VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, AUG. 20,1887.
NO. 34
%Ut gairtj.
A Short Way with Butter.
Hiram Smith, of Wisconsin, gives the
following directions in the Farm and
Home: Wash out the buttermilk with a
cold but weak brine. As soon as this is
done the brine is drawn otfand the butter,
in granular form, left in the churn, 10, 15
or 211 minutes totlrain. Then an indefinite
quantity of salt is spread over the butter—
it may be an ounce to the pound or more,
certainly all that can be dissolved—and is
well mixed with the butter by stirring
with a paddle. Stirring the butter liberates so much of the briue it stillcontainsas
to make it easy to distribute the salt evenly through the mass, and to carry to the
bottom of the churn any excess of salt
above what can be dissolved, leaving al-
ways in the butter just a saturated brine
for seasoning it. The butter is then laid
upon a butter-worker and pressed into a
solid condition and so much of the brine
as desired forced out as before described.
This method is more economical than the
others, as it wastes less salt and makes the
salting as uniform as it can be. There is
never too little nor too much.
„£, Yellow Skin.
Does a yellow skin on a Jersey denote
richness? So asks one of our subscribers.
We could answer yes, for it is very generally accept* d as a fact that a yellow-
skinned cow, with orange color in her ears
and golden colored udder, is a rich cow.
No .I.mpt there are exceptions, but any
good Jerseyman in buying a eow would
rather see yellow than white as above
mentioned. Major Brown says the color
of the ear, udder and skin is largely influenced by the seasons and that it will not
do to attribute too much importance to it,
yet he thinks a golden colored skin very
attractive and indicates yellow butter, but
is not always a sign of rich milk. There
is no true way to tell a good cow except
by the churn. All outward signs may
fail at times. We know a gentleman who
bought at a sale a very rich-looking old
cow with an enormous udder. He drove
the cow home and told his man to milk
her, who started to do so with a common
wooden water pail, when Mr. S. stopped
him and said: "Take the tub; that pail
will not hold half of the milk." However,
the pail did hold the milk, and would
have held three times as much more, and
the udder was just as large after milking
as it was before.—Jersey Bulletin.
Milk aa an Absorbent.
An English dairy lecturer says: There
are several ways of raising the cream. The
old-fashioned plan is still thecommonest—
that of setting in open shallow pans. There
are many objections to it; it takes up a
great deal of room, and it is quite impossible to deal with large quantities in this
way; it presents a large surface to attract
dust and otherimpurities. Milk isa great
absorbent, and acts as a magnet in attracting all impurities in the surrounding
atmosphere; yet how often have we found
small dairies used as a larder, with a jiiece
of meat or perhaps a hare or rabbit, hanging up in it. I have known cream to be
quite offensive after being kept less than
five hours In a larder with a piece of meat
that was   slightly tainted.   The   next ob
jection found to the shallow-setting cream
is that it is a wasteful system, as we cannot get all tho cream off the milk, anil we
run great risk in summer of spoiling our
butter by the milk souring under the
cream before it is skimmed; also, I believe
the milk of one cow sours more rapidly
than that of another. If this is the case,
in order to get the best results from ham 1
skimming, the milk which sours iu the
same period should be put together iu
the same pan. As far as I known at present, the period for whieh milk will keep
sweet is in inverse ratio to the period or
lactation. To the deep-setting system
there are two disadvantages—(l)the difficulty of getting sufficiently cold water in
warm weather; (2) you cannot avoid
taking up a good deal of milk with the
thin cream that is raised, which, consequently, gives extra work in churning.
The ail vantages are—that the cream is
quickly raised, and the milk being submerged in water, impurities from the
outside are excluded ; also, it makes more
butter of the milk under favorable conditions than the shallow-setting, while the
skim-milk is decidedly superior.
-Uctrciiravg-
Jno. Ki.liott,   V. S., Veterinary   Editor, 83   JCa.it
Wahash street.   Telephone ill.
Enlargement on Coir.—My neigh hot-
had a colt foaled two weeks ago, sound
ami active, but an enlargement began
forming a few days since, until now about
size of an egg,on its right fore leg a little to
the right of the kneepeap. The enlargement
is soft as if containing wind or water, and
is accompanied with swelling of the muscles directly aliove. The enlargement is
supposed to be the result of a bruise. The
colt is slightly lame. W. S. K.
Let it alone.
Milk Fever ( Parturient Appoplexy).
—I have lost two cows by milk fever this
summer. For the last one tried remedy
given in Farmer of May 21st, but without success as she was taken sick in the
night and by morning was too far gone.
I have another, a two-year-old heifer, will
calve iu about two weeks; I wish to know
if 1 can prevent the disease by any previous treatment. My cows have all been
running in pasture and have access to
good well water. The two which I lost
were both in good flesh; the last one fat
enough for beef, and both excellent milkers. The heifer of which I speak is also in
good flesh. J. T. II.
It has been recommended to open the
bowels a few days before calving. It is
very necessary that the bowels should ba
relaxed and regular at the time of parturition as preventative of appoplexy fevers.
i Jive your heifer half a pound of sulph.
magnesia dissolved in one quart of warm
water adding a tablespoonful of ground
ginger a week before, and another half in
same solution two days before calving if
the bowels are not sufficiently open. We
have found it very beneficial in all cases
to add to the drench a pint of beer. A
pint of beer mixed with a quart of oatmeal
gruel is an excellent drench given after
calving. Three doses four hours apart
should be given.
Skin Disease, Probably Maniii*.—I
have a three-year-old horse that has something that causes him to rub his mane and
tail, and around the throat and breast ami
under the belly and between the legs. 1 le
keeps his belly rubbed raw and legs also,
lb- eats and drinks well anil what hair he
has left looks well enough. He waa
troubled with same disease last summer
but not through the winter.   I would also
like to know what to do for an enlargement
on inside of knee join! caused bv striking it
with his shoe ill trotting. It lamed him
at lirst but not now. It seems slightly
tender when pressed. Is near the size of
the Bnt joint of a man's thumb.
(I. W. T.
As there are a great many diseases of
the skin antl they all produce sufficient
irritation to make the animal rub it is
difficult to say which one your horse is
suffering from but from its location wo
think it mange. If in high condition ami
being fed on grain change the feed and
give a physic of aloes followed by alteratives. Wash the parts affected thoroughly with soap and warm water, rub dry
and apply the following twice daily with
as|iouge: Carbolic acid one part to 32 of
water to which add two drs. of tr. iodine.
When tho irritation ceases apply sweet oil.
The enlargement on knee can be removed
by applying a cantharadine blister.
Written lor the J mliana Farmer.
A County Fair Without Racing.
BY  OBSERVER.
Seven years ago the directors of the agricultural fair Of Brown county, Ohio, decided to have no games of chance, and
racing. Many thought it would greatly
injure, if not destroy, the fair, thus to
shut down on all such pastime. But contrary to predictions, the fair has ever since
been a markod success.
Kvery succeeding year the premium
list has been increased, until now it pays
out more money than any fair in that section of the country. Many valuable improvements havo been made and paid for
out of the annual receipts, besides also a
debt of two thousand live hundred dollars
has been paid oft", and a small surplus is
left. Now what shall we make of this
fact? Simply this; that in a good moral
community, racing is not essential to the
success of a county fair. What has rapid
speed to do with tho general interests and
welfare of an agricultural people? So long
as so much of the premium money of
county fairs goes to fast horses, mainly
for the excitement of tho moment, and
not for the real benefit of the agricultural
or business interests of the people, so long
will a false and necessarily low estimate
be entertained of the great and primal objects and aims of a good fair. It is not
wrong to test a horse's speed, but the accompanying circumstances at fairs always
induce a species of gambling.
One county fair which I havo many
times attended, has annually, for some
years past, paid out as premiums in the
speed ring $1,050, while tho whole amount
paid in premiums was only about $2,700;
making the premiums for the speed ring
alKiut two-tiflhsof all. Now who aro ben-
elitrtl by this heavy expenditure of
money? Mainly thoso who havo fast
horses.
A second class are greatly interested—
those who put up money. A third class
are interested—those who like to see the
races merely as innocent spectators. Of
course this last class are numerous. But
is it not possible to got up a popular sentiment in tho most of counties, which will
chre more for the higher interests of farmers and fanners' wives, antl of the liest
interests of business, than is possible
when two-fifths of the piemiums are paid
for speed? It is impossible to expect a
high moral sentiment in the public mi ml
U rejjard to tho fair, as long as this is the
the case. But many will say, our fair
would soon runout wero it not for the
■peed ring. Please stop, friends, and
think what would be the result of taking
off' the $1,050 dollars from the sjieotl ring,
and increasing by that amount the premiums on decidedly useful articles. These
would embrace a wide range. I think society would all lie interested in a fair of
this kind, and the attendance would be
large, people prompted to see what the
-kill, enterprise and ingenuity of the age
could bring out for exhibition. It is certainly tho tluty of all tli rectors of county
fairs, to try to place them on a piano above
tempting those attending to take games of
chance and to Iwt on the   speed of  horses.
To the disgrace of some counties privi-
liges have been sold to sell beer, and ladies
attending such fain havo been disgusted
with tho exhibitions of drunkenness, and
insulted by beastly drunkards. To the
en.lit of the good sense and morality of
the jieople, scarcely a county fair is now
round so morally rotten as to permit this
high-handed shame. But many county
fairs are still disgraced with games of
chance—a species of gambling. And why
permitted against the protests of many of
the best citizens of tho county? Money is
in it.
Premiums might advantageously be
offered ou fast walking horses, the fastest
walking team of two horses to farm
wagon, the best trained riding, or shaft
horse, two horses harnessed to plow or
wagon, with treatiseon manner, time, etc.,
of training. Theso are all matters which
interest all farmers and all horsemen. In
butter making for instance, offer a handsome premium for the best pounds of butter, with essay giving all principal points
in its manufacture. Other branches of
interest could be taken up in a similar
manner. After the fair, let these essays
be published either in the county papers,
or in pamphlet form for distribution
among all members of the society. The
interest created by this plan, would certainly not be small, nor would it soon decline. If it once took right hold of the
people of a county, it would increase with
every annual fair.
In this article  I have merely  outlined a
few points.   I hope some   abler pens than
mine will   continue the   subject,   for it is
worthy of serious consideration.
    ■  «*»  «	
The Saa; tn Wire Fences.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In almost all wire fences that have been
erected for a few years tho wires sag and
come loose. Has anyone ever tried fastening a wiro to the top of a post every 10 or
15 rods, and then fastening it firmly to the
loot of the posts on each side? The three
posts with the cross wire may bo represented by an inverted capital W. It would
reliove a great part of the strain on the
end posts. D. M. A.
In repairing a railroad bridge at Ford
la., the rails, under the influenco of the
heat, expanded and twisted the bridge.
James Hummers and wife, living near
Memphis, Ind., were struck by lightning
and instantly killed Monday morning.