Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1868 — Agricultural. [ARTICLE]

Agricultural.

FARM, GARDEJi ANJ) MOVSEHOLD. Lab<ik Hon.- Having been rained among the hop fields of Central }iew York, it has been our luck to see many thousands of acres of the vine, growteg and matured, aadformauy yeara in aaccaaaion; l»ut never did we see in that home of hop culture such hops as we saw the othar day upon the farm of A. G. Darfrin, Esq., near this city Hearings neighbor speakof them we went unsolicited to look at them, and Wore Well [slid for the tfonbie. Never did we see vines ho loaded from the tips almost down to the ground, as those were, nor cones of such extraordinary length and site. We should think they wonld average an foch and a half iu length—two inches and two and a half being very common, with hero and there a specimen three inches long. " A part of Mr. Darwin’s field was trained on ]Kiles and a ]>art on stakes and strings, the latter lieiug the portion we saw—the jioles having been all picked. Mr. Darwin informs us that with no better gound and the same cultivation, those on strings yield nearly twice as mucn as those on long ■poTes. This seems to' demonstrate the practicability if not the superiority of training on strings. The cause of greater productiveness when trained on strings, should it prove to be a general fact, will be an in.taruKtiug subject oi" inquiry. Mr. Darwin’s method into put a stake st every hill seven or eight feet high and stretch strings from the. top of one to another, and part off the vine at the top of the stake to meet on the strings in the niKldle. This saves one half of the poles, and if the crop is doubled by this moans, it must prove a vast improveI ment in hop growing. The ground of this field is nature lly rich, hut though it has been cultivated for a number of ypara, it has 'never been manured. Wisconsin Farmer.

Chubhino Milk.—A subscriber desires I ns t<> describe the process of churning milk, ithe chum jwed.for the purpoHe, advantages lof churning milk’in yield and quality of product, etc. English writers on dairying unite in giving their testimony in favor of churning the entire milk rather than the cream that rises upon it. The amount of butter is said to average five per cent, more by the former than by the latter method; and it is said that the butter so made is not only sweeter and of better flavor when it is churned, but that it will keep much longer with li sa liability to become rancid. It is perfectly natural to suppose that much of the flavor of butter comes fropi the gases vvlnciriirirabsorbed by the milk in foul and badly ventilated cellars and milk-houaes, and that the sooner the butter is separated from the milk the freer it will be from these impurities. Few substances are so liable to alisorb unpleasant odors as eream, and, exposed as it is on the top of the pan, it is ■ rrlmrwt snre to eafrh npd retain any particles of dust or other substances that are floating in the.air. Besides these advantaged, it is claimedthat there is less irregularity in the time of producing butter when milk is churned, than when ouly the cream is used, and that the time required for the operation is in favor of the milk. For the successful churning of milk, the temperature should be about ten degrees higher than cream. There is, of courser more labor required toagitate the large body of milk than the small amount of cream; but thjs additional labor would appear to bo much less than that required to set the milk, skim the '•ream and keep the milk dishes sweet and "clean. The "fiiaiiner of ch urniag is lbe siime in either case.— Prairie Farmer.

‘ ‘Deacon’’ as Applied to Calves. —2 ‘Wha t is the origin of the term deacon, applied to , talxuar'L Thg...inquiry’ i&.tiniely..aa.profo. ably not half a dozen dairymen in the country know where or how this word, now so generally used in dairy districts, originated. In the early days of cheese-making in this country, there lived a good deacon in' the town of Norway, (Herkimer Co.. N. Y.,) I who, like many other good men, had a sharp eye for profit. He fatted and killed many veal calves and sold to the mechanics at the “Corners.” Then, as now, at least among people of New England origin, public sentiment would not tolerate veal less than four weeks? bld; but the love of gain with the old deacop was stronger than the fear of .public opinion, and he did sell, or was accused of selling, veal quite too young, and'so. the villagers, by way of reproach and ridicule, called his veal “deacon” veal, and from this the term began to be applied to young calves, and has spread, and is used quite generally in dairy sections. Young calves are “deacons;” when killed, they are I ‘deaconed, " and calf skins are “deacon farmer. Stewed Tomatoes. —To a dozen large tomatoes mince a good sized onion (or less if preferred), and if the flavor of the onion is not liked, omit it altogether:’a tablespobnful oFgood brown sugar, a teaspoonful of pepper, salt to taste, a teacup of bread crumbs, a large heaped tablespoonful of good butter. Put in a covered stewpan, and cook an hour; shake the pan well and frequently. Beat up the yolks of two or three eggs, and just before serving; stir Uiem rapidly to the tomatoes; let them remain a minute, and serve in a small tureen or covered disfi. This is a fine accompaniment to all kinds of baked or roast meat. Tomatoes are best cooked a long while. They are excellent seasoned and boiled in a double kettle a. long time—for a quart, two hours. Their own jnice will be sufficient fluid. To Raise Blackbbries.—A writer in the Practical Farmer, says: “To insure good crops requires close attention; the canes should be kept thin and well headed back; and on poor land an occasional dressing of manure, muck, or fertilizers of some kind, adds to the quantity and quality of the fruit There is no likelihoodof the market being overstocked with the fruit, as it pays well to make it into wine. Three quarts of blackberries and three pounds of sugar, with the addition of a little water, will make a gallon of wine, highly recommended' for its medicinal properties, worth $2 per gallon while new; and its value in creases with age. All the poorer berries, those that are too ripe to ship to market, may he properly converted into wine at home; an<J only the finest and most perfect fruit sent to market, which will always command a fair price."

How to make Tomato Fies.—Pour boiling water over the tomatoes in order to remove the skins; them weigh them and place them in a stone jar, with as much sugar as you have tomatoes, and let them stand two days, then pour off the syrup, and boil and skim it until no scum rises. Then pour it over the tomatoes, and let them stand two days as before; then boil and skim again. , After the third time they are fit to dry, if the weather is good; if not, let them stand in the syrup until dry weather. Then place on large earthen plates or dishes, and put them in the sun to dry, which will take about a .weeji, after which pack them down in small' wooden boxes, with fine white sugar between each layer. Tomatoes prepared in this manner will keep for years. / Imports and Prices of Wool.—Tfee N. Y. Economist states, that the iinporta of foreign wool at New York, fordhc first half of the year, are only about half the quantity and' value of those for the same period of last year. “For the first sfet months of we imported 13,000,000 lbs., valued at $2,233,000, against 6,700,000 ibs., this year, (1868);valued at $1,105 000. The decrease bus been principally in the arrivals from England, the Argentine Republic and Mexico, while those from Russia have been doubled. The abundance of the home erop, especially jn’’California and Texas, has limited our wants for foreign descriptions.” The leading item injhe table given for 1868, is the Russian wool imported, amounting to. 3,122,013 Ibs. Pears.—Gather pears as soon us the stem will separate freely from the tree by gently raising the fruit. Flace the pears in single layers, and cover with flannel, when a few days only will elapse before they will ripen and color up even more beautifully than when left upon the tree, besides retaining, or rather developing, a more juicy property; so that some varieties of only second or third quality, when ripened on the tree, become nearly first-rate when house-ripen-ed.—Horticulturfot

, ' ■ ■ f ’ k. i fl * How Ja>a*bm> Thaw Ctici MBMa. -.The manner of cultivating ilia cucumber mtm to me eotnewhat novel, and it appeared to me in #»mr reapccfo superior to our mod*Instead of sowing the seed in bills,, it is sown in double rows, as peas are froqnenly done, only at a greater (distance apart, bott^ between the rows and the plants, say three feet-between the first The vines Hire supported by placing fusEwbod along each row, forming an arch over which they may grow. The advantages this method presents are, that the fruit is always clean and straight, of a uniform color on all sides, and can be gathered without incurring danger of injury to the vines by tramping on them, —Jfogg'ii Gardening in Japan. Picxled Tomatoes.—Always use those which ‘are thoroughly ripe- The small round ones are decidedly the best. Do not prick them as most receipt books direct. Let them be in strong brine three or four days, then put them down in layers in your jars, mixing them with small onions and piece*) bf horse radish; then pour on the vinegar-chid, which should be first spiced; as for peppers let there be" a spice bag to throw rntn every pot. Cover tnenrcarefully, and set them in the cellar for a fnll month before using. . Green tomatoes can lie pickled in many of the ways that are used for green cucumbers, but it is usually best to add a large amount of pepper and spices to give them flavor. Potato Sprouts.—A writer in the Country Gentleman states, as the result of his experience, that superior potatoes, free from rot or Stirl on the leaf, may be grown by sprouting the potafogs in a heap, and then removing and planting the sprouts and the Ahrons roots adhering to them. Me thinks the potato stalk is too succulent when it is fed from tha whole tuber. Flax SeAd occasionally given to animals will make them shed their old hair, promote the acquisition of flesh, and give a sleek, glossy appearance. A much cheaper article, and nearly as efficient for the purpose, is oil cake from which the greater part of the oil . has been expressed. If is also a drug in the market, and it is well worth the attention of farmers. ' Killing Plantain.—A lady in North Carolina says plantain may be eradicated by cutting off the weed us near the roots asuposgible, afid scattering unloached ashes over them. By this treatment the plantain is killed but the grass is saved.