The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-03-26
ON VARIOUS TOPICS.

Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
''The tuberculosis scare is rapidly
passing away" says one of our leading
papers, speaking editorially. 1t now
seems to generally admitted that there
has been needless alarm and an unwsr
ranted slaughter of some Of our best
herds of dairy stock as a result of the
agitation and discussion of tuberculosis
which has for some time past occupied
the attention of the dairy press. Much
that has been written has doubtless
come from unreliable sources and even
that which has eminated from SO called
scientific sources has been Of a nature
to convey to the average reader little
else than a dread of the disease attack
ing his own herd aud conviction that
complete examination was the only
cure. 1t is indeed cOmmendable that
the authorities have exerted every pos
sible effort to stay the spread OF the
scourage, but as intimated In the quo
5ation above, much Of the agitation has
been of the nature of scare which is
passing away after having run it's
course. But if all this discussion has
led to better understanding Of pre-
cautionary measures it has served an
admirable purpose. A scientific treatise
on the disease is of little value to the
unscientific reader, but he has learned
much if from it all he has gathered the
fact that prevention is the best cure
and that sanitary conditions and gen.
eral care have much to do with it. II
the scare has been productive of reform
in these matters it has fulfilled q worthy
mission.
In looking over the Southern agricul
tural papers it is quite noticeable that
more and more attention is being given
to dairying The possibility of success
full dairying in the South is no longer a
question since modern appliances and
better methods in the manufacturing
and handling of dairy products have
changed the order Of many things.
With the latest appliances, tempera-
ture becomes a less important factor.
Quite recently noticed the theory put
forth that the moist air of the South
has some, advantages over the drier air
of the North which in a measure over
comes the latter's advantage of a lower
temperature. The boundaries of the
dairy district seem TO be widening
every year, and it will not be long be-
fore the South will be in no mean place
in dairy progress. The low price of
cotton, the failure of some of the fruit
crops, and a general tendency to more
diver flied farming are some OF the
factors in this movement.
I'VE want to have our butter or
produce ready for market when it is
in the greatest demand, said a speaker
at a Eastern farmers institute That
Is a terse recognition of the fact that
the farmer must be dealer not less
than a producer, and this is particu.
larly true of the dairyman. 1t is not
simply a question of how to make a
good article Of butter, but when to put
it on the market and in what form.
Winter dairying usually offers sufh-
cient advantage in way of higher prices
to compensate for the increased labor
and difficulty, and winter dairying is
seldom overdone in any community.
The Practical Farmer says: THE
evidence seems to be coming in that
the something that is called butter
flavor is a matter outside of feed and
the COW; in fact, is an artificial crea-
ton caused by ferments in the milk
and cream and that there may be sew
eral of these fAvors in the air." etc. Is
there not just the shadow of a mere
possibility of carrying this matter of
germs, ferment cults, and kindred
animals little too fart Is it not
little radical to tell us that the flavor
of butter is something outside Of feed
and the COW? Are we to understand
that we can feed any kind Of COWS any
kind of feed and then by a proper in
PRODUCTION of an aristocratic species Of
germ into the cream produce the high
est marketable aroma7 What has
made the butter of certain sections
famous for its delicacy of flavor if it is
not the peculiar grasses of the pastures
and meadows and the purity of the
water? After teaching the farmers for
years to pay the strictest attention to
their pastures and feeds in order that
the butter might have every advantage
of flavor that these things can impart,
it seems rather dangerous to inform
them that butter flavor ia snrno1hino