HINTS FOR FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1445, 6 October 1881, Page 4

HINTS FOR FARMERS.

Managing tub farm.— ln managing a farm it is wonderfully important to do the work on ttok s '*E6 succ^in this, crowd r 1 p work, instead of waiting for it to crowd you. >I,(stffjlisse' Scarecrow.— This cdnsiSta'of a bamboo firmly fixed in the >mmndy to ti>e extremity or which at Hsistened piece* of cord. The*e «ie passed tin oujfh bottlrs the bottoms of which hayl 1 been knocked oi)t,~ fTo the end of eaclv>wrd is 'attached boino light material which tho wind can easily blow about: The Chim>e generally use part of a cuttle-fish for this purpose, but any thing 1 will do tKatfwill Wind- wave, even a piece of slate or board. The bottlefl are fastened by their necks to the cords; and inside them, attached .to the ebrd, is a nail or a small piece of iron, which,, striking against the aide* when the wind moves the apparatus, produces a singular kind of noise sufficiently loud to i tighten the ,birds. Care must be taken io prevent the bottles from striking against each other. When two or three are put on one stick the cords should be of different lengths. Insects am> VERMisr.—The " Chemist says that if a little chloride of lime be sprinkled on the soil, rats, mice, and insects will soon desert it. Plants may be easily protected by it from insect plague by simply brushing over their 'stems with a solution of it. It has often been noticed that ft patch has been treated in this way remains free from grubs, while the unprotected beds round about are literally .davasted. Fruit-trees may be guarded from their attacks by attaching to the sterna pieces of tow smeared with a mixture of chloride of limq and hog's lard. Ants and grabs already in possession will then rapidly vacate their positions. Using Taut Reins —A taut loin can be used with entire piopriety on horses of fine easy up carriage, especially while in motion," but if the muscles and bony structure of the neck extend forward horizontally from an upright shouldor rather than striking: out from a slanting shoulder, then the "most intense suffering will be inflicted by straining the neck up to an angle entirely unnatural to the animal, especially if this sti.vin be long kept up. To strain a culpiit up by tho thumbs till only his toes touch tho giound is certainly one of the severest admissible punishments that can be inflicted upon mortal, and the check ren is undoubtedly akin to it in its extreme application. "Washing Butter.— Professor Arnold cays th.it butter gathered in the churn "1ways contains more or less buttermilk, which would soon spoil the butter if no L removed. Thcie are two ways of removing it— one is by kneading in water or biiue, and the other by kneading it without water. One is called washing, the other working. The former removes it much more rapidly than the Litter. The difference between washed ami unwashed butter is analogous to the difference between clarified sugar and unclariiied. The former counts of pine skc charine matter ; the latter of sugar and some albuminous and flivourinsr matters, which are contained in the juioe of the cane mingled with it, which give a flavor in addition to that of sugar Blown Biigur, though less sweet, hab more flavor than clarified sugar. When unwashed, there is always a little buttermilk and sugar adhering to the butter that gives it a peculiar flavor, m addition to pure butter, which many people like when it is new. Washing removes all this foreign matter, nnd leaves only the taste of the butter, puie and simple. The assertion is often made, and many people believe that water washes out the flavor of the butter ; but it only cleanses the butter of the buttermilk, sugar, and milk acid which may adhere to it, just as clarifying sugar removes from it the foreign matter which modifies its trup flavor. The flavor of butter consists of fatty masters which do not combine with water, therefore cannot be washed away by it. Tho effect of washing depends upon the purity of the witter with which the washing is done. If the water contains no foreign matter that will affect the butter it will keep better for washing the buttermilk out than by kneading it out. Save the Strippings —The last milk drawn from the cow nt each milking, says an American writer, is much the richest part of the mess. The reason is tho same that the top of a pan of milk which has stood awhile is the richest part of it. The milk rihes or remains at the top of the udder, while the heavier, watery portion stands at the bottom cream, being the lightest part of the similarly, though not as perfectly a^ when set in a pan. The nclier poition of the milk, being of greater consistency, settles to the bottom of the udder, but slowly, as the milk is drawn off Hence, after the that flow of milk has ceased, or while the milker is dialing from the other halt of the ucldei 1 , a new accumulation is found in the part fhst drawn. This will be found nearly all cream ; and when the object is buttermaking this can be drawn into a small vessel by itself and strained directly into tho cream pot and thoroughly mixed with the cream. The cream fiom the main bulk of the milk will rise more leadily and the separation be more complete for being relieved of so much of the cream in the start, and the pait thus taken away will not be exposed to the deteriorating influence of the milk as it gets sour or old, and the general result will be better butter and more of it. A half pint or so from each cow of the very last you can get is generally good enough to save out. Some people milk in such a hurry that they never get the strippings at all, and thus not only lose the best part of the milk, but soon spoil the cow. Whether you keep them separate or not, be sure you have the strippings. Milk rapidly but don't quit till you have the strippings.