1877 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
15 
should be satisfied. The excellence of the cider 
depends upon the quality of the apples. 
The Spring Backing occurs before the cider works, 
as it will when warm weather comes on, say about 
the last of May. It is well to do it, as occasion 
suits, any time from the last of March to the early 
part of May. At this time the barrels into which 
it is placed should be selected with the greatest 
care. When newly emptied Rhein wine-pipes can 
be obtained, nothing is better. They hold about 
160 gallons, and impart no foreign flavor which is 
perceptible. The little flavor they might give would 
be considered as an improvement. 
Fermentation goes on for a long time constantly in 
cider, but very slowly,—the slower the better, hence 
large casks are preferable, as their contents are less 
easily influenced by changes of temperature, and 
fermentation is more regular. So long as there is 
any turbidity, the fermentation has not ceased. 
During the first winter, when it is quite active, the 
bung-hole should be closed with a cork, in which 
one end of an inverted fl-tube, (or siphon), is 
placed, the outer end being in a bottle of water. 
The object of this is to allow the carbonic acid from 
the barrel to escape, but to prevent the air flowing 
back when active fermentation ceases. The U-tuhe 
should be used again after the spring racking, but 
as soon as the more active fermentation is over, the 
casks may be bunged up. 
The cider is racked again when it is a year old, 
and after that once a year until it is four years old, 
when it is fit to bottle. It is usually clear at three 
years old, or very nearly so. At one year, cider 
from apples as sour as Roxbury Russets, will be 
quite sweet, a large part of the sugar still remain¬ 
ing, it being not yet converted into spirit and car¬ 
bonic acid. 
No fining of any kind is used. It always injures 
the flavor, and so “flattens ” the cider that it nev¬ 
er recovers. Cider is more sensitive to foreign fla¬ 
vors than wine, hence there should be nothing but 
cider and apples kept in the cellar with it, and this 
is the Doctor’s practice. 
I have taken a good deal of space to tell the gist 
of our conversation, and I really hope that many 
of the readers of the American Agriculturist may be 
encouraged to produce cider which will be equal to 
good hock at three or four years old. This particu¬ 
lar portion of New Jersey used to be famous for its 
“Apple Jack”—I rejoice that the old distilleries 
are seen in ruins, here and there, all about. I do not 
know of a single one now in operation—and sin¬ 
cerely hope that “ Jersey lightning ” may soon be 
known only historically. The production of 
Good Cider Vinegar 
is so remunerative, that it probably doe's not pay to 
distill the cider any more. Tet there seems to be 
little trade in vinegar. All the inferior cider, that 
left with the lees when the cider is racked, properly 
handled, makes fair vinegar—but nothing is truer 
than that the best cider makes the best vinegar. It 
also needs age, for with it it gains not strength, but 
flavor, and a certain unmistakable quality which 
makes it valuable. 
Poland-CIvina Pigs. 
I expressed an opinion, or rather a 6urmise, that 
this so-called breed of swine was not so fixed in its 
characteristics,*as it should be, but that it possess¬ 
ed the inherent tendency of cross-breeds, before 
they become well established, to revert towards one 
of the original breeds. I have had some corre¬ 
spondence lately with a successful breeder of these 
pigs. He thinks the “ tendency is to drift towards 
the Berkshire,” and not towards the coarser of the 
original breeds—at least I must admit that his pigs 
show that disposition. Judicious breeding will 
correct this “ drift ”—whichever way it tends. 
Testing ont-crosses in Breeding. 
It is no more important with pigs than with other 
kinds of animals to seek crosses no way related to 
one’s own breeding stock; then to test the progeny 
one year or more to see if the cross “nicks” 
well, before incorporating the blood with that of 
the herd or flock. Many a fine herd of cattle, flock 
of sheep or pigs—or excellent strain of poultry, 
has been seriously injured by the introduction of 
males judged of simply by their beauty, and by 
their pedigrees perhaps, without putting their 
qualities to a preliminary test. There are compara¬ 
tively few persons who have 
True Breeder’s Instincts. 
The science of zooteehny has indeed its accurate 
rules, and axioms, but in the application of them 
there is great scope for the exercise of judgment. 
A good salesman is rarely a good breeder, for he 
first makes himself believe in the extraordinary ex¬ 
cellencies of his own stock, and then he convinces 
others that they are as wonderful as he thinks them. 
Such a man needs scales of points and rules, and 
the letter of the law, to tell him the qualities of 
his own cows and pigs and poultry. The real 
breeder values he knows not why, judges he knows 
not how, long before he brings out his scale of 
points, or studies disqualifications. He knows 
what crosses will “nick” well, by instinct; at least 
working by his own ideas of the fitness of things 
he rarely fails. When he will allow himself to be 
guided by the principles of breeding, as held by 
its most enlightened expounders, he is unsurpassed. 
Such a man is a boon to any agricultural communi¬ 
ty, and with wealth is, or is likely to be, prominent 
as a breeder of pure blood stock. The scores of 
people without this instinct, who set themselves up 
for breeders, merely because they think they can 
make money, inevitably fail. They would do well at 
Raising Grade Stock, 
which is legitimate farming. It is vastly better to 
raise superior grade animals, and to have one’s herd 
constantly improving for generation after genera¬ 
tion, than to attempt to breed full bloods, and see 
the heifers (or the pullets) one year after another 
inferior to their dams. The average of grade ani¬ 
mals, or of cross-breds, are so uniformly superior to 
average full-bloods, in all useful qualities, that it is 
hard to find an exception to the rule. 
Keeping Poultry on a Large Scale. 
I have never done it, but there is in the vicinity 
of large cities such a constant temptation to do it, 
that several of my neighbors have been led into 
keeping large flocks, and thus experience, of one 
sort or another, has accumulated, and become 
public property. I consider a flock of two hundred 
hens a large one—too large as a general rule. Such 
a flock was kept byR—. He had besides several 
hundFed pigeons, and a flock of turkeys. They 
were common hens, Light Brahma blood prepon¬ 
derating, had all they could eat of damaged grain, 
wheat screenings, hot buttermilk, thickened with 
bran, with pork and beef scrap-cakes to pick at. 
For several years they did admirably, but that ter¬ 
rible scourge, the chicken cholera, broke’out in the 
flock, and its destruction was inevitable. “ At one 
fell swoop ” all the healthy ones were killed and 
marketed, and the rest —composted. The pigeons 
escaped. There was profit in this operation, but it 
required nerve—more than most men have—to kill 
off alot of hens, laying eggs worth 4 cents, or even 
5 cents, a piece, in the very midst of the most 
profitable layiug season. There is, by the way, a 
good deal of profit in pigeon-raising. Well fed 
they will not trouble the gardens and oat-fields, 
and they will bring a good price dead or alive. 
Similar cases to the one just mentioned, which 
resulted disastrously, might be mentioned, as oc¬ 
curring on every hand. S— built a nice hennery, 
capable of accommodating 1,000 laying hens ; they 
were divided into flocks of 100 each, perhaps, or 
were to be so divided—few of the flocks ever reach¬ 
ed that number. About 300 hens were bought in 
the neighborhood, at about $1 each. They were 
good ones, young, well selected, and of all breeds. 
They began to lay. Eggs were 5 els. a piece, (55 
to 60 cts. a dozen). The cost of feed, care, ship¬ 
ping, and marketing, was comparatively insignifi¬ 
cant. Our friend was a reader. He took pains to 
do as the books said. He was not above taking 
counsel, but he took little. His profits began to 
excite him. The hennery was fast paying for it¬ 
self, and was barely one-third full. He filled, or 
began to fill it, with carefully selected hens and 
pullets, found in New York markets. This was 
fatal. Catarrh of the most infectious or contagious 
kind, known as roup , broke out, and went from 
flock to flock. He went through a terrible siege— 
nursed the poor things night and day, following 
the most approved systems of treating the malady 
—but all in vain. Egg production almost ceased. 
The odor in his cleanly houses was insupportable. 
He was worried past endurance, and—gave it up 1 
There seems to be a fatality about it, almost, yet 
A Few Succeed. 
There is F., for instance. He told me that his 
250 hens brought him in $2.50 each, clear profit 
every year. They are, I believe, in one flock, at 
least I do not remember any separation of the yard! 
or buildings. They have the range of a large barn¬ 
yard, and at times of the lawn and farm. The 
houses are simple, warm, and light. They seem to 
be exceedingly dirty, and pervaded with an almost 
stifling atmosphere. This is the secret of success. 
Dusting boxes are located in all parts of the long 
range of hen houses. Lime, ashes, and fine earth 
are kept in them, and this the chickens flout and 
fling into the air in cloud6. It pervades every cor¬ 
ner—lies in drifts almost on unused roosts, breaks 
down the over-loaded cob-webs, and not only drives 
lice away, but seems to give vigor and health to 
the fowls. Otherwise the fowls are not peculiarly 
treated. They are of laying breeds, principally 
Leghorns, and he would be glad to increase the 
number, if he could buy just such as he wants at 
reasonable figures. He raises most of his stock, 
but has never been able to raise as many as he 
needs. This case offers real encouragement to egg 
raisers, for I certainly do net see any reason why 
any other person should not succeed as well. I 
would, however, separate such a yard into flocks of 
fifties or thereabouts, after considering R.’s ex¬ 
perience, and that of many others. 
How to Manage Night-Soil. 
The fertilizing properties of night-soil are well 
known. The principal reason why this valuable 
material is neglected and permitted to go to waste, 
is the difficulty of handling it. If improperly 
handled, it is disagreeable and difficult to apply to 
the uses for which it is best adapted. There are 
many cases in which it could be made use of very 
conveniently, if rightly managed. In country towns 
and villages it is difficult to dispose of it, and it be¬ 
comes a serious nuisance to householders, and a 
detriment to the public health, when it ought to be 
turned to profitable uses. In some other countries 
this refuse matter is eagerly collected and carefully 
used by the farmers. The methods employed in 
England, Germany, and France, might very well be 
adopted by us, and a large quantity of fertilizing 
material be gathered. By the methods there in use 
the night-soil is easily handled and prepared for 
distribution upon the land, or for mixing in com¬ 
posts. Arrangements are made with persons in 
towns and villages who wish to have the soil re¬ 
moved, and the time being fixed (this is always in 
the night, from which circumstance the name given 
to the material is derived), wagons with tight box¬ 
es, or carts, are sent to the place. Carts are mostly 
used, as indeed they are in Europe for most of the 
farm work. The carts, or wagons, carry out a 
quantity of earth, chopped straw, ashes, or such 
other absorbent as may be conveniently procured, 
and some sheaves of long straw, or else the ashes 
or other absorbent used, which is frequently the 
sweepings and scrapings of streets, is prepared 
upon the ground or near by. This material is then 
disposed in the form of a bank enclosing a space of 
sufficient size to hold the night-soil, as shown in 
figure 2. A reserve heap is kept to be mixed with 
the night-soil as it is emptied into the place pre¬ 
pared for it. Wheelbarrows with tight boxes are 
generally used to convey the soil from the cesspooL 
When the whole has been removed from the cess¬ 
pool, the cut-straw is mixed in and the banks of 
earth are turned over upon the pile, which can then 
be handled with shovels or forks, and is ready to 
be loaded into the wagon. Some of the long straw 
is laid in the bottom of the wagon-box, and the 
mixed mass is thrown upon it, layer after layer 
alternately with straw, until the top of the wagon- 
