Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-07-19
FARI IND ORCHARD.
PRACTICAL IDEAS RELATIVE TO THE
MAKING OF CHEESE.
Value of Guinea Fowls-Poultry Scratch.
ings-PruniDg Fruit-Broody Hens
Farm Notes.

As practical cheese manufacturer, the
writer proposes to advance few ideas
relative to the care of the product. Fam.
lily marketers are not all supposed to be
expert judges of cheese. They should
pick one out with a good rind, yielding,
yet firm and elastic. The rind is an ex-
cellent indicator of quality A soft sur
face denotes a poor habby interior.
Cheeses are cured in temperature Of
from $50 to 70o They do not, however,
require this degree of warmth after they
are forty days old. A cooler atmosphere
is better for them then. Take the cheese
from the box and rub off all mold that
may have accumulated since it left the
factory Cover it with screen, and put
it in cool, dark place. If no regular
cheese screen is at hand. make light
framework and cover with mosquito net
ting. Something of this kind is necessary
to exclude insects and yet permit access Of
air. This should be cool and dry. If the
cellar is the least damp, do not risk the
cheese in such place. Get full cream
article of fall production, because autumn
milk is far richer, and, if anything purer,
than that yielded earlier in the season. 1t
does not take on that sharp, pungent
flavor of old cheese. To the palates of
some, this biting sensation of strong
cheese is agreeable; but the majority Of
people prefer milder flavor. Have the
seller furnish sample, and choose one
possessed of rich, nutty flavor. butterfly,
and compact of texture. Keep it under
the conditions described, and cut from it
fresh for every meal. Good cheese can be
ruined by drying when too much is cut at
once. This is one objection to buyiug it
in small quantities at the grocery. The
English complain that American cheese
dries up and chaps quicker on the cut
surface than their home-produced stock.
This difference grows out of the di-
versity of climate. Do not attempt max
ing cheese at home unless you have con-
veniences for it, or are isolated from dairy
districts. With the amateur fine cheese is
not so easily made as fine butter, and the
housewife who is partially ignorant of the
fine details of managing coagulated milk
will invariably produce an article greatly
inferior to factory make. The problem
has been puzzling many heads how to in
crease the consumption of cheese. The
only way is to teach the people to buy it
of the factories, or through their agents,
and in quantities, as they would flour by
the barrel or butter by the package. We
have been so engrossed with our foreign
cheese trade, catering to foreign tastes and
demands, that the needs of the home trade
have been greatly neglected, and much ex-
pert work will have to be accomplished
before more general demand is made for
the product. If groeerymen would pur-
chase direct Of manufacturers they could
afford to resell to consumers for two cents
or three cents per pound cheaper than if
they purchased of middlemen. Some such
course as this would greatly increase cheese
consumption in this country.
VALUE OF GUINEA FOWLS.
A New England woman has this to say
in the Poultry Journal: "a flock of guinea
fowls is great adjunct to the farm. They
make the best sort of watchmen, and never
fail to notify the farmer of night thieves
and poultry stealers. There is a profit
in guinea fowls, too, considering the small
amount of care and expense attached to
keeping them. As rule, the guineas
prefer to pick up most of their living, and
they should have large place over which
to range. 1t is necessary to feed them a
little every day, otherwise they will wan
der away from the farm and take up their
quarters elsewhere. They will not scratch
up seeds planted in the garden, but they
do eat up number of grass seeds, as well
as those OF undesirable plants. They con-
sumo an enormous amount of grubs and
insects, however, which is great point in
their favor. Without any special fatten-
ing they become plump and heavy at the
season of the year when game goes out of
the market. They are generally killed for
and market between February April. They
bring fair prices at such seasons of the
year, and often return big profits to the
grower. The guineas always steal their
nests in the nearest hedge or woods, and in
laying-time it is necessary to look pretty
carefully to find them. The eggs should
be set later than the second week in June.
1t takes about month for the eggs to
hatch. The young ones need chopped
eggs and insects until old enough to get
their own living. A sod full of ants is the
best thing that can be given them. Six
teen eggs are the proper number for sit
ting"
CELERY.
This plant requires considerable moist
ure in order to thrive we'll. One frequent
cause of failure is that the planting is not
done early enough for the plants to make
ayigorous growth before hot, dry weather
sets in. The plants can be grown in the
hotbed after the early crops have been
taken out or in seed-bed in the garden. Z
Many prefer to transplant at least
twice, as stalker, thriftier plants are
made in this way. As with all crops, es-
pecially in the garden, the soil should be
well prepared in good tilth. Before set
ting out the plants, mark out the rows al
least two and half feet apart, and sci
the plants one foot apart in the row.
Pudding the plants viii be found q
good plan of managing them in trans
planting. Give good cultivation during
growth, keeping down the weeds and the
soil in good tilth. If dry weather sets
in, it will, in a majority of cases, pay tc
supply the moisture by watering, as the
plants will not grow without plenty o.
water.
Celery is easily grown, but ii requires 9
uccf. sui. 1nS lldnts dEt
set six inches apart in rows four feet
apart for the large kinds and three fee
for the smaller kinds. As they grow tn,
earth is drawn up about them, the stalk,
being drawn together to keep the sol
from the crowns and to encourage tn,
growth of long stalks. Late in the sea
son, about November, The stalks ar,
brought together apd the earth banked W
on each side so as to leave the foliag,
only in sight. This blanches the stock
and makes them tender. The best varie
ties are Golden Dwarf, White Plume:
white-leafed variety-and Boston Market
Celery is not injured by the frost.
POULTRY scRATCHINGs.
Use plenty of whitewash in your CHECKER
houses.
Greed food is needed tor young and ole
chielans