farmers' MISCELLANY. 69 



las destroyed the hop root does not attack corn or barley, nor any 

 j»f our cultivated vegetables. 



I shall not attempt to add any thing more, for I fear I have 

 Iready tired your patience. 



I say at once, therefore, that I an 



Yours now and ever, 



E. 



II. CORTLANDVILLE, AND RaNDALl's FaRM. 



Cortlandville, May 27. 



My Dear Friend — I write you, as you perceive, from Cortlaud- 

 ille, one of the finest villages in central New-York. I came 

 •re Monday morning, having spent the Sabbath at De Ruyter. 

 y the way, I may state (though it is perhaps out of season by the 

 me this is received, to speak of the weather) that Saturday pass- 

 g through Georgetown on my way to De Ruyter, it snowed, but 

 )t sufficiently to whiten the ground, though it was quite cold and 

 icomfortable even with an ordinary winter dress. But Sunday 

 orning. May 25th, there was a hard snow-storm ; the whole coun- 

 ly, both hill and valley, was white ; still the fruit was not injured ; 



. ;iit subsequently the more tender fruits, such as grapes, were killed, 



^cther with beans, corn, &c., which were cut to the ground. 



Cortland is situated in a pleasant plain, with sufficient variety of 



jrface to give beauty to a landscape. The plain is bounded by 



i perfect terraces, as if formerly it had been occupied by a lake, 



, \iich has been drained by a passage through the southeastern 

 lis, in the direction of Onondaga creek. To the southwest, the 

 vlley extends six or eight miles, forming an excellent farming 

 cantry, with meadows and hills which are adapted to most kinds 

 f husbandry. Two or three miles in this direction, are some 

 \ y important deposits of fresh water marl. These are, however, 

 ;i the bottom of a very interesting chain of small lakes which 

 adn to the north. The marl, as you w^ell know, is very valuable 

 f farming purposes ; it is extremely fine, white and beautiful, 

 a 1 is burnt pretty largely for domestic use, being dug out in 

 SMimer when the water is low, and then moulded, like brick, 

 a 1 laid up in kilns and burnt, precisely like brick. The value of 



