Proceedinos of the Farmer^ Club. 407 



long island lands. 



Mr. Aaron Stone, Brooklyn, L. I. — We, as farmers, have felt 

 aggrieved at the statements in relation to Long Island and the 

 Long Island Eailroad Company. If editors and reporters will tell 

 the truth about our lands we will not utter a word against the 

 reports. I know the agi-icultural advantages have been grossly 

 misrepresented by men who do not know good land from poor. I 

 have had some considerable experience in the cultivation of Long 

 Island land. I have no land there now, but I mean to have a farm 

 there before long. Notwithstanding all that has been said agahist 

 the land there, I am confident that I can make farming pay there. 

 Only a few years ago I went to Jamaica to see the land there. I 

 traveled over a large tract, and dug holes in the soil in a great 

 many places to ascertain what the qualit}'' of the soil really is; and 

 I found a beautiful yellow loam — not worthless barren sand — from 

 two to four feet deep, all over the tract. It is true the land there 

 is not as rich as the soil is on our Western prairies. But it is a 

 good soil, capable of being cultivated with satisfactory profit, and 

 with no more manure than formers are accustomed to use on their 

 good land in other sections of the country. The Long Island land 

 may be made exceedingly productive. Milk daiiying can be made 

 to pay well. Mr. Stone made further timely remarks touching the 

 system of farm management on the Island, which were favorably 

 received. 



The Chairman. — The time has come when people must cease to 

 speak reproachfully of Long Island lands. There are to-day 

 300,000 people in the city of Brooklyn who are looking for sup- 

 port and homes on Long Island and other places. People are wiser 

 than they used to be. Experience demonstrates that the soil is 

 all right. And if it is managed properly it will yield crops in 

 abundance. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — Long Island lands camiot be called 

 barren by any means. There are an immense number of successful 

 farmers on the Island. They make farming pay well there. They 

 have good fai*ms. They raise bountiful crops. And if the laud 

 were barren sand they couldn't do it. 



Mr. Aaron Stone. — The soil there needs feeding as much as a 

 horse needs feeding. There is no difficulty in making farming pay 

 well there, if they will only apply the fertilizing material that all 

 farmers have access to. The fault is in the managers and not in 

 the soil. 



