der, Bweet herbRgo. The tubers are so close to 
the surface that the animals readily pull them 
up when feeding, and soon learn to dig them up 
with their feet and devour them greedily. Poul¬ 
try may bo turned into the Chufa patch when 
the first labors are ripe—about June in the 
South, and somewhat later in the North—and 
they begin at once to scratch out and feed upon 
the crop, and are said by this means to acquire a 
flavor superior to that imparted by any other 
kind of feed. 
When frosts have killed the tops, enough of 
have never been pampered, and show constitu¬ 
tions well adapted to rough it in any climate ; 
they handle exceeding well, and have very good 
hair. Hereford cattle have improved their points 
as meat makers in their own districts, and have 
had their merits acknowledged in both the Unit¬ 
ed States and the Colonies. Altogether, the 
Hereford is one of the most valuable breeds, for 
the grazier, we possess, and is more prized in its 
own districts than the Short-Horn,” 
These remarks accurately describe the charac¬ 
ter of this rent-paying herd, which only has to 
be known to ho appreciated. It is ac¬ 
knowledged by all those who have used 
bulls from Felbampton, that they can 
always be depended upon for transmit- 
ting to their descendants tho charac- f 
teristio types of their respective 
tribes ; this fact, of course, following 
from the purity and antiquity of their ^ 
pedigrees. 
Trusting that what I have written m A 
may be of interest and advantage to 'i 
breeders of 1 lore ford cattle in America, \ ga 
who may bo roaders of the Rural \ ■» 
New-Yorker, I am, yours faithfully, w | 
An English Correspondent. 
the form of a thick-set hush and they are nearly 
as productive as when allowed to climb as nature 
designed they should. 
Experience has also taught me that the best 
way to cultivate beets, turnips and kindred veg¬ 
etables is in drills, and in sowing don't be stingy 
of seed, but pul it iu bountifully, for it is far 
easier to pull out two plants than to replace one 
which some marauding out-worm, or other insect 
has destroyed, and although transplanted vege¬ 
tables oft-times do well, yet, as a rule, they will 
do better if sown where they are to romain. 
Now, as to tho condition of the soil. I have a 
neighbor who, although not lazy, yet is consti¬ 
tutionally tired,and he says his garden is too rich, 
because so many weeds grow therein. Non- his 
garden has had but two or three slight sprink¬ 
lings of manure during a period of twenty 
years or over, and of course, his supply of vege¬ 
tables is uoi sufficient to make it a very laborious 
task to house them, beoause, as be says, the 
ground is so rich that the weeds choke them 
out! Now, we have never been troubled in this 
manner. Although we admit that the soil can 
be so highly fed as to make it too rich for cer¬ 
tain classes of truck, yet, as a rule, we can by 
vigilance koop the weeds where they won’t choke 
the vegetables out, and we generally succeed in 
producing fine crops on these "too rich soils.’ 
lu conclusion, experience has taught us “ to 
take time by the forelock” in everything which 
lelateB to gardening, and never to defer till to¬ 
morrow what can and ought to bo done to-day— 
it is hard to catch up in gardening when once 
behind—: never to suffer weeds to encumber 
the growing crop, or go to soed; to stir the 
ground often during brought; and, above all, 
not to allow it, like our neighbor’s, to get bo rich 
as to produce weeds enough to choke out the 
vegetables. An Amateur Gardner. 
A TRIP THROUGH THE HORSE DISTRICT 
OF ORANGE COUNTY, N. Y. 
BY GEORGE GARDNER 
Wk— myself and friend—started from home at 
7 A. M. and with a pair of lively horses trotted 
on by tho farm homesteads which, one after the 
other, adorned tho road-side. Some were good, 
handsome houses with well-kept lawns, pretty 
flower-beds and fine evergreen trees, etc ; others 
lacked tho pleasure ground in front, hut had 
kitchen gardens on one side and numerous milk 
cans ou the oth* r. 
Grass predominated everywhere, and cows were 
ranging on tho pastures, but ou passing the 
village of Wasliingtonville, horses became more 
numerous and soon wo drove up to tho former 
homo oT " Goldsmith Maid." 
Volunteer, Huntress, Trio and florae other 
noted animals wero inspected, and order and 
system were everywhere conspicuous. For in¬ 
stance, on entering the stalls of Trio tin to was 
seen a most complete traveling kit for the trot¬ 
ter when going from home. There, on the wall 
were hanging a miuaturo clock, hits, boots, band¬ 
ages, weights, medical instruments, wrenches 
and sundry tools too uumc rnns to be mentioned, 
which would he necessary iu a journey, and it 
could easily ho seen how much pride the groom 
of Trio took in keeping these iu perfect order. 
Iu an hour afterwards we arrived at Stony- 
ford, finding the proprietor at homo and, for¬ 
tunately for us, disengaged, BO that we enjoyed 
a rare treat. People may talk and write about 
urbauity Ac., but Mr. Hackman proved his pos¬ 
session of those qualities by paying as much at¬ 
tention to two unknown strangers as ho could 
have done to distinguished characters and was 
so kind as to give u» the particular history, breed 
and performances of all the host animals, and 
it was astotilflhing how repeatedly it was stated, 
on opening another box door, "this was by 
Hambletonian out of a star mare.” 
I remember most of them, and of course, the 
horse of the day "Messenger Duroc;” but as 
for bearing all in mind, it is out of the question 
as wo saw so many. Just think of tho extraor¬ 
dinary number of more than 250, dozens of 
which run in price from £10,000 to £20,000 and 
some much higher. 
There wore many interesting facts respecting 
tho farm and noteworthy particulars with re¬ 
gard to tho management; bat as every animal 
was not only perfectly quit. t but scon ed pleased 
to bo visited and allowed two strangers to walk 
around them, while even the stallions were un¬ 
der no restraint; it is beyond any doubt, tho 
whole of this vast establishment is superintended 
by a master of great strength ol' character, and 
executive ability. Wo wero assured this wonder¬ 
ful good temper and intelligence were the re¬ 
sults of kindness and uniform good treatment! 
Oh! ye fathers of families, who rule your chil¬ 
dren with a rod of iron, and who quote " Spare 
not the rod” Ac., pay a visit to tins establishment 
and hero witness tho confidence and affection 
with which every horse approaches iiis master 
and note tho gentle good behavior and graceful 
ease with which they stand or move while being 
examined. And yo great men of the earth who 
have many employes, w hat a fine exam pie for 
you who are continually complaining about 
them ; for, doubtless, a like good treatment 
would make any gang of average men as pleas¬ 
ant to manage and as happy and prosperous as 
these noble specimens of the equine race. 
After our much enjoyed tour among the no¬ 
tables and the colts we visited the private stables 
and coach-house which the proprietor must take 
great prido in, and which are a credit to those 
who are in charge. We there Baw the best hedge 
that ever greeted our eyes; for it was not only as 
ornamental as possible, but such a dense mass 
of evergreen as to defy any effort of the most 
breaohy cattle to force a way through. The 
name of the shrub making this beautiful fence 
is " Arbor-vitaa*” 
The whole estate comprises about 600 acres, 
and thut it is first-class land is proved by its 
nearly supporting the 250 or more horses now 
CHUFAS 
Within the last couple of years a i 
great deal has been said in tho agri- V 
cultural press about OUufas, and fro- 
qnent verbal descriptions of them 
have been given, yet among those who 
have not seen them, very vague ideas 
exist in regard to their uppoarance. 
To convey to our readers a correct 
impression of this plant, wo present 
to their notice this week, tho accom¬ 
panying very excellent illustration of 
a Ohufa plant, from tho patch grow¬ 
ing in tho Rural Experimental 
Grounds. It is not tho least among 
the advantages of an illustrated paper 
that an engraving of any object, given 
in its pages, conveys to its patrons, 
oven without a word of explanation, 
a far clearer and more enduring 
knowledge of its appearance than can 
be afforded by any verbal description, 
however minnto and graphic. 
It is but little over a quarter of a 
century since the Ghufa or Earth Al- z$i|j 
moud—Cyperus esculent u*—was first ©IjjjWj 
introduced into this couutry from 
Spain by Uie Department of Agricul- jfu 
ture, through whose agency it was dis- f f/T/) ' 
tributed to different parts of the coun- Jj I ‘ i 
try. It belongs to the family of nut- «< 
grasses or sedges, and in some of the 1 
Southern States there is an unfounded Nflr 
prejudice against it on account of its 
resemblance to the "coco 1 * grass— 
Cyperus hydra—one of tho most 
troublesome pests with which planters 
in tho Gulf Status have to contend. 
It is, however, by no means hardy, 
being unable to withstand even a 
slight frost, and not growiug more 
than a single season without cultiva¬ 
tion. oliU 
As a food for hogs Chufas are considered, by 
excellent authority, at least twice as valuable as 
corn, while for sheep and chickens, and indeed 
for most kinds of farm stock, they are highly 
esteemed by all who have cultivated them. On 
thin, sandy, worn-out or pinoy-wood soils they 
produce from 100 to 150 bushels per acre, while 
ou a rich soil, with good culture, they yield from 
400 to 500 bushels. The exact amount of flesh a 
given quantity of them will produce has hitherto 
not been tested by experiment, but good judges 
estimate that a bushel and a half of them, root¬ 
ed up by tho hogs themselves, will make as much 
pork as a bushel of corn fed in the usual way. 
Although hitherto grown more extensively in 
the Southern States than elsewhere, the fact 
that they yield a good crop in Massachusetts 
indicates that they will succeed in most of the 
Northern States. 
The Ohufa is a slender, grass-like plant bear¬ 
ing, at the base of each stem, small, edible tubers, 
ranging in size from that of a poa to a filbert, 
and possessing, when fully ripe, a sweetish taste 
not unlike that of a chestnut. They should be 
planted in drills, two and a half or three feet 
apart, and from ten to eighteen inohes apart in 
tho row, in accordance with the richness of the 
soiL In the South they aro planted as early as 
February or March, and in the North they should 
be planted as soon as the weather will permit. 
Grass and weeds should be extirpated, either 
by hand or horse culture, according to the extent 
of the plantation. They soon come up and grow 
to a hight of four feet. They are improved in¬ 
stead of being injured by pasturing with sheep, 
to which they afford an abundance of rich, ten- 
HEREFORD CATTLE IN ENGLAND 
The Felbampton herd was founded in the last 
century by a gentleman of the name of Ur- 
wick, whose family occupied the farm until 
1867, when the present tenant, Mr. John Hill, 
took the whole at a valuation, and came into 
possession. Felhampton Court is situated five 
miles from the post town, Church 8tretton, iu 
the Couuty of Shropshire; and there is now 
established there one of the best herds of White- 
faced Here fords in England. It contains blood 
of the oldest and most celebrated tribes. It ma,y 
be divided into six: The Cronkhills, the Mar¬ 
lows, the Groves, tho Picrcys, the Manaughtys, 
aud the FelhamptoiiB. Taking them in order, 
the Oronkhill tribe is sprung from the celebrated 
and world-renowned herd of the late Lord Her- . 
wick, whose cattle were more sought after than 
perhaps those of any other breeder of his day. 
Tho Marlows have been collected by Mr. Hill, at 
a great expense, from time to time, from Mr. J. 
11, Grf.i.v'h grand herd. These cattle, it can be 
said without any fear of contradiction, possess 
the greatest scale and greatest amount of lean 
meat, combined with beautiful quality and least 
frames, of any known tribe of Herefords of the 
present day. Tho Groves aro descended from 
tho prize-taking cattle of the late Mr. Groves, 
from whom Mr. Hili. purchased, at a long price, 
tho cow which was the origin of the now estab¬ 
lished tribe. The Piercys, taking their name 
from au old, favorite cow, are now so allied to 
tho Cronkhills as perhaps to be more properly 
called a family of that tribe. The Manaughtys 
camo from the late veteran breeder, Mr. Rea, 
who did so much in his day to improve this breed 
of cattle. There is no purer blood in exist¬ 
ence, and it is closely connected with the Marlow 
strain, Mr. Green having used Manaughty bulla 
to a great extent. Last, but not least, are the 
Felhamptous. These have been ou the estate 
beyond the memory of man, aud are peihapa 
one of the oldest known tribes. They are re¬ 
markable for their great aptitude to fatten and 
to live on inferior pasture. 
The above herd consists of from fifty to Bixty 
breeding cows and heifers and their produce ; an 
annual draft being made to make room for the 
young stock. Mr. Hill has ready sale for the 
bull calves, which are usually disposed of when 
from nine to twelve mouths' old, either private¬ 
ly or by public auction. The following Bhort 
account of the herd is abridged from the Agri¬ 
cultural Gazette, headed *' Herefords in Shrop¬ 
shire, by a Short-Horn Man 
*' Passing through Shropshire, the other day, 
aud being anxious to see some of its Hereford 
cattle, 1 called upon Mr. Hill, at Felhampton 
Court, who has been breeding with groat care 
and judgment. The class of Herefords at Fel¬ 
hampton are the old-fashioned, heavy-fleshed, 
large-framed animals, full of the lean flesh that 
is wanted so much by the show Herefords of the 
present day, which are, as a rule, too short, and 
nothing but symmetrical lumps of fat. They 
NEW WHEATS, 
" Champlain " was produced in 1870 by Mr. 
Pringle in his endeavors to unite the hardiness 
of tho Black Sea with the fine qualities of the 
Golden Drop. Several varieties were the result 
of this cross, from which the above was chosen 
as showing increased vigor and productiveness 
over its parents. A selection from this for the 
past seven years haM now, Mr. I’, thinks, estab¬ 
lished its character, and the result is a wheat 
bearded like tho Black Sea, with the white chaff 
of the Golden Drop. It Is said to he free from 
rust and smut, and yields a lighter colored grain 
than the former. The straw is said to grow six 
to twelve inches higher than its parent varieties 
—to stand erect, and to bear under ordinary 
culture, heads from five to six inches in length, 
containing from sixty to seventy-live kernels 
each. It is recommended as among the earliest, 
promising to give the growers of this important 
crop, " better results than are produced by the 
old rod run-out varieties now sown.” Is Claw¬ 
son included ? 
‘ * Defiance ’’ is another variety Qf Spring wheat 
also produced by Mr. Pringle. This is a beard¬ 
less white chaff wheat, the heads closely set with 
large white kernels. Both varieties will be of¬ 
fered for sale the coming season, and we hope 
they may prove even more than is claimed for 
them. 
