Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-12-10


Here lies lfelees--.'
-Ars George Archibald, in Ha,per's Magazine
for December.
There's silence in the harvest field;
And blackness in the mountain glen,
And cloud that will not pass away
From the hill-tops for many day;
And Stiffness round the homes Of men.
Mary H01;tt.
FARM DAIRY BUTTER MAKING
The Ontario Agricultural College gives the
following instructions for this kind of butter
production:
/. Good ventilation for the milk house, milk
cellar, or dairy room is most essential, and may
be provided for by leading an air drain under
ground for, say 200 feet. Through it supply Of
pure, fresh, cool air may be admitted. The
foul or warm air may be allowed to escape
through ventilators or windows in or near the
ceiling.
2, Cream should invariably be removed from
the milk before the milk is sour.
3. The cream of each churning should be
gathered into and kept in one vessel.
4. The whole Of the cream shonld be well
stirred every time fresh cream is added.
5. In summer, cream should not be left lon.
ger than three days before churning.
6. The best churning temperatures are be-
tween 81 and 6V degrees during summer. and
between 60 and 81 degrees during the winter.
Z. Butter can be more thoroughly washed free
from butter milk while In the granular condi.
ton than after 1t is gathered pressed into a
roll.
8. Only the best pnre salt Of medium aud uni
form fnenees of grain should be used, and from
three.quarters to one ounce Of salt per pound of
butter will be found satisfactory for the sum-
mer.
9. The utmost cleanliness in milking, in
vessels in Utensils, and In all surroundings
must-be observed to preserve the flavor and body
Of milk, cream, butter and cheese from contami-
nation.
The same authority uses the following general
rules:
/. Milk from healthy cows only should be
used, and not until at least four days after
calving.
2. Any harsh treatment that excitcs the COW
lessons the quantity and injares the quality Of
her yield.
3. Cows should be allowed an abundant sup.
ply of wholes. me. suitable food, and as much
pure water az they will drink.
4. Asupply Of salt shoald be placed where
the COWS have access to it every day.
S. Cows should not be permitted to drink
stagnant, impure water, nor to eat cleanings
from horse etables, leeke. turnip tops, nor any
thiGg that would give the milk an offensive faint
6. All milk vessels should be thoroughly
cleansed; first being we'll washed, then scaded
with boiling water, and afterwards sufficiently
aired to keep them perfectly sweet
z. Cows should be MIXED with dry hands
and only after the udders have been washed or
we'll brushed.
8. Milking should be done and milk should
be kept only where the surrounding air il pure
| and free from all Objectionable and tainting
odore. Milking in foul smelling stable or
yard imparts to milk an injurious faint. Sour
| whey should never be fed, nor should hogs be
kept in milking yard, OF near a milk stand.
9. Tin pals only should be used.
10 All milk should be properly strained,
Immediately after milking, aud for that purpose
pail.
BOOKS FOR THE FARM HOME.
1t would he impossible, Of course, to lay down
| any rigid rules in regard to the amount or quail
| ity of the reading matter which should find a
place in the farmers home. That must depend
| in part upon circumstances and in part upon
individual tastes. The means of u majority Of
those who derive TIT If sole income from farm
land will not admit of extensive libraries, much
less Of rare and costly bound books. 1t is vain
also to expect in library necessarily so re-
strcted any number of the profounder and tech
meal works which are designed more especially
for specialists and men Of scholarly Leisure.
One thing, however is certain, as to amount and
quality, that few books of sound, wholesome
character, are more desirable than a roomful Of
the weak and inspid stuff that goes in the name
of literature. The best books are just as cheap
in these days as the worst ones, and juet ~ east
~ obtained. When tor dime one may pur-
chase play of Shakespeare, or poem OF Mil
ton, and for the sum of one dollar may obtain
possession Of the entire works Of Plutarch and
johnson, there is no manner Of excuse for re-
etrictiDg ones mental diet to patent medicine
almanacs or thin and washy story-papers. 1t IL
better, We say, to have very cheap books, II they
are good, than to have none at all, but it Is bet
ter etll when the purse will admit of it. to have
covers, books which may be read again and
again, lent and borrowed without danger Of
falling to pieces or wearing ont. All books
which are really worth buying and reading are
worth epi'ig. worth handing down to ones
children from generation to generation. The
world will never outgrow Goldsmith and Scott,
or LongfelOw ard Bancroft, and no mistake
can be made in laying in a stock Of such reading
which shall endure for more than one life time.
CROP 1MPHOf EAENT FROM SELECTED SEEDs
During recent trip to the etate experiment
station at Geneva, the importance OF greater
care in the selection OF seeds for crops. was
forcibly brought to mind by the result Of ex-
pcriments made with wheat and potatoes, whore
by great Improvement in yield has been made
by repeatedly selecting the best and most prolif-
&c seed. With al products grown on the farm.
there appeare to be room for improvement by
greater care in selecting Feed. Florists and
scedsmen are greatly in advance Of farmers in
this direction. having brought flowers and veg
etsbles to state Of great improvement simply
by eecd selection followed carefully through a
term Of years. There is no reason why farmers
generally should not exercise the same care in
selecting raad f"r oar staple farm crops.
At the state fam. variety of wheat obtained
from a n-ightortny farm, which averaged az
kernels to the heai was improved by sci citing
during the cn-ri;tg five years to an average If
e kernels t" the head. Similar results have
been secure With potatoes simply by saving
the best luht r. from the most prolific hills for
seed. These results demonstrate the impor-
lance Of care IN selecting seeds. It IL possible
that greater improvement may be made with
potatoes and other products through the pro-
cess of eelection above referred to, than by
means Of producing seedlings from Old varieties
A variety Of potato will not run ont" or deteri-
orAte ii care is exercised in selecting the tubers
to be used az seed: but on the contrary, it ap-
pears tia: it may Re I'M g improved. The same
is true of all products, and who can estimate the
increase in production that would result from
uniform system of seed selection followed BY
the farmers througout the country2-G. a g +,
Jr., in Country Gentleman.
pEoF1T OF SURFACE HASURrNG.