"The patentee claims, under this head of his invention, any salt of soda, when mixed as before stated, and applied to milk, for the purpose of causing a larger quantity of cream to rise to the surface of the milk than is procured by the ordi nary process. The soda and water form the basis of the improvement, the solu tion of turmeric and marigold water be ing only used to improve the color and quality of the butter made from the cream, and not being essentially neces sary to effect the increase of the cream. Although the patentee finds the use of the soda most convenient, he claims any other alkali when applied in a similar way.
"The second part of the invention con sists in the following method of preserv ing milk : One table-spoonful of a solu tion of soda, made by dissolving one ounce of carbonate of soda in a quart of water, is introduced into a quart bottle, nearly filled with new milk, only suffi cient space having been left for the spoonful of liquid,. after which the bot tle is corked, and a piece of string put round the cork to prevent it from flying, and then the bottles are put into a copper or other vessel containing cold water, which is to be gradually brought to the boiling point. When this has been effected, the fire is to be withdrawn from beneath the copper, or the vessel, if movable, is to be taken off the fire, and the water and the contents of the bottles are allowed to cool ; the bottles are then taken out of the water and packed away." Scarcely any idea can be formed of the immense quantity of milk produced in the Union. In forming an approxima tion to the probable quantity, the follow ing, taken from the patent office reports for 1847 and 1848, may afford some as sistance : " We have no precise data on which to found an extended estimate, for in none of the census returns of the States do we find the number of milch cows specified. But in the state of New York, in 1845, the amount of butter reported as made was about 80,000,000, and that of cheese 36,000,000 pounds.
" Were we to allow for every pound of butter 25 pounds of milk, which is pro bably a low average, and reckon these at about 10 or 12 quarts, this would give 800,000,000 or more quarts, or 200,000,000 gallons of milk. But considering the
proportion of milk used for butter as one-half throughout the whole State, and this would give for the single State of New York, not less than 400,000,000 of gallons of milk used, besides what is ap plied to butter and cheese ; and were this reckoned at only 2 cents per quart, would be the sum of $32,000,000, while the butter, at only 10 cents per pound, and the cheese at 5 cents per pound, a low estimate for each, would amount to $8,000,000 for butter, and the cheese to $1,800,000, making the aggregate of the milk product of the single state of New York, at a very low estimate, at least $40,000,000,000, equal to two-thirds of the cotton crop of the United States.
" According to the census of the United States in 1840, the number of neat cattle, including all kinds, was for Pennsylvania and Ohio each about one-quarter less than in New York. As it is believed that the number of oxen used in New York is greater than in Pennsylvania and Ohio, supposing a similar ratio to hold good, and modified by this last consider ation in these two States with respect to mulch kine, we may probably consider the milk product of each of the States of Pennsylvania and Ohio, then, at about one-fifth less than in New York. It is very probable, however, that the propor tion would be less with respect to Ohio at the present time. Bnt, allowing it as we have mentioned, we must consider the milk products of Pennsylvania and Ohio equal to at least $64,000,000, and the aggregates for these States and New York would be equal to over $100,000,000. Were this estimate to be extended to the other States, the amount in value must be enormous." The quantity of milk sold in our cities is great. Some idea of it may be formed from the fact that 50,000 quarts of milk daily are carried do the Erie railroad, equal, including the cans, to sixty-three tons, not less, probably, than 15,000,000 or 16,000,000 quarts a-year, which did not find its way to New York before the road was constructed.