Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-06-11
AGRICULTURE.

n VIII l vi ~
thew may have. A sprinkling Of dry,
a~ir-slacked lime will mitigate a ten
dency to rot.
Ir is supposed that eating rich clover
pasture wet with dew or recent rains Is
dangerous to COWS as producing bloat.
But when dry there Is but little danger,
if the COWS are not too hungry and I'M
used to such food.
New England has now over $50 farm
ers' clubs, with $4,000 active members
and library books to the number OF 81
600, and in the United States there are
nearly 100 agricultural societies, with
$1,000 volumes in their Libraries, and
with access to 800 different agricultural
publications.
THE London Lire Stock Journal, notes a
case of prolific breeding in a COW, at
Fortrie Grange, which, in the course Of
four years, gave birth TO ten calves.
When two years old the COW had m
calf; when three years old she had
three calves; when four years old. she
had four calves; and when five years
old, she had two calves. Nine of the
calves lived and one died wnen only a
few days old, the COW fostering all her
living calves.
CHEESE FOR P~IGs.-Some time since,
Mr.. Aston, of Cheshire, England, made
experiments with cheese to test its value
as a pig feed, and he gives the following
detailed account Of his experience in
the Chester (Eng.) Chronicle: 81 may
just say, for the information of my
friends and your numerous readers,
who appear to take an interest in my
experience (thoug, not always success
full, that American cheese, bought at
ten shillings per cwt., answered admir-
ably for iattening pigs. Some that
were bought about the fourth week in
October last for ten shillings each, are
now estimated by competent men to he
twenty-one stone weight. / have not
fed cheese exclusively but mixed it with
Indian meal, wheat scuftings and bran,
together with what the dairy supplied
in whey and buttermilk, and l never
had pigs fatten better, if as well. We
commenced 70 give them a little on the
3lst Of January last, which appeared to
be very satisfying, and a marked differ
ence was soon manifested in their
growth; and | have now come TO the
conclusion that, if it could be purchased
for nine shilllngs per cwt. long weight,
1T would pay quite as We as Indian
meal at an average lrice. 1t was on
the strength of the opinion entertained
by scientific gentlemen in this country,
and on the other side Of the Atlantic,
that one pound of cheese contains as
much nutriment as two pounds of beef
,r ,nrtt,, that I ma, ,,l,,,J t~ ,,,lxo
the experiment.
BUTTER COMING TOO SoFr.-Oue of four
Alameda county readers has had trou-
BILE with his butter coming too soft or
oily from the churn. He had been
feeding alfalfa. Once before henoticed
the same result, when his COWS had q
full living upon rank alfalfa, and he va
ried their diet by letting them feed half
a day on dry stubble, the other half on
alfalfa. This change this time has not
worked n cure, but the butter remains
too soft. even though the feed is half
dry. We cannot tell just where our
readers practice is at fault, because we
do not know all the conditions which
may affect the product. Undesirable
effects and qualities are sometimes pro-
duced by an excess of rank food, especi-
ally is alfalfa credited with this power
by some dairymen. If fed by the soil
ng system, it is well to cut it and let it
wilt a day before feeding it to the cows.
If pastured, no better plan could be
adopted thar that our Alameda county
friend chose, viz: varying the feed and
giving a dry ration of some kind. This,
it seems, did not cure the oillness of the
butter in the present case. The prob
ability is that the cream was churned
at too high n temperature or churn-
cd too long, or that the butter was
worked before letting it cool down.
Whatever may have been the special
cause for the ~softneSs in this case, we
can best prescribe for it by giving IA
method of procedure which is most ap-
proved by practice, and in meuy cases
does ava with the ~softness il butter:
Let the cream be thin enough to How
easily, and if too thick add sweet milk
or pure water until 1t is thin enough to
run. Begin charming at a temperature
OF $50 or 6o"; cooling down the cream
if it is warme than this limit. Churn
until the butter gathers in the form of
small grains, something like fine wheat
kernels. Do not let the butter ''gather"
in the churn. When the butter is in
this form, it may be treated in two ways.
First, n bucket or W of cold water
COOLED down as low as possible) may
be dashed into the churn. or, if the
churn is rugged for it, draw off the but
termilk, leaving the butter III the