the utmost consequence that the udder be perfectly drained of milk; the habit of leaving milk in the udder being greatly injurious; it causes less milk to be formed; besides that, every succeeding drop of milk is richer than the one before it-in fact, the last half pint of milk has twelve times as much butter in it as the first-it may be said all the butter.

237. Those who have a cow or two, will find the keep of a breeding sow, or two or three young pigs, a very trifling expense; the stalks and outside leaves of cabbages, that will not do for a cow, will be very good food for a pig.

MANAGEMENT OF THE DAIRY.

238. The churns, pans, pails, shelves, floor, walls, and every thing about the dairy, must be perfectly clean; the pans should be frequently boiled, and scalded with boiling water every time of using. Nothing so much contributes to keep the milk and butter sweet as thorough cleanliness.

239. I have just been told something worth trial by those to whom firing is an object. A capital dairy mistress, whose butter was praised all the country round, in very hot dry weather, when she had no occasion for fire, would thoroughly wash all her milk pans in cold water, and stand them in the influence of the sun all day, bringing them in just in time to be thoroughly cool to receive the milk;-this she found answer for several days, or even a week; at which intervals she scalded them as usual. Observe, this method will not do, except when the sun has very great power.

240. A little nitre (saltpetre) put into the milking pail before the cow is milked, will effectually prevent flavour of the turnips in milk or butter.

241. Milk should be set immediately. Skim off the cream every twelve hours in summer, every twenty-four hours in winter. Shift the cream into clean pans-daily in winter, twice a day in summer; stirring it several times a day with a clean wooden spatula.

242. Churning should take place at least twice a week in summer. Frozen cream always makes rank butter. For this reason, in Scotland, during a severe frost, they churn the whole of the milk daily. The cream must be strained into the churn through a fine sieve or linen cloth. Butter ought not to come in less than three quarters of an hour. In summer heat, the cooler you churn the better; first cooling your churn with cold water, and then letting it stand during churning in a tub of cold water. In very cold weather, the churn may be placed near the fire, or warmed with water, in the

same manner as it is to be cooled in summer; but it is better avoided if possible.

243. If the butter is very backward, put in a table-spoonful or two (according to the quantity of cream) of good vinegar, mixed with a small quantity of warm milk.

244. When the butter is thoroughly come, strain off the butter-milk, and put the butter in cold water; (some good dairy managers say it is better not washed ;) afterwards divide it into small lumps upon a sloping board; beat it well with a wooden spatula, until entirely free from milk, and quite firm: cold water being at hand, throw on the board occasionally, and, if you choose, to wash the pats; let the lumps, when made up, be spread separately on a cloth, that they may not stick together. Those who choose a little salt, add it when breaking the butter into lumps to beat it.

245. To preserve Butter for winter use.-Let the salt be perfectly dried before the fire; roll it with a glass bottle till it is as fine as possible: spread a layer of salt at the bottom of the jar; then press and beat the butter down with a hard wooden rammer; cover the top with a thick layer of salt; so that when turned to brine it shall entirely cover the butter. The best jars for this purpose are of Nottingham stone-ware, with lids.

PIGS.

246. In many cases where a cow cannot be kept a pig may; and certainly wherever a cow is kept. The sty should be situated upon a dry foundation, as well as sheltered above; it should be cleaned out and washed down every day. It is well known that pigs will live wallowing in the mire; but it is not, as much as it ought to be, considered, that they will thrive much better in a cleanly lodging. Their troughs should be iron-bound.

247. Breeding sows do not in general answer so well for cottagers, as to buy a pig of about four months old, early in spring; however, for those who choose to keep a sow, at the time of her bringing forth, she wants good attention, being careless, and apt to roll over her pigs, or otherwise injure them. The first food should consist of nourishing wash, pot-liquor, or milk thickened with fine pollard and barley meal; the same food is proper for the young pigs. At this time the sow requires to be well fed; so indeed she does before pigging; it is a very false notion to have her spare at that time: if she be so, the pigs will be worth nothing; and her strength will be completely reduced by a week's suckling.

248. Besides two meals daily, as above directed, she should have one of dry meat; as a pint of peas or beans, with half a peck of carrots, boiled potatoes, or the like; potatoes alone are a poor dependence; and the young pigs ought not to be fed with them, or with any loose vegetable trash, until three months old. The sow may be let out to air herself at pleasure, and after a while the pigs to accompany her, but never in bad weather. The pigs may be weaned at two months old; after which the sow should be shut up, and well fed; she should farrow in January and July.

249. The young pigs, on weaning, should have at least a month of delicate feeding, warm lodging, and care; the same food as while they were with the mother. They may indeed be reared much cheaper, but not so profitably. From four months old, or rather less, a pig will graze, eat tops and stumps of cabbages, Swedish turnips, in short, any thing of that kind, that is otherwise useless; all dish wash and pot liquor, grains if you brew, a little of any kind of corn, beans, peas, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, or tares; linseed, boiled with potatoes, makes good wash. Any kind of corn may be given to pigs in the straw; they are good threshers. Through the summer months they will chiefly subsist themselves abroad, upon clover, lucern, or tares; and in autumn upon acorns. Very young pigs especially ought not to be left abroad in continual rains; and they will always pay for a feed of old beans with their clover.

250. As to fattening, it may be conducted either in confinement or at large in a yard; a cottager, most likely, will confine his pig to the sty; they thrive best singly ;-they should be fed, if possible, three times a day; taking care to allow just so much, that the animal may be thoroughly satisfied, and the trough entirely cleared:-by this plan the animal will fatten most speedily and effectually, while needless waste is prevented. The pig must now be allowed no more clover, acorns, or potatoes. Skimmed milk, and pea, oat, or barley meal, make the best food, and answer the best too; the meat so fed being superior to any other in flavour, substance, and weight;bean-fed pork is hard and ill-flavoured. A pig will eat two or three pecks of corn a week; a hog, upwards of a bushel, according to his size-his allowance should be gradually increased; do not grudge him food; he cannot eat too much. A poor fed pig is worse than no pig at all; if you cannot afford to feed him well, you had better not engage in it. The pig and his sty should be kept very clean-he should be frequently washed and combed-will thrive all the better for it

F

—his food, as much as possible, should be given hot. From November to March is the best season for killing.

RABBITS.

251. Boys are in general very fond of rabbits; they are pretty animals, nimble in their movements, always under control, and the produce has not long to be waited for. Three does and a buck will give you a rabbit to eat every three days in the year: this is a vast deal more than will be gained in the pursuit of game, besides being attended to as an innocent amusement, instead of being slaved after at unseasonable hours, and to the great destruction of health and clothes, to say nothing about breaking the laws of your country, and exposing yourself to continual danger and disgrace. A poacher is never a respectable, thriving man. It is a great matter to give children early habits of tenderness and carefulness towards animals-teaching them to set a value on them—to take pleasure in watching their growth, and to become skilful in the management of them :-this is a valuable qualification in a labourer. A farmer don't much care who he sets to hedging and ditching; but it is a matter of serious consideration who shall be trusted with the team or the flock; and for the man to be trust-worthy in this respect, the boy must have been in the habit of being kind and considerate towards animals; and nothing is so likely to give him that habit as his seeing from his infancy animals taken great care of, and treated with great kindness, by his parents; and having now and then a little thing to call his own. These remarks are not exactly in place; but having met with the substance of them in a book I consulted, and thinking them very just and useful, I give them a place here, rather than shut them out altogether.

252. To return to rabbits. They should be in a warm and dry place, and yet airy and very clean; each rabbit hutch should have two rooms, one for feeding and one for sleeping in; their troughs should be bound with tin, as they are apt to gnaw the wood; the hutches should stand a foot or more from the ground, for the convenience of cleaning them; they should also be set a little sloping backwards, with a very small hole or crack at which the urine may run off. The dung of these animals is very valuable, and, if intended for sale, should be carefully kept free from litter.

253. The food proper for rabbits is, oats, peas, wheat, pollard, buck-wheat, carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, (if potatoes are used, they must be baked or steamed,) lucern, cabbage leaves, clover, tares, furze, parsley, sow thistles, dan

delion roots, clover and meadow hay, pea and bean straw; if grains are given, they must be mixed with good dry meal or pollard. Rabbits should be fed at least twice a day; if possible, three times.

254. Rabbits may indeed be kept, and even fatted, upon roots, good green meat, and hay; but they will pay for corn; the better the food, the greater weight, better quality, and more profit. Rabbits which have as much corn as they will eat, can never take any harm in being allowed almost an equal portion of good substantial vegetables. The chief thing to be avoided with rabbits is too much moisture, either in their food or habitations; they are just as liable to the rot as sheep, and from the same causes; but with regular and careful attention no live stock is less liable to disease than rabbits. 255. The doe should not be allowed to have more than six litters a year;-the young ones may be removed from her at six weeks:-at first, the young rabbits should have oats at least twice a day; or pea meal, mixed with fresh grains, and but a small proportion of green food. To a breeding doe, both before and while she suckles, plenty of good green meat should be given, and plenty of solid food too. She will bring forth from five to ten at a litter; but if the number exceed six, it is better to destroy the weakest; six, or at most seven, is quite large tax enough on the mother. When her time of kindling is near at hand, and she begins to pluck off the fine flue from her body, plenty of sweet dry hay should be given her to assist in making her bed. If she should appear weak or chilly after bringing forth, let her have some warm fresh grains, or fine pollard scalded, or barley meal mixed with a little beer.

FOWLS.

256. The warmest and driest soils are best adapted for the purpose of breeding and rearing poultry; the greatest success may be expected, attended with the least trouble; however, cottagers who choose to keep them must use the best place they can command. If possible, it should be a gentle slope, that the damp may run off. They should have heaps of dry sand, or sifted ashes, to roll themselves in, as this cleanses their feathers, and preserves their health;—their roosting place should be dry and warm, and kept perfectly clean;-for nests, little flat baskets placed against the sides of the hen-house, or bits of wood nailed up for the purpose, do very well; but boxes do better, as the wicker work lets in the cold.