VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY,   FEB. 19,1887.
NO. 8
glxc gain*.
How I Mako Butter.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I have read with Interest tbe articles,
"How to make good butter," etc , which
you have recently published, and while I
nowise dissent from J. T, I feel tbat some
things remain to be said to those wbo
must make butter under disadvantages.
There Is no doubt, I presume, that the
greater part of the butter wbich comes to
market la furnished by farmers' wives
who do not make a specialty of the business, or who, at least, cannot enter into
it in that thorough, systematic manner
which your correepondent suggests. In
many cases they lack convenience*!, the
feeding of the cattle, moreover, being determined by the farmer himself who, often
enough, regards the cow as a sort of
scavenger or convenient receptacle for
superfluous eatables of all kinds. Tbe
question is, then, how muoh may the
quality of butter be determined by proper
mcking, independent of feedlngand other
considerations beyond the control of the
' maker?
Onr cows fare as do many others. In
winter they are well boused and get
plenty ot fodder, but their "dessert" Is as
varied as that of a table d'hote. Since fall
they have been fed tomatoes, pumpkins,
cabbages, turnips, mangel-wurzel", and
even potatoes, boiled into a mash and
mixed with bran. (Sometimes the milk is
a little strong, and ln latter summer It is
apt to be bitter from ragweed, but, though
it is not seemly to boast, I rather pride
myself that I have good sweet butter at
all times, my most satisfactory proof of
the same being the freely expressed appreciation of customers whom I supply at
25 cents per lb. the year round. My first
and one ot my principal cares is to keep
the milk where lt cannot get tainted, for
it has a remarkable tendency to absorb
impurities from the atmosphere. In tbe
wintertime I keep it in a room, otherwise unused, which is sufficiently warm
to prevent Us freezing. The cream I keep
ln a still warmer place so that it may sour
and thicken, and lest it should not turn
properly, I save over from one churning
to another, about a teacupful of sour
oream which, added to the new churning,
will bring It to the proper condition. I
am particular not to churn my cream too
warm, as, it the bntter comes soft lt is difficult to work properly.
Having no spring house and no Ice apparatus I use the cellar In summer. In
tho spring I clean lt out thoroughly, removing all the vegetables possible, and
have It well whitewashed. One corner I
have tightly partitioned off for my milk
cellar, with a window opening from outdoors, so it will be well ventilated. Tola
I keep whitewashed and scrupulously
clean and let my crocks set on the cool
floor. For the cream can a good deep well
is an excellent place. I have a hole cut ln
the pump platform and a box built over it
with a lid and with hooks inside, to wbich
ropes may be attached. Through tbls I
lower my cream 15 or 20 feet where lt
keeps as "cool as a cucumber." For one
who haa not ioe, an arrangement like this
is very convenient, not only for cream
and butter, but for other things requiring
to be kept cool.
The proper working of butter I consider
a great essential. As before said, I am
particular not to/hurn it too warm, theu
I divide lt into lumps of about live poundB
eaoh, which I work separately and vory
thoroughly, devoting, perhaps, halt an
hour to each lump and working out not
only all the buttermilk but much of ibo
water. This, I argue, besides entirely dissolving the salt, makes the butter compact
and firm, and lt will keep that much better."
Scrupulous cleanliness, I tblnk, has
much to do with theswoetness of butter.
Besides keeping milk and cream as free
as possible from impurities, I have my
churn, trays, eto., as tieckless as the proverbial Dutch kitchen, and from cream,
which was peicsptibly strong or bitter, I
have produced butter in which no unpleasant flavor could be detected.
Beech Grove, Ind. J. C.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Southern Birds and Northern Birds
in Southern Oltmes.
BY PROF. F. M. WEBSTER.
Any one who has spent any considerable time in the oountry of the South, pin
but haT« observed iho greater docility of
the native birds, aa compared with tbosa
of more northern latitudes. The mocking bird Is continually in a seml-domestl-
cated state. Last winter, whUe ln Louisiana, a wren, with an uncontrollable spirit
of curiosity, came Into my room through
an open window, and began to quietly inspect tbe premises. The servants attempted to drive it out, but it had no disposition to go, and evaded them by running under the bed, behind chair**, or
flying to the tops of bureaus and wardrobes, until I bogged them to desist, and
allow It to remain until lt finally left of
Us own accord.
One can hardly help sympathizing with
the woodpeckers, who S6ek to provide
against future want, by secreting grain
during the fall, ln the hollows and crevices
In the trunks and branches of trees. After the supply of grain ln the fields has
become exhausted, these provident birds
draw upon their hidden stores for sustenance, or rather would fain do ao, but
those slick little pilferers, the squirrels,
will otherwise. Though provided with
ample stores of acorns and pecans, these
active little animals industriously bunt
out the garnered stores of the woodpeckers, solely for tho purpose of adding
to their own bill of fare. Last winter,
and again during a recent visit to
Tensas Parish, Louisiana, the writer
observed them nimbly running up and
down the trunks and out on the branches
of trees, flaunting their bushy tails in the
air, exploring every nook and cranny for
the hoarded grain, while the woodpeckers,
poor, half starved, with drooping, bedrab-
bled plumage, could only look on and
BCold, while their hard earned and sorely
needed food was being devoured before
their very eyes.
Among the familiar birds one meets Is
red-winged and the crow blackbird, which
evidently subsist largely on a species of
crustacean which attaches Itself to the
under side of dead leaves, that have fallen,
or been blown into tbe waters of lakes and
bayou?. Almostany pleasant day,when the
watersare receding, these birds may be observed wading along near tbe water's edge,
turning over tho leaves and picklog off
the crustaceans.
Robin redbreast is another familiar
bird, and the "Northerner" will meet him
as an old acquaintance, feeling that there
is, ln some way, a bond of union botwoen
them, in that both have wandered from
the place of their nativity. I am sorry to
say that our friend, whose cheery voice
was long ago translated by some Mother
Qocse Into a jargon strongly suggestive of
decors and vllo flavored pills, does not
find genial friends ln tho South. In tact,
his journey from the North during fall,
to the so called Sunny South, lain reality,
to him,only an exebangeof the'devil sling*
of the northern youth, for tbo still more
deadly shotgun of the Routhorn negro,
wltb a sprinkling of pale-faced hunters
thrown ln by way of variety. They are
not, however, wantonly killed ln tbo
South, but are used for food.
Tbe meadow lark, and to a less ext6nt,
tho brown thrush, suffer through the same
treatment. But a few weeks ago I saw all
tbreo of theso bhds offered for sale in the
streets of V:cksburg, Miss., by colored
boy**, wbo had shot tbem In the fields and
wooilm. Oa mentioning t*e matter to a
large planter, he replied tbat only the
blacks klllod tbo thrush, but said he, the
robin and meadow lark como to us in
the fall poor, and soon fatten off our
bounty, but as soon as spring comes, instead of staying with us and repaying us for
a winter's focd, they leave us just when
we need their services to destroy our cotton worms and cutworms. If they would
stay with us and rear their young upon
our inst ct pests, we would gladly protect
them; as it is, we fatten them and prefer
to eat them,rather than let them go North
and rear a brood to return with them in
the fall, to remain only as long as our cll-
rmato suits them, or in other words, until
our destructive insects begin to appear.
Few people will remain long in Vicks-
barg, Miss., without missing the familiar
chirp of tbe English sparrow, which, although abundant in both Memphis,Tenn,,
and alao in New Orleans, has never yet
been observed in the city. Whether this
ornithological boycott Is due to the knowledge of* the reception accorded to the
other species juat mentioned, or whether,
with au increasing popularity as ingredients for pot-pie, they hesitate to risk their
tender bodies among tbe good people who
are still wrestling wltb rather ancient
steak, it is difficult to say. Their room,
however, is considered  preferable to their
company.
 » + . .
Announcements
The Jackson couuty Agricultural Society will hold its 12th annual fair at Browns-
town, Aug. 29*.h to Sapt. 2d 1887 Inclusive.
J. II. Matock seoretary.
The time set for holding the next annual fair in Kalton county is September
28th to October 1st, inclusive, 1887. The
election of officers for the ensuing year
resulted in the election of John M. Davis
president and the re-election of J. A.
McClung, secretary.
Editors Indiana Fanner.
On the third Saturday of March at 10 a.
m. the farmers of Bartholomew, Shelby
and Decatur counties will meet with us, to
make arrangements to meet once ln three
months alternately. We hope for• >\ good
time, on that day. The past w«Cjc was
quite a wet one with us, lpore water on
the ground than thero has been for a good
while. O. W. Reeve.
New Salem, Rush conuty.
 '—/ - - •	
Removing tho State Fair Grounds.
Editors Indiana Farmer.
As tbe Indiana Fabmeb Is the best agricultural psper I read, and is doing all it
can to promote tbo interests of tbe State,
and Is taking a great interest in the removal of tUe fair grounds and has repeatedly asked theoplnlonoi ita readers, I give
my opinion: Most people interested, I
think, are of the samo opinion as the Indiana Farmer; but now as tbe matter
stands Mr. Fitch's letter to Hon. Robert
Mitchell has seemed to turn the tide ln
favor of keeping the old grounds I think
'he Indiana Farmer is disposed to blame
Mr. Mitchell ln contending for the old
ground. In this I think it ia wrong, fer
it Is only Mr. Mitchell's opinion, and I am
sure lt is an honest opinion, for no man
has the interest of tho State, or the State
fair or fairs generally, more at heart than
Mr. Mitchell, and as a manager, I think
he bas no superior. He In strong ln bis
conviction, and Is hard to move from his
stand ttttsttgt&'iken, but when fully convinced I know he will yield gracefully. 1
am personally acquainted with Mr. Mitchell and have had some experience with
him that was not of the agreeable sort at
the time, but when the fight was over, lt
was over, and good feeling always follows.
Now I think that all arguments aa to the
convenience of the fair grounds, so far,
have been wrong. Tbe Indiana Farmer
thinks it should be changed because it is
too small, and not on the Belt road, for
convenience ot exhibitors. Mr, Mitchell
with Mr. Fitch's letter thinks that exhibitors can get there more readily without
the Belt road. All seem to consult the exhibitor. J am a regular fair goer, and always handle live stock. Horses always.
Think I am a close observer, and feel Bur*
I know what makes a fair succeed.
The attendance, money takon in at the
gates, makes the fair succeed, and the first
thing that fair managers should see to la
thecomfort and oonveclence of the people
that pay their money at the gate. For
that reason I think the present grounds a
bad location, besides not being large
enough by half, and in ten yeare will not
bo one-quarter enough ground, and all
speed horse men will coincide that lt la.
the very worst kind of soil for a traok—
too hard and gravelly—and a great many
will not take their fastest horses on that-
account. The exhibitor is the chronic
grumbler, but he makes the exhibit for
the thousands to see his stock, his machinery, his patents, and everything he
has to sell; in fact, it is the great advertizing medium for him, and he will manage to always be on hand if he is sure he
will have the thousands to show to. Be
snre you always manage to get tbe crowd,
and the exhibition will always be there.
So place the grounds so the masses can get
there early, and start home late. Never
mind about the trade of the city mer-
chants. The State fair is not supposed to
be in the interest of the city merchants,
they have the same right as other exhibitors at the grounds. Blades,