe that the
retentive physical characters of clay soils pre
clude the young plant from availing itself of the
total amount of fertilizing matters dispersed
through the whole mass of the soil. In fact,
plants growing on stiffish soils feed only upon a
very smqll proportion of the bulk of soil; whilst
those grown on a porous sandy soil penetrate it
to a greater depth and in every direction, and
avail themselves of the manuring constituents
uniformly distributed amongst a large bulk of
soil by the agency of liquid manure. I indeed
believe that little benefit would arise from the
application of solid manure to clay soils, if it
were possible to incorporate it with the soil as
uniformly as liquid manure, and to the same
depth to which the latter penetrates them. But
decided benitit results from a good dressing
with ordinary yard manure, because, in fact,
only a small proportion of the soil is actually
manured, and because by the very bulk of the
manure the physical and chemical characters of
a portion only of the soil are so altered that in
reality the plant feeds upon a new and artificial
ly formed soil.
However, it is not every clay soil that encloses
in its substance abundant stores of plant
food; there are poor clays as well as poor sandy
soils, and it may be asked. Might not liquid
manure produce a good effect upon sterile clay
land? Ido not think it would produce a very
marked effect, for I conceive that the close tex
ture, coldness, and want of porosity which
characterize sterile clays, are opposed to the
successful application of liquid manure. As
just observed, only a small portion of such soils
can be penetrated by the tender roots of plants,
whilst by far the larger part of the soil enrich
ed by the liquid manure would b? lost under
these circumstances, and the small quantity
left in the portion of soil penetrated by the
roots cannot of course produce any very striking
result.
Moreover, all clay-soils are generally more
than sufficiently wet during the early part of the
year; the additional quality of water supplied
in liquid manure renders them wetter still; and
as much heat is absorbed during the evaporation
of water, the injury done to the land by the re
sulting cold would not, I imagine, be counter
balanced by the small proportion of fertilizing
matters supplied.
Again, clay soils, whether fertile or barren,
and all land that is moderately stiff', like the ma
TKJB gomncsxi VXS&S Mffl SX&K&XSK.
jority of soils in England, must by a heavy dose
of liquid manure be rendered closer. Such soils
certainly would not be improved in their physi
cal character by an excess of water. The use of
liquid manure at a time when such land is more
than sufficiently wet is therefore objectionable.
But it is equally objectionable when stiff soils
get too dry. In summer, soils of that descrip
tion crack in all directions, and the liquid ma
nure then runs through the cracks instead of
passing through the soil, or it moistens the soil
but very imperfectly. Much of the liquid ma
nure, is thus lost, and. moreover, injury is done
by the insufficient proportion of manure that is
absorbed by a thin layer of the surface soil, for
it causes at first a more rapid development of
the young plants, which receive a sudden check
as soon as the small quantity of moisture is all
evaporated.
We thus observe that, generally speaking,
neither the chemical nor physical character of
clay soils, and others, partaking more or less of
the same nature, are favorable to the introduc
tion of the system of liquid manuring. And
since by far the greater part of the cultivated
land in this country (England,) is more or less
retentive, I feel assured that liquid manure will
never be extensively employed by British agri
culturists, but that its use wid be confined to
land of a light porous character.
The experience of those who profess to have
used liquid manure with much benefit on clay
land may be regarded as contradictory to my
views on the subject But I would observe that,
as far as I could learn, the application of liquid
manure on heavy land, where it is said to have
produced astonishing results, was always pre
ceded by thorough draining, subsoil, plowing,
deep cultivation, day-burning, and liming, each
of which processes is well known to effect radi
cal changes in the constitution of heavy land.
Bearing in mind the experience of Mr. Smith, of
Lois Weedon, and others, who have practically
tested the utility of deep cultivation; and on the
other hand the failures of those who have ap
plied liquid manure upon land not previously
improved by other process than thorough drain
age. it appears to me, to say the least of it,
doubtful, whether the improvements in such
soils are due to the processes of subsoiling, lim
ing and burning. Any one of these processes
effects a radical improvement in heavy land, and
much more conspicuous will the improvement be
if all three are resorted to in succession, which
was the case in one instance that came under
my notice.
In conclusion, I offer some remarks on the
modes of disposing of liquid manure.
With respect to the disposal of the liquid ma
nure produced on a farm, I have come to the
conclusion that on porou#, sandy, naturally un
productive soils, the liquid excrements of ani
mals are best disposed of, together with the
solid excrements, by mixing both with much
water and irrigating the land with liquid ma
nure. Where plenty of water can be obtained
at a moderate expense, and wheretfacilities exist
for irrigation by gravitation, so that no expenses
have to be incurred for the erection of steam
pumping engines and underground pipes, I
believe that tins will be found incomparably the
most effective and economic mode of manuring
land.
But instances are comparatively rare in this
country (England) where the liquid and solid ex
crements can be disposed of together with ad
vantage. The question therefore arises, how
should liquid manure be disposed of on clay
soils, and on land such as we frequently find it,
that is neither so stiff as clay nor so loose in
texture as sand ?
This question involves the consideration of se
veral purely practical matters. Thus, for in
stance, the quantity of liquid manure produced
on a farm must necessarily influence a farmer in
his proceedings; if there are only a few thousand
gallons of liquid manure produced, it will of
course not pay to construct an expensive tank
and lay down pipes, whilst on another farm it
may be good policy to collect the liquid in a
water-tight tank. Again, a proper answer to
this question cannot Ire given, unless it is stated
whether fattening stock or young cattle are
chiefly kept on a farm, or whether the farm
consists chiefly of arable or pasture land, or
whether most of the fields are light or heavy,
whether much or little straw is produced, and
in what way the straw is disposed of with most
benefit. Such and similar considerations must
necessarily influence the arrangements for col
lecting and disposing of the excrementitious
matters produced on a farm. Nothing, there
fore, can be more absurd than to lay down a
fixed rule for tli9 management of liquid manure.
On one of my agricultural excursions I remem
ber having visited a farm where I found the li
quid manure tank brim-full. On inquiry what
was done with the tank liquid, I was told
“nothing.” This appeared tome a strange an
swer, and I was half inclined to consider my host
behind the times. However, knowing him to be
a remarkably intelligent and thoroughly practi
cal man, I did not jump at once to such a hasty
conclusion, but endeavored to learn from him all
the particulars which led him at first to erect a
tank, and afterwards to allow the liquid manure
to run over and find its way into the soil as best
it could. The result of a morning's ramble over
the whole of the farm, and an animated discus
sion afterwards between us, was, that I thought
with my friend that the most practical mode of
disposing of the liquid manure in this case, was
to let it run away “as fast as it would.” I trust
I may not be understood as advocating this no
vel, and I believe by no means uncommon, me
thod of dealing with the contents of liquid ma
nure tanks on heavy clay farms. We cannot
avoid recognising in this practice a waste which,
no doubt, may be avoided, but which, under pe
culiar circumstances, is an evil that is more eco
nomically endured than cured.
Disclaiming, therefore, the intention of laying
down fixed rules for the management of liquid
manure, and avoiding the consideration of many
practical matters, I propose to point out, byway
of example, one circumstance which I believe
more than any other must affect the arrange
ments on a farm for disposing of the liquid ex
crements of animals.
There are three modes of disposing of the li
quid excrements of animals on soils on which ir
rigation with liquid manure cannot be carried
out with advantage:
1. Where the urine of animals is completely
absorbed by litter m feeding-boxes.
1. Where the urine and drainings of stables,
cow-houses, and pig-Sties are collected in a
small tank in close proximity to a covered ma
nure-pit.
3. When the liquid excrements of domestic
animals, the sewage of dwelling houses, drain
age-water, and every kind of animal refuse mat
ter, are col’octed together in a water-tight tank
of larger capacity, situated as in No. 2, close to
the man.ure-pit.
I assume that the manure-tank in Nos. 2 and 3
is provided with a forcing-pump, by means of
which the tank liquid can be spread over the so
lid manure, as occasion requires.
In no instance would I recommend that the li
quid collected in the tank should be applied by
itself. Manure, I l)elieve, ought either all to be j
used in a liquid form or all in in a solid state, j
I consider it decidedly a bad practice to employ
separately the solid and the liquid excrements
of animals.
The adoption of one or the other of these three
modes of dealing with liquid manure must de
pend chiefly on the supply of strata.
On farms where no young stock is kept, and
just enough straw is produced to provide fatten
ing cattle and horses with the requisite quantity
of chaff and a sufficient amount of bedding ma
terials, I believe the best mode of disposing of
the liquid and solid excrement is to make the
manure in boxes.
In well-managed box-feeding there is no
waste by drainage of the most valuable portion
of manure, nor waste by evaporation of ammo
nia ; the manure ferments regularly and slowly,
and liquid and solid excrementitious matters,
which are neitherof them perfect manures when
applied separately, are preserved together in the
most admirable manner. But on many farms
the whole of the manure cannot be made in
boxes, for on some there is too little straw pro
duced, and only some of the cattle can be kept
in boxes. In other places, the farmer has so
much straw that he finds it difficult to dispose of;
he can neither sell the excess to advantage, nor
make it all into manure in fattening-boxes ;
In the former case—that is, when straw is de
ficient—l would suggest that the urine of cattle
should be conducted through iron pipes into a
perfectly water-tight tank, placed in the middle
of the dung-steading, or close to one side of it.
Let the manure-pit be covered by a roof, sup
ported by several upright poles. Such a roof
might perhaps be cheaply made of asphalted
felt—a material that is both water-proof and
light. A roof made of this material would not,
I imagine, take very stout posts for supports,
and could be erected at quite a cheap rate. —
The four sides of this erection would be of course
left open, so that the wind could sweep over the
manure in the pit in every direction.
Care should be taken to prevent the water
from the roofs of farm-buildings and cattle-sheds
from finding its way into the liquid-manure
tank. Unless the tank is perfectly water-tight,
and the urine of the stables and cow-houses
conducted through iron or stoneware pipes, it is
hardly possible to exclude drainage-water. By
adopting this course, only the urine of cattle,
saturated more dr less with solid excrements,
will find its way into the tank, and a compara
tively small quantity of liquid will collect in it.
The liquid, being concentrated, will rapidly en
ter into fermentation, and will lose ammonia by
evaporation. It is, therefore, desirable that
some oil of vitrol be poured into the tank from
time to time, or whenever a pungent smell is
discernible. According to the size of the tank,
five to ten pounds of oil of vitrol may be poured
into it perhaps every two or three months. By
this inexpensive and most effectual mode of
preventing loss in ammonia, the manure may
be wonderfully improved. The solid manure in
the pit, being sheltered against rain, rapidly
gets drier, for during the fermentation of dung
heat is developed, which is spent in the conver
sion of a considerable portion of the manure in
to vapor.
As it is of much consequence to ferment ma
nure with regularity, and fermentation is almost
altogether stopped when excrementitious matters
and straw are completely immersed in water, it
is advisable to give the dung pit a somewhat in
clined position, and to lay down an iron pipe
close to the bottom of the pit, and to cam- by
this means any excess of liquid back into the
tank. If this arrangement be adopted, the liquid
in the tank may frequently be pumped over the
manure in the pit without doing any harm, which
it would be sure to do if no provision were made
for the excess of liquid to drain back into the
tank. This is of particular importance on farms
where cattle, for want of straw, are insufficient
ly littered, and the manure consequently is very
wet. The bulk of the solid manure, as well as
the quantity of absorbing materials, might be
considerably increased if coal ashes, dry saw
dust, and dry refuse matters of every descrip
tion, and even dry earth, were thrown upon the
manure heap; and I feel convinced that, with
a little care and management, the whole of the
liquid excrements might gradually be absorbed
and incorporated with the solid manure and
litter.
The third plan of disposing of liquid manure is
most beneficially adopted on farms upon which
much more straw is produced than can be sold
or consumed in feeding-boxes. On many farms
in the neighborhood of Cirencester it is impossi
ble to convert in boxes the excess of straw into
manure. There is not sufficient moisture to rot
the straw.
On our own farm we have so much straw in
the manure that it would not ferment properly
if it were not exposed in the manure-pit to the
rain that falls, and if it were not besides moist
ened with the sewage that flows from the Col
lege into the liquid-manure tank. Where there
is an excess of straw, no difficulty exists ot dis
posing of liquid manure, since the straw is ca
pable of taking up more liquid than is supplied
in the urine of animals. For this reason, it is of
no use to erect a roof over the manure-pit on
farms where a large excess of straw is employ
ed in the making of manure. On such farms I
think no sensible man would contemplate for a
moment the introduction of the system of liquid
manuring.
—
THE PRINCIPLES OF STOCK-BREEDING.
. It is a common, but silly question, “Which
breed of animals is the best for the farmer ?”
Some advocate short-horns, others advocate the
long-horns, others the medium-horns, and others
will have no horns at all. A particular kind is
sometimes advocated under all circumstances
to the exclusion of all others. Such persons re
mind me of the disputants about the true color
of the chamelion ; all are right, and all are
wrong, depending upon the point from which
the object is examined. That breed of animals
is the most profitable which is better adapted to
that particular locality. One class do better on
upland, others on lowland; some do better grass
ing, some do better housed. It also depends
upon the demand of the neighboring markets.
In some parts cheese-making pays best; in
other parts milk; in other parts meat, kc. In
some districts it pays better to breed draught
| horses, in others hackneys and hunters, in
I others race horses, in others ponies, kc. What
i I wish to impress deeply on your minds is this :
Every breed has its own peculiar conformation,
and that conformation you will find, upon close
investigation, to be peculiarly well adapted for a
particular purpose ; and when you adopt and
cultivate a certain breed, you must always keep
that purpose and that conformation steadily in
view. If you lose the conformation, you will
soon lose the purpose. For instance, we may
divide.cattle into two primary classes: 1. For
fattening and arriving at early maturity ; 2.
For dairy purposes. For illustration, take two
cows, one from each class, and you will find
that just in proportion as the animals represent
the shape or class one, so they are disposed to
fatten; and in the proportion they represent
class two are they fit for dairy purposes.—
These classes may again each be divided into dif
ferent divisions ; Ais better adapted for high
land ; Bis better adapted for low land; Cis
better adapted for out-door living : D is better
adapted for living in-doors, and so on. Each di
vision has its own distinct' peculiarity of exter
nal conformation. That enables us to say at
once which will do there. It is all important
that the breeder should be thoroughly acquaint
ed with these “points,” or proper shape of his
stock.
*****
I now merely draw your attention to the fact,
that there is a peculiar shape adapted to perform
any particular work, and it is essential that the
young man should make himself thoroughly ac
quainted with these, before he can expect to
become a successful breeder. Starting, then,
upon the great law of nature, that like produces
like, and being prepared against variations by
breeding from animals of the same soft, Ac.,
breeding good stock becomes a simple matter of
course. First, ascertain what animals your land
is best adapted for. Secondly, what have the
readiest sale in your markets. Thirdly, having
decided upon the purpose of your animal, study
the shape and conformation calculated to attain
your object in the most perfect manner ; if you
wish to breed fat stock, study the shape most
disposed to lay on fat with the least food,
and to arrive at early maturity ; if you wish to
breed milch cows, study the proper shapes to
perform their various duties. Fourthly, don’t
breed them from an animal, whether male or fe
male, whose shape is not well adapted to per
form the work it is intended for; let them be of
the most perfect shape you can get of their kind.
Fifthly, being acquainted with the laws of atta
vism, or breeding back, you will not l>e satisfied
unless their ancestors were also of the same
sort, and equally good ; in fact, {thoroughbred,
and free from hereditary evils. Remem!>er, Ido
not confine the term thoroughbred to the race
horse. It may be equally well applied to the
cart horse, or hunter, or pony, or carriage horse,
Ac. It means those whose pedigree for a con
siderable time back were of the same class, and
adapted for the same purpose as themselves.—
Unless you commence to establish a new breed,
you should never breed from a half-bred animal.
There is too much risk connected with it; it is
based upon a wrong principle ; you should car
ry the right principle out thoroughly. Though
you may not have good distinct breeds of coach
horses, hackneys, Ac., now, you may soon have,
b/ following the directions I laydown. Unless
breeders will reform, that useful animal the hack
ney (or roadster,) will soon become extinct. The
present system of breeding hunters and coach
horses is a bad one ; because by putting a race
horse to a half-bred mare you may get a good
hunter, and you often fail; voh may get a hack,
you may get a useless one. By putting a hunt
ing horse to a Cleveland made, you may get a
carriage horse, or you may get a good-for-nothing.
You have no law to depend upon.
By breeding exclusively from animals of the
same shape, and, therefore, adapted for the same
purpose, with careful attention to pedigree, you
may easily establish a breed for any purpose
whatever. At first, when originating the breed
of hunters and carriage horses, of course we can
not avoid using crossed or hall-bred animals, and
such was the origin of the race horse. They
will soon bear the name thorough ; and when, in
after generations, a progeny will show' the origi
nal cross, by breeding back, it must not on any
account be used for breeding purposes. I should
recommend you to breed from your own stock
exclusively, only as long as you cannot find a
better male than your own, and your stock im
proves. I do not object to a cautious admixture
of blood, but you must not cross the breed. I
do not object to crossing two families, but those
families must I*} of the same breed. The word
“breed” is very comprehensive, and has many
different meanings. By those of the same breed
I wish to be understood those of the same shape
and adapted to the same work, with good pedi
gree. They may or may not be related. For
example,you must not breed between a thorough
bred draft-horse, and a thoroughbred hunter or
racer. You would get a good-for-nothing mon
grel, too weak for draught, too ugly for harness,
and not the shape for the saddle; yet our fairs
are over-stocked with such animals, which
proves that the present system of breeding is n
wrong one. I can countenance no crossing of
the breeds. Keep them distinct. Have thor
ough-bred draft-horses, thorough-bred hackneys,
thorough-bred hunters, as well as thorough-bred
racers. Each has its own peculiar shape, suita
ble for its particular purpose. Why should they
be mixed ?— London Mark Lane Express.
■■ - -♦*♦•
THE SCIENCE OT BAD BUTTEB.
We once took occasion to give our opinion of
the butter which was largely brought to our mar
ket. The article was deemed severe; but if
they who think so had eaten of the butter, they
would have tegarded that as the more pungent
of the two. We have waited a year, and are
now prepared more fully to testify agaiust that
utter abomination, slanderously called butter, so
unrighteously exchanged in our market for good
money. For the most part, the cream is utterly
depraved at the start, and churning, working and
packing are only the successive steps of an evil
education, by wdiich bad inclinations are devel
oped into overt wickedness. We determined to
keep an eye on the matter, and now r give, from
life, the natural history of the butter sold.
Before doing this, we will express an opinion
of what is good butter.
-Good butter, is made of sweet cream, with per
fect neatness ; is of high color.‘perfectly sweet,
free from buttermilk, and possesses a fine grass
flavor.
Tolerable butter differs from this in not hav
ing a fine flavor. It is devoid of all unpleasant
taste, but has not a high relish.
Whatever is less than this, is bad butter ; the
catalogue is long, and the descending scale is
I marked with more variations than one may im
agine.
Variety 1. Buttermilk Butter. —This has not
: been well worked, and has the taste of fresh
buttermilk. It is not very disagreeable to such
as love fresh buttermilk : but as it is a flavor not
! expected in good butter, it is usually disagreea
! ble.
Variety 2. Strong Butter. —This is one step
farther along, and the buttermilk is changing
and beginning to predominate over the buttera
■ ceous flavor; yet it may be eaten with some
pleasure if done rapidly, accompanied with very
good bread.
Variety 3. Frotoy or Frowsy Butter. —This is
a second degree of strength attained by the but
termilk. It has become pungent, and too disa-
I greeable for any but absent-minded eaters.
Variety 4. Rancid Butter. —This is the pu
| trescent stage. No description will convey to
those who have not tasted it an idea of its un
earthly flavor; while those who have will hardly
j thank us for stirring up such aw’fuf remem
; brances by any description.
Variety 5. Bitter Buffer. —Bitterness is for
i the most part incident to winter butter. When
1 one has but little cream, and is lon g in collecting
enough for the chum, he will be very apt to have
bitter butter.
Variety 6. Musty Butter— In summer, espe
cially in damp unventilated cellars, cream will
gather mould; whenever this appears, the pigs
should be set to chum it. But instead, if but
just touched, it is quickly churned, or if much
moulded, it is slightly skimmed, as if the flavor
of mould which lias struck through the mass,
could lie removed by taking off the colored por
tion ! The peculiar taste arising from this af
fection of the milk, blessed be the man that
needs to be told of it!
Variety 7. Sour Milk Butter. —This is made
from milk which has been allowed to sour, the
milk and cream being churned up together,
the flavor is that of greasy, sour milk.
Variety 8. Vinegar Butter. —There are some
who imagine that all milk should be soured be
fore it is fit to chum. When in cool weather it
delays to change, they expedite the matter by
some acid, usually vinegar. The butter strongly
retains the flavor thereof.
Variety 9. Cheesy Butkr. —Cream comes
quicker by being heated. If sour cream is
heated, it is very apt to separate and deposit a
whey ; if this is strained into the chum with
the cream, the butter will have a strong cheesy
flavor.
Variety 10. Granulated Butter. When, in
winter, sweet cream is overheated preparatory
to churning, it produces butter full of grains as
if there were meal in it.
Variety 11.—In this we will comprise the
two kinds —too salt and unsalted butter. We
have seen butter, exposed to sale, with such •
masses of salt in it, that one is tempted to be
lieve that it was put in as a make-weight.
When salt is coarse, the operation of eating this
butter affords those who have good teeth a
pleasing variety of grinding.
Variety 12. Ixird Butter. —When lard is
cheap and abundant, and butter rather dear, it
is thought profitable to combine the two.
Variety 13. Mixed Butter. —When the
shrewd housekeeper has several separate churn
ings of butter on hand, some of which would
hardly be able to go alone, she puts them to
gether, and those who buy find out that “ union
is strength." Such butter is pleasingly marbled:
p ieces of white, of yellow’ and of dingy butter
melting into each other until the w'hole is ring
streaked and speckled.
Variety 14. Compound Butter. —By compound
butter, we mean that which has received con
tributions from things animate and inanimate;
feathers, hairs, rags of cloth, threads, sjiecks, ,
chips, straws, seeds ; in short, everything is, at
one time or another, to be found in it, giving to
produce the three successive degrees of dirty,
filthy, nasty.
Variety 15. Tough Butter. —When butter is
worked too long after the expulsion of butter
milk, it assumes a gluey, putty-like consistence,
and is tough when eaten. But, oh! blessed
fault! We would go ten miles to pay our ad
miring respects to that much-to-be-praised dairy
maid, whose zeal leads her to work her butter
too much ! Wo doubt, however, if a pound of
such butter was ever seen in this place.
Besides all these, whose history we have cor
rectly traced ; besides butter tasting of turpen
tine from being made in pine churns ; butter
bent upon traveling in hot weather ; butter dot
ted, like cloves on a boiled ham, with flies,
which Solomon assures us causetli the ointment
to stink ; besides butter in rusty tin pans and in
dirty swaddling clothes ; l esides butter made of
milk drawn from a dirty cow, by a dirty hand,
into a yet dirtier pail, and churned in a churn
the dirtiest of all. besides all these, sub-varieties
there are several others with which we have
formed an acquaintance, but found -ourselves
battled at analysis. We could not even guess
cause of their peculiarities. Oh, Dr. Lie
big ! how we have longed for your skill in ana
lytical chemistry’. What consternation would
we speedily send among the slatternly butter
makers, revealing the mysteries of their dirty
doing with more than mesmeric facility.
And now, what on earth is the reason that
good butter is so great a variety ? Is it a he- .
reditary curse in some families, or is it a punish
ment sent upon us for our own ill deserts?
A few good butter makers in every neighborhood
are a standing proof that it is nothing but bad
housewifery, mere sheer carelessness, which
turns the luxury of the chum into an utterly
nauseating abomination.
Select cows for quality’, and not for quantity of
milk; give them sweet and sufficient pasturage;
keep clean yourself; milk into a clean pail;
strain into clean pans (pans scalded, scoured,
and sunned, and if tin, with every particle of
milk rubbed out of the seams.) While it is yet
sweet,* churn it, if it delays to come, add a lit
tle saleratus ; work it thoroughly, three times,
salting it at the second working ; put it in a
cool place and, then, with a conscience, as clean
and sweet, as your butter, you have despatched
your tempting rolls to market, sit down and
thank God that you are an honest woman !
♦Orange County or Goshen Batter is made with sour
milk or cream always, (Editor.)
CLOVER FIELDS FOR WHEAT.
Oakland, May 18th, 1859.
To the Editors of the American Farmer—Gen
tlemen : I have been quite interested by several
letters in your recent number of the Farmer,
upon the subject of the preparation of clover
fields for wheat. This is a very important sub
ject to the farmer, for I consider the judicious
use of clover and plaster one of the most relia
ble and cheapest of all modes for the improve
ment of land, as well as affording an excellent
opportunity for a preparation for a crop of wheat.
In the preparation of a clover fallow for wheat,
two leading questions present themselves: First,
the permanent and progressive improvement of ,
the land while raising a good crop. Secondly,
the raising an extraordinary crop, regardless of
the improvement of the soil while doing so. In
regard to the first proposition,j,l would say, turn
under as much clover as a three horse plough
will cover, in July, if possible. Let the land
remain in that condition until a short time pre
vious to seeding, when the clover, I think, will
be to a considerable extent decomposed.—
Thorough harrowing and rolling will then give
a good preparation Sor the seed. I will observe,
that in adhering to the above plan as near as I
could, previous to the introduction of guano. -
and seeding Mediterranean wheat early in Sep
tember, I. for a succession of crops, succeeded
far better than I have since done with the use
of guano and later seeding of what I will term
fancy varieties of wheat generally upon an oat
stubble.
In regard to the second question, I am not
prepared to say that upon highly improved land,
if my only object was the obtaining what may
be termed a brag crop of wheat, regardless of
its effect upon the soil, I would not take a clean
clover fallow. This, however, as a system,
would evidently be a bad one, as it must have a
strong tendency to lessen the future production
of the field. Very respectfully, yours,
Samuel Comeoys.
63