194 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



Agricultural Eamble.— Things by tlie Way. 



Having taken a trip through a portion of this 

 State and of Canada, 1 have thought that a brief 

 description of things by the way might be inter- 

 esting to your readers. 



We left Troy by rail-road and took packet at 

 the Borough, 12 miles distant, and found a goodly 

 number of farmers on board — representing sev- 

 eral districts of New York, Vermont, Illinois, 

 &c. The apppearance of the country on the 

 borders of the canal through Saratoga and Wash- 

 ington, (in June,) was in most respects good, 

 though taken together the farming cannot be set 

 down as first rate. The crops of oats, rye and 

 grass generally appeared well. Corn was rather 

 backward, but there will be time enough for it 

 to mature, should the season be favorable. "We 

 passed the farm of Judge Cheever, in Stillwater, 

 which gives evidence of systematic and success- 

 ful cultivation. 



The passage from W^hite Hall, down Lake 

 Champlain was fine, and the appearance of the 

 country showed that hardy and intelligent far- 

 mers were at work wherever opportunity offered 

 to improve the soil. 1 found on board the 

 steamer Saranac, many intelligent practical men 

 — among others, the Governor of Vermont, i 

 There is a peculiarity about these New England 

 men that commends them to you at once. — 

 Their uniform intelligence and familiarity with 

 every thing relating to the interests of the farmer 

 and the improvement of the soil. It is this that 

 places them ahead wherever they go. They 

 inform themselves as to the peculiar wants of 

 their locality, and their energy is at once put in 

 requisition to supply all deficiencies. 



At Plattsburgh I spent the afternoon, and vis- 

 ited J. W. Bailey, Esq., and examined his 

 grounds. He has just got under way a very 

 fine nursery, and every thing around his farm, 

 nursery grounds and buildings, betokens the 

 man of taste and of science. Some of the finest 

 fruit in the slate is grown in this county, and 

 the Montreal market aflfords a steady demand for 

 all that is raised, and at prices equal if not better 

 than at New York or Boston. There are many- 

 excellent farmers in this portion of the State, 

 and attention is given to the rearing of improved 

 stock. One of the most flourishing Agricultural 

 Societies in the state is that of Clinton County. 



From Plattsburgh I took the steamer to St. 

 Johns, Canada. After passing Rouse's Point, 

 the last place on the American side, the country 

 becomes level, and is cultivated by the French 

 Canadians much after the manner of their fore- 

 fathers. Their farms are very narrow, running 

 back from the river from one to three miles. 

 The houses are mostly small and white-washed, 

 and being built near the banks of the river, 

 present the appearance almost of a village the 



whole distance. The crops looked tolerably 

 well, but gave indications of want of care and 

 attention to the preparation and manuring of 

 the ground. 



Fiom St. Johns to La Prairie the rail-road 

 passes over a level country, occupied by the 

 French Canadians, and gives sad evidence of a 

 neglected husbandry. A few Yankees sprinkled 

 among them would soon upturn the subsoil, scat- 

 ter broadcast the manure, and the result would 

 be flourishing crops of wheat, such as formerly 

 grew here, but are now rarely seen. 



From Montreal to Quebec, the river is lined 

 with the white farm houses — the lands being laid 

 out as below Rouse's Point. The appearance 

 from the river is very imposing — and was the 

 system of cultivation such as it should be, few 

 portions of our country would present more 

 fruitful fields than the banks of the St. Law- 

 rence. In the eastern seciion of the lower 

 Province there are many American and Scotch 

 farmers, whose farms show that all that is want- 

 ing here, is industry and skill to secure the most 

 abundant returns. 



In the neighborhood of Montreal, there are 

 many highly cultivated and productive farms, 

 which yield to their owners a large return. I 

 visited many of these, among others that of M. 

 J. Hayes, and Mr. Hugh Brodie, and found on 

 several of them the best system adopted, both as 

 to manuring, plowing, seeding, and rotation of 

 crops ; and the results here, as every where else 

 from like cause, are entirely satisfactory. I 

 intended to have visited the farm of Maj. Camp- 

 bell, President of the Provincial Agricultural 

 Society, which is said to be in a very high state 

 of cultivation, but was prevented by unfavorable 

 weather. I saw him, however, and received 

 an interesting account of his method of farming, 

 and a kind invitation, should I visit Montreal 

 again, to witness the success of bis labors. To- 

 many gentlemen at Montreal I was greatly in- 

 debted for their kind attentions, and was glad 

 Indeed to find so much interest awakened on the 

 subject of agricultwe. Lord Elgin, the Gov- 

 ernor General, takes much interest in the im- 

 provement of agriculture. 



In some parts of Canada East the grasshop- 

 pers were making terrible ravages with the crops. 

 The following description I cut out of a pastoral 

 letter of the Bishop of Montreal to his Diocese ; 

 "They are in great numbers, and so voracious lliat iheir 

 passage through the fields is like a coiillagrati»n lliat sweep* 

 every thing clean. 



Descending from the s:indy ridges, where they have 

 begun by devouring the full rye, they throw themselves 

 with a kind of fury, not only on ilie young grains, but atso 

 on the herbs, the potatoes, the onions, and on all kinds oS 

 vegetables. One sees eight or ten of them attack, at the 

 same time, the same ear, which speedily fiills under fheip 

 teeth. The meadows that they traverse like armies in array, 

 are so burnt or infecled, that aninwis can no longei feed 

 there ; and when after having ruined a field, they invade 

 the neighbouring farm which, in its turn, is about to become 

 their pasture, the fences are so covered, that we cannot dis- 

 tinguish the uprighu from the rails, and the eye p^rceiveit 



