THE CULTIVATOR. 
67 
rary shelter, we have always succeeded in saving pota¬ 
toes during the winter. 
We unhesitatingly recommend that the same land be 
planted in potatoes each succeeding year, believing that 
the culture of this crop adapts the soil for the increased 
reproduction of the root, and that the covering of the 
vines when potatoes are gathered, restores to the soil a 
larger supply of nutrition, than is consumed by the pro¬ 
duction of the crop. Wm. Summer. 
Pomaria, S. C., Dec . 18, 1844. 
THE HORSE SPECTRE. 
Mr. Editor —I love a good Horse—in fact, I love 
them that love Horses. I once rode fifty miles on horse¬ 
back to see a broken down Racer, and was amply repaid 
for my labor. Indeed, he was a remarkable animal on 
many accounts ; and although thorough bred, with a 
pedigree of the greatest purity, he was as heavy as many 
a wagon horse. His color was a deep chestnut; border¬ 
ing on black, with eyes of light brown, that seemed to 
be planted in the cheek, about midway between (he nose 
and ears, giving him an appearance quite unearthly : his 
action also, quick and hurried, and of the most eccentric 
character, was calculated to inspire a sort of terror in 
the beholder, leading him to be careful how he ventured 
into the enclosure where he was confined. And yet, 
withal, he was perfectly gentle and manageable, and of 
the most generous disposition. At the time of which I 
write, he was in possession of the Messrs. Badentram, of 
Presteign, Radnorshire, Wales, (England) and there I 
saw him. Indeed, his history throughout, is so remark¬ 
able, that I feel a desire to relate it, with your permis¬ 
sion, for publication in the pages of the Cultivator ; true 
to the letter. 
One day, a stranger called at a farm-house in that part 
of the country to inquire for board. He was a citizen of 
London, a Jeweller, and had been ordered into the coun¬ 
try by his physician, for the benefit of air and a mild diet. 
The farmer observed they had not been accustomed to 
take boarders, but thought perhaps he might as well re¬ 
main where he was, and try how he liked their accom¬ 
modations. On the stranger inquiring the terms, the 
farmer said that depended upon how they liked each 
other; and at the end of a month, when the stranger offer¬ 
ed to pay, the farmer said his wife and he had not yet 
derermined upon what it should be. In another month, 
the health of the stranger being reinstated, he again asked 
for his bill, when the farmer informed him that he and 
his wife calculated they were about quits, as his society 
and conversation had been to them of quite the value of 
what he had received; and finding that nothing he could 
say would alter that determination, the stranger took his 
leave, promising, that he would, some day, send him a 
present from London. 
Not long after, a man led into the farm-yard, an old 
blind mare of the highest blood and pedigree, heavy in 
foal by the best horse in England, Phantom; an accom¬ 
panying letter requesting that she might never be sold, 
but be returned, if the farmer should grow weary of keep¬ 
ing her; hinting also, if the foal should prove a horse 
colt, that his name be called Spectre. In due time the 
mare brought a horse foal, which, with the extreme care 
bestowed upon him, grew up a remarkably fine animal, 
being entered to run for a plate at two years old, which j 
he won with the greatest ease to himself. Not so how¬ 
ever to the rider, who, with the utmost difficulty could 
manage to keep himself on his back by holding on to the 
pommel of the saddle; bridle, whip and spurs, being 
totally useless and out of the question; for with nose to 
the ground, and his feet at every stroke appearing above 
his head, the back a semicircle at one moment, and an 
inverted ellipsis at the next, it would have been easier 
to sit a camel in full trot! no other person being able to 
accomplish the feat of sitting him—to guide him, being 
a vain and useless attempt. After this, he, with the same 
rider, won every thing he started for, until on the eve 
of a very important race, in which he was backed by the 
whole country at immense odds, a stranger offered one of 
his owners ((here were two persons who had shares in 
him) a very large sum of money, if he would permit his 
horse to be beaten! The temptation was too great to be 
withstood, although the man knew that his partner had 
risked his all upon him, as also many more of his per¬ 
sonal friends: the only way to accomplish it being to 
overweight him. This was accordingly done, and on 
striving against a saddle full of shot, the generous and 
noble animal sprained his shoulder and broke down, his 
rider afterward declaring, that even then, he had more 
work to make him lose, than he ever had to make him 
win. And while in this broken down condition, he won 
three silver cups at three different meetings; the last at 
the great race of Worcester, still fresh in the memory of 
thousands, where he distanced almost the whole field. 
After this, he was withdrawn from the turf, and was 
kept as a stud horse; and as such I saw him with his blind 
dam, in an adjoining paddock again in foal, at the age of 
28 years! Many noble horses, the best in that part of 
the country, were produced from this stock, the owner 
making an annual sale by auction, chiefly of match horses 
for the carriages of the nobility, many pairs bringing 
from $1500 to $2000 at three years old; the last lot put 
up being Spectre himself, with the intent however, of 
buying him in privately, and this was done more than 
once, at the price of $5000. 
When the stranger left the farm-house for London, he 
desired the servant girl to inform him when she should 
be about to get married: this she did, and received as a 
present, a valuable diamond ring; which, if you will 
allow me to suppose she sold fora sum of money sufficient 
to stock a small farm, upon which she and her husband 
resided for many years in contentment and happiness, 
you will then have a finale in keeping with the main 
story, for the truth of which I will vouch. J. P. 
THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 
(Helianthus Tuberosum. Linn.) 
Mr. L. Tucker —My attention was directed to the his¬ 
tory and culture of this plant, in consequence of flattering 
experiments made with it by Mr. Gunnell and others in 
Greenville in this State, and as it is rapidly obtaining in 
some parts of the State, a few remarks in connection 
with its superior advantages as a root crop, may not be 
objectionable to the readers of the Cultivator. Although 
it is called so, it is botanically, in no way allied to the 
Artichoke, but is of the same genus as the sun flower, 
which it much resembles. The term Jenisalem, is, ac¬ 
cording to Webster, a corruption of girasole, the Italian 
name for sun flower; and it derives the appellation of 
Artichoke from some fancied similarity in the taste of the 
tubers with the artichoke bottoms. It is a native of Bra¬ 
zil, and was first carried to England about the year 1620, 
and before potatoes were so generally in use, was ex¬ 
tremely popular as an edible root. Mention is made of 
it in old agricultural treatises, as the Canada potatoc, to 
distinguish it from the common potatoe, and it was some¬ 
times called the Virginia potatoe. It was regarded as 
wholesome, and is of an agreeable taste, though it is ne¬ 
ver dry and mealy like the potatoe, being rather moist 
and soft in its texture, and is nutritious. Being hardy 
and perennial, they succeed in almost all kinds of soil. 
It was almost lost sight of in agriculture, until within a 
few years. Latterly it is obtaining as an article of food 
for domestic animals. 
1 Twelve to fifteen hundred bushels have been obtained 
from an acre, when properly cultivated, and being rel¬ 
ished by horses, cattle and hogs, it is undoubtedly the 
most profitable root crop which can be planted in the 
south; and perhaps it might succeed in more nothern re¬ 
gions. It is rich in farrinaceous substance, and all ani¬ 
mals do well and improve when fed upon them. Last 
spring a friend sent me about a quart of tubers. I did not 
think this small quantity worth planting, as they were 
much injured and dried up by their long exposure. On 
the 3d of May, fully two months after they should have 
been planted, I had a small space of ground, about a rod, 
prepared, and put them in. A drouth ensued, and they 
did not come up soon, and consequently lost a great deal 
by their being so late. They were planted in drills two 
and a half feet apart, and twenty inches in the drill; but 
the seed being so badly injured, the plants were very ir 
