The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-20


We give the following interesting let
ter on the cultivation of corn. l think
the mode of the use of peas in the pro
duction of this crop is an excellent one,
and the whole plan good:
BARHAMsvILLE, New Kent, Va. I
February 18th, 1881.
DR.. Thomas Pollard:
Der Sir,-I saw in the hands of
neighbor your fourth Annual Agricul-
tural Report. like it very much and
think it better adapted to the farmers
wants than the one from Washington. /
will thank you for one if you have it to
spare.
have been farmer, trucker, and fruit
grower for twenty-eight years, and think
| know howto grow vegetables. 1 think
can give some hints on corn growing,
not noticed in your report. 1 claim it is
the most successful and economical way
for the common farmer 1 abandoned
the fve-feld system after 1865. cul-
tivate one field only in corn, keeping it
clean of grass and weeds, and constantly
improving by drilling peas at the laying
by of the crop, one-half bushel per acre,
and covering in the fall with two fur
rows; the land is thus half broken up, in
the spring add two burrows more, put
on a double drag, open with turn pillow
and plant. [ never weed corn First,
run the cultivator ("Iron Age" best,
then the turn pillow, and you have the
crop safe. Corn cultivated this way
does not suffer half as much during
drought. l invariably make fair crop,
cultivating on this plan If desired, at
your next report, will give some views
in regard to fruit and vegetables.
l am, very respectfully, etc.,
THOMAS ]. TURNER.
Butter Making.
We feel this subject is Misunderstood,
particularly in Virginia I wish I were
competent to impart information on it.
AS it is | must get information. from
others on the subject, and give at this
time letter from Mr. Thatcher, of New
York, who seems to be practical butter
maker. He prepares butter coloring
to which [ have before referred. At an
other time 1 will endeavor to CLEAN some
information from the little pamphlet to
which he alludes.
PoTsDAM, N. Y, March 1st, 81.
DR.. Thomas Pollard:
Dear Sir,-Your letter was forwarded
to me by Mr.. Thurber. In relation to
butter color, have to say that on page
10 OF the " Dairymans and Farmers Guide
Book, which [ send in another envelope
to you this day, [ make something of
statement of my manner of arriving at
what L call very fine combination for
a butter color. My work in that direc-
ton has been done largely by the use of
the microscope. l purchased hundreds
of gallons of cream for my many expert
ments, and it required persistent labor
to find an article that will do this work
and do it satisfactorily.
I'd: Your question as to the works on
butter-making. There is no work ex-
clusively on butter-making. 1.-The Dairy
Cow" by the Sturtevant Bros, South
Pennington, Mass, takes up the subject
IN part A work on the Jersey Cow, by
W..P. Hazard, devotes number of pages
to butter making, but I know of no good
work on the subject. On page % of my
little work, is an article on butter-mak-
ing. Butter-making is just in its infancy.
The time will come when milk will either
be set in deep pals and the cream taken
off in layers, SO that the larger butter
globules may be churned by themselves,
and also the small ones by themselves,
50 that all this butter may be secured
or else dairies will have to be graded for
the large and small butter globules.-
Your mission is to teach agriculture, and
among its finer developments you ought
to teach butter-making, and also the max
ing of the color. In the former there is
room for much study. 1st Jersey COWS
butter globules are large, about one
four-thousandth or one-fve- thousandth OF
an inch in diameter. The envelopine
membrane is delicate and tender, and
therefore the cream ripens, so to say, and
is ready to churn in 80 to SO hours after
it is taken from the milk, and if the TEN.
perature is maintained at $50 to go. &C.
cording to season, it can be churned in
II to 20 minutes. Holstein and Short
Horn cows milk has a butter plobul,
from one-six- thousandth to one-seven
thousandth inch in diameter, and there
fore the cream is longer in rising for The
reason that the specific gravity of tn,
butter Is less than water or milk, and tn,
f specific gravity of the enveloping mem
brane is about the same as water. The
, membrane is thicker on lost noroed o,1o