414, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
liant reflections. The hen is similar in color and 
special points to the cock ; her body is massive, 
and her legs strong to match her stout body. Her 
plumage is perfectly black, the crest is large, and 
the beard full and profuse, and the comb, which is 
horned, is much hidden in the crest. As these 
birds become aged a few stray white feathers will 
appear in the crest, which, however, should be an 
objection in young birds. When but one breed is 
kept, the Houdan would be preferable totheCreve- 
coeur, on account of its more lively color, but were 
cross-bred birds are not objected to, a few of the 
latter with their remarkably beautiful color, when 
in a bright light, their large size and handsome car¬ 
riage ; their desirable table qualities, and the habit 
of the hen to lay when all others are broody, would 
make a very desirable addition to a flock of light 
Brahmas, or white Cochins. Black fowls do not 
seem to become popular very readily, just as black 
breeds of cattle have few admirers, in spite of their 
many claims on the grazier and the butcher, but if 
any black fowl is to be chosen, we would certainly 
give the preference to the Crevecceur. The illustra¬ 
tions given on the preceding page arc portraits 
from life, of prize taking birds, and although there 
are differences of opinion amongst fanciers as to 
the value of certain points of questionable merit, 
intrinsically, yet the birds here represented are as 
near perfection as any than can easily be procured. 
Among the Farmers—No. 10. 
BY ONE OP THEM. 
Potatoes not worth Digging. 
I believe the fact, which this year stares us in 
the face on every hand, that potatoes in good soil 
and under good culture have actually dried up 
without producing anything worth digging, and in 
many cases nothing at all, is absolutely without a 
parallel in this latitude. It is quite true that the 
plants were in some cases set back by the Colorado 
beetle, but the failure of the crop, except in a few 
cases of absolute neglect, or ignorance of the best 
methods of destroying the pest, is due to the hot, 
dry weather. We have been getting careless about 
Early Planting 
potatoes of late years. It used to be an almost 
universal feeling that early potatoes must be 
planted just as soon as the ground could be worked. 
It was necessary, too, for the earlier we had our 
potatoes in the market, the better the price we re¬ 
ceived, but now-a-days the competition with Ber¬ 
muda, Norfolk, and other Southern ports is such, 
that New Jersey and Long Island potatoes hardly 
have a show. This year indeed the price at which 
early potatoes were sold was high, yet this was 
simply on account of scarcity. The fine piece of 
potatoes, which really bore off the palm in our 
whole neighborhood, was superior simply because 
it was planted early, and well tilled. The plants 
were well established before the beetles became 
troublesome ; no Paris green was used ; the insects 
were hand-picked by the old farmer and Ills grand¬ 
sons, and before the drouth became severe, a fine 
crop of Early Rose was safe, if not secured. Of 
course, it was not a large crop. The drouth hur¬ 
ried the ripening of both tubers and plants, and so 
essentially diminished the yield. Early planting 
alone will not, however, insure a crop of even 
Early Rose. I think that 
Deep Planting of Potatoes 
is nearly as important. If the soil be reasonably 
deep and mellow, the seed maybe placed six inches 
deep, though I would not advise or direct that it 
should be planted more than five, for this would 
accomplish the setting of the seed probably at 
something over four inches deep. This depth is 
usually about right, yet in sandy land six inches is 
none too much. I believe that, if the early pota¬ 
toes in this parched region had been planted iu 
March, as they might have been, and four inches 
deep, we would have had three-quarters of a crop, 
and probably more. It is important to remember, 
a fact impressed upon my own mind by a most un¬ 
fortunate circumstance, that it will not do to be 
sparing of seed in planting early, for the cold moist 
soil often causes potatoes to decay, especially if 
they be planted cut in small pieces. It is almost 
equally necessary that the pieces, though large, be 
cut several days before planting, that they may be¬ 
come dry, and the cut surface protected by a dry, 
gummy film of which exude. 
City Stable Manure. 
The failure of the potato crop places the farmers 
and gardeners, who have been using city manure, 
in a far worse position, than that in which they be¬ 
gan the season. Many of them were in arrears for 
last year’s payments, yet they were trusted again 
for the manure necessary to make their early po¬ 
tato and early cabbage crops, which are ordinarily 
the first crops to bring iu much money. Of course 
they can not pay for it, and the city manure is of¬ 
fered at very low prices, and sale for a good deal of 
it is absolutely lost. The prices which Long Island 
farmers have been in the habit of paying, do not 
seem to be too great, certainly they have not been 
greater than the sharp demand for it warranted. 
When we have had favorable seasons for potatoes 
or for cabbages, the debt was easily cancelled be¬ 
fore the close of the season, but the failure of one 
or two crops seems to have seriously disturbed the 
trade, and this excellent manure is offered this fall 
at such low prices, that a permanent deflection of 
the fertilizer from Long Island may result through 
other farmers learning about it, and providing for 
its transportation. It consists of horse-dung shaken 
out nearly clean from the straw and other bedding, 
and kept free from moisture, or packed in pits, 
where only the liquids from the stable flow. Some¬ 
times it becomes heated, and more or less moldy 
and fire-fanged, and occasionally it is very light and 
dry ; but usually it is in good condition, and as city 
horses are generally well fed, it is of excellent 
quality. I recently visited a farm where it is used, 
and w'as surprised to find it esteemed as fully equal 
to good mixed manure from the barn-yard. 
Horseback Riding. 
Where we have so many horses, and for a con¬ 
siderable part of the year such poor roads, it seems 
remarkable that we do not ride more. Our people 
prefer to drag through the mud and over rough 
roads in buggies or phaetons. Even of country- 
bred boys and girls more than half can not sit a 
horse with grace, comfort, or safety, and as to city- 
bred youths, some are sent to riding-school, and 
make fair riders, but never practice it, while a few 
—not one in a hundred of these—enjoy a gallop 
through the park before breakfast, or in the after¬ 
noon, once in six months. Can it be that the 
general sentiment of the community, which is op¬ 
posed to a horse going in any other gait than a trot 
or walk, has had the effect to cause us to forego 
riding ? The increase of lung diseases, weakness 
of the spine, catarrh, etc., among men of sedentary 
pursuits, may perhaps in a measure be accounted 
for by the giving up of this exercise. 
The fact that a driving-horse is an easy, pleasant, 
well trained saddle-horse, unless, indeed, he be on¬ 
ly used as a saddle-nag, does not add a penny to 
his market value, indicates how little we ride. 
Horse-dealers never know whether or not a horse 
is an easy gaited one under saddle, "and if he will 
carry a man on his back without making a disturb¬ 
ance, or trying to throw him off, he is recommended 
as “broken to saddle,” at least in the New York 
market. 
Ail Arabian Xag. 
A year or two ago a friend, a city bred man, 
spent the summer with us, for the sake of enjoy¬ 
ing the society of an Arabian mare, which he pick¬ 
ed up at an auction sale at a bargain. The mare 
was sent to the farm, and before long he came too, 
and became an established member of our house¬ 
hold for the season. The mare was as white as 
snow, with silky mane and tail as fine as a lady’s 
hair. Her gait was an easy canter, or a free trot, 
and she had an intelligence which was almost hu¬ 
man. It was not long before she had been ridden 
over almost every road in the vicinity. Our friend’s 
morning canter ended at the railway station, where 
he and I took the cars for New York, in order that 
the mare might be led home. One day she was, by 
mistake, not fastened to the wagon, but neverthe¬ 
less plodded on behind as piously as if she had been 
tied, though often a rod or two behind. This was 
afterwards repeated, and suggested the idea of 
turning her loose at other stations to come home 
alone, which, after that, she did with precision. A 
card was attached to the saddle pummel—“ Let 
her alone aud she’ll go home ”—and so she did 
from every railway and steamboat station within 
six or eight miles. 
I sometimes wonder that the example has not 
been followed, for the mare was well known 
throughout this region, and this convenient habit 
commented upon. It was no taught trick, but de¬ 
pended simply upon the mare’s common sense. 
She was 15 years old, and past the day of learning 
new tricks easily. I think almost any horse, might 
be taught to go directly home. All that would be 
necessary would be to watch him for a few times, 
and give him a lump of sugar after he got home, 
and a mild chastisement if he was found loitering 
on the road. Of course his head should be well 
checked up, to prevent nibbling shrubs or grass. 
Riding for pleasure only, I greatly enjoy, but it is 
riding for use or profit which I would commend to 
farmers and gentlemen living in the country. It is 
many years since I have taken a pleasure ride, and 
yet I should feel lost without a good saddle horse ; 
and so far as my experience goes, the fact that a 
horse is good for all work in harness, does not 
affect his being pleasant under saddle, nor does his 
use in this way affect his driving at ordinary gaits. 
A Cuban Saddle-Horse. 
The Cuban gentlemen, and perhaps equally those 
of other Spanish-American States, appreciate a 
good saddle-horse. There is one owned in this 
county, a stallion, but well broken, intelligent, and 
kind. He was seen aud ridden in Cuba 'by his 
owner, who has a weakness for a fine horse, so 
he soon became his property. With the style of an 
Arabian, ne has the coat and color of the Barb—a 
skin like satin, of a dark glossy bay, inclining to 
brown, covered with tine white spots and speckles, 
each clearly defined, as if he had been out in a 
snow-storm, no spot being larger than a bean, and 
none smaller than a kernel of wheat. At a distance 
of 100 yards none of the spots show, and he looks 
like a bay horse. Beautiful and curious as is his 
appearance, his gait is still more interesting. Ap¬ 
parently it is a rapid trot, executed by moving both 
fore and hind feet independently of each other, 
and so that but one foot is lifted at a time. The 
effect of this is to gain the smoothest movement 
possible to imagine. I think a glass of water near¬ 
ly full might be carried by the rider without spill¬ 
ing a drop. The speed is fully equal to that of a 
smart trot, and of course it is easy and delightful. 
It is strange that we have no familiar English name 
for the gait, which is said to be natural to the Span¬ 
ish horse, as to the Spanish-American ponies, which 
are for the greater part directly descended from 
Spanish and Barb stock. Nevertheless, to exhibit 
the gait in perfection, the horse undergoes severe 
training, and his value is greatly increased thereby. 
Cider and Vinegar. 
The dry weather has caused many apples to fall, 
which otherwise would have held on—though more 
or less wormy. Some were ripe enough to make 
fair cider for vinegar, others too green, but still 
worth pressing for the same purpose. That was 
before the ripening of fall pippins and other good 
cider apples, for when well treated, Fall Pippin ci¬ 
der is excellent, though not to be compared with 
that from Newtown Pippins. One reason may be 
that the weather in September and early October is 
not so favorable to the fermentation as that of late 
October and November. The high winds, which it 
is fair to look for as autumn weather comes on, 
will shake off the apples more than usual, I fear, 
and great quantities of poor eider and flavorless 
vinegar will be the result. The better the cider the 
finer the vinegar always. 
I was greatly amused by Dr. Hexamer’s account 
of the difficulty he encountered in getting his 
superb cider entered and exhibited at “the Cen¬ 
tennial.” It was entered properly early in the 
