EXTRACTS

FROM

STATEMENTS OF EXHIBITORS.

JOHN HOLBERT'S DAIRY.

My farm and butter dairy is located in Chemung Co. adjoining the Pennsylvania State line, is elevated about eight hundred feet, above tide water, at 42° north latitude. My farm contains 200 acres of land which is worked or farmed the past season as follows: I keep and milk 40 cows, and my grain, grass and meadows are as follows:

The soil is a gravelly loam, subsoil the same. I use no plants or slops for my cows; all I give them is hay, grass and corn-stalks. ĺ think corn-stalks preferable to any other fodder for milch cows. My pastures are clover and timothy, and my meadows the same. I sow, plaster (Cayuga) every spring on all my pastures and meadows; I

change pastures, often, and would recommend changing twice a week. I have tried several experiments in my dairy the past season, among which are the following, commenced making butter about the first of April, and up to the 4th of May, I made 512 pounds of butter.

May 5th commenced packing for the fall market. Made in May, 26 days 747 pounds : in June 30 days 1186 pounds: in July, 31 days 1079 pounds: in August 31 days 1016 pounds, and from September 1, up to December 15 three and a half months, which is about the close of the season for making butter in this vicinity, 1948 pounds.

I drew the milk from five cows for 30 days in succession; commencing with the 28th of May, with the following result, viz: I made 248 pounds of butter in 30 days from five cows.

On the 11 of June I drew from five cows 187 pounds of milk which made when churned 8 pounds of butter. June 15th drew the milk from 37 cows, morning mess, 525 pounds, evening mess, 632 lbs in all, 1157 pounds of milk and measured 136 gallons, and when churned made 43 pounds of butter, making 3 lbs, 11 oz of butter to the hundred pounds of milk.

My cows are generally the common breed; I have few that have a slight mixture of Durham blood in them; I keep swine to consume the buttermilk; I do not raise all of my calves, but always save a few of the finest, this year I have raised six ; I use the Turks Island salt, of the Ashton sacks and no other; I find that 100 pounds of milk drawn from my best cows, that is, those that give the richest milk, will make one pound more butter than one hundred pounds of milk drawn from the whole herd; There is more difference in the quality than in the quantity of milk for making butter, dairyman therefore would do well to look to the quality more than to the quantity of milk each cow gives; I find by churning the milk of each cow separately, that one of my best cows will make as much butter as three of my poorest giving the same quantity of milk; I have kept a dairy for more than 20 years, but I never knew until the past season that there was so much difference in cows.

I am inclined to the opinion that too many dairymen overstock their farms, as one cow well kept is worth, for dairy purposes, two cows poorly kept, and then they keep their pastures too short, which injures the land, as land left in the fall with a heavy coat of

grass, will produce pasture earlier in the

spring and will stand a

drouth the next season much better than those pastured short.

I keep a large watering trough in my cow yard, where I very frequently observe cows drinking large quantities of water immediately after coming from the brook. I keep salt lying in the yard the year round. Too much care cannot be taken by dairymen to observe the time of churning. I usually churn from one hour to an hour and a half. I put from one to two pails of cold water in each churn before commencing to churn, and one pail more in each when nearly done, in order to thin the milk and make it produce all the butter it contains. Then take the butter out, wash it through one water, then set it in the cellar and salt it; then work it from three to five times before packing. I always work my butter by hand, always packing the first day if the weather is cool; but if warm, the second day. In churning, if the milk is too warm, the quantity of butter will be less, and the flavor bad. In packing, I fill my firkins to within two inches of the top, then cover it with a linen cloth and fill the firkin with salt, and see that the salt is kept moist through the season. Great care should be taken not to let the milk stand too long before churning, as in case it stands too long in hot weather, it becomes too sour, and in cool weather bitter, all of which can be prevented in cool weather by putting about one quart of buttermilk in each tub or pan before straining the milk, and in hot weather, by churning as soon as the milk becomes thick and moist on the top of the cream.

I sold the products of my last year's dairy, to Messrs. C. Adams & Co., No. 244 Fulton-street, New-York, for 24 cts per pound. I am told by them that it was sent South, and stood the climate well. I sold my this year's dairy to Mr. R. Clearwater, at No. 185 Washington-street, New-York, for 23 cts. per pound.

JOHN HOLBERT. Chemung, Chemung County, N. Y., December 31, 1848.

MARTIN L. THOMPSON'S MODE OF MAKING BUTTER.

The quantity of butter I made from 15 cows, during the last year, was 2,450 pounds, which averaged me 241 cts. per pound, amounting to $594,123. My system of making butter differs but little from the mode pursued by the great mass of butter makers. I place my vessel for holding milk, about four inches from the bottom of the cellar, the place where I strain my milk being of a brick bottom, where

it remains until mature for churning. When thrown together in a barrel and a quarter churn, with little or no bilge, cream and milk enmasse, then propelled by a double whecled machine with pretty good speed, until fit for removing from the churn. I wash my butter in two waters before salting, and once after, and when properly worked lay it down in a tub, returnable, holding about 60 pounds. I then ship them to the metropolis, where it brings me from 20 cts. to 2s 6d per pound. I stable my cows during the winter season without feed, except hay, my hay being of a good quality. The remainder of the season my cows feed upon meadow bottom, natural grass, which grows spontaneously.

The above is a correct statement of my proceedings and manage

ment.

Goshen, January 24, 1849.

MARTIN L. THOMPSON

HENRY ROBINSON'S MODE OF MAKING BUTTER.

My mode of making butter is similar to that practiced in Orange county, that is, the milk and cream are churned together. When the butter is taken from the churn it is washed in cold water, after which it is salted and allowed to remain in that state some three or four hours. It is then thoroughly worked and allowed to remain until the next day, when it is again worked and packed for market. It appears that the great art in butter making, is in working the butter, allowing the pasture to be equally as good, and those who can hit on the proper medium, not working the butter too much or too less, excel.

We milk thirty-six cows, and although the last season was a dry one, made 4,600 pounds of butter, which was sold in the New-York market from 19 to 25 cents a pound, averaging 21 cents. Our pastures are principally upland meadows, and well watered; the sward is generally broken up every four or five years.

HENRY ROBINSON.

Newbugh, Jan. 1, 1849.

BREWSTER HELMS' MODE OF KEEPING COWS AND MAKING BUTTER.

We have kept during the past season an average of 13 cows, from which have been made 2428 pounds of butter, being 186 pounds to the cow. The cows have had no feed, except a short time in the spring The pasture principally low land, except some clover in the early part of the season. The milk was churned, after getting sour, with a horse machine, taken out, rinsed twice in cold well water, and salted. It then stands in the open tray until the following day, when it is worked over and packed away. The time allowed for milk to get sour, varies according to the weather from two to three days.

The pail sent to the fair had no extra pains taken with it whatever. BREWSTER HELMS.

Wallkill, December 20, 1848.

HYSLOP AND COFFIN'S CHEESE DAIRY.

In reply to the questions contained in your circular of the 1st ult., we have to say that the cheese exhibited by us at the late fair of the American Institute, was from a dairy of 250 cheeses, weighing about 4000 pounds, and made from the milk of 18 cows, employing the labor of four persons most of the time for about four months, the time consumed in making the cheese. The mode of making is very similar to that of the celebrated Cheshire cheese of England, of which you are already informed. The average price is about 12 cts. per pound. The great advantage gained in the making of this description of cheese is in its being well adapted for the southern and tropical climates, large quantities being shipped annually to the southern states, East Indies, Sandwich Islands, &c,, neither is it so liable to spoil in our own climate as the cheese generally known as the Herkimer county.

It may be proper to add that the cheese exhibited by us was about 15 months old, and a very fair sample of the entire dairy.

Respectfully yours,

New-York, 5th Feb., 1849.

HYSLOP & COFFIN.