12 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JULY 10, 1380. 



The subjoined account of the geology and agvi- 

 cultiire of Wheatland, from J. Holbrook, Esq., and 

 published in the Genesee Farmer, will be found 

 highly interesting and deserving of particular atten- 

 tion. We are happy to transfer it to our columns. 



H. C. 



GEOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE OF 

 WHEATLAND. 



Mr Tucker : — By a ride to Wheatland, and the 

 politeness of its citizens, I was favored with a few 

 facts which may be interesting to your readers. 

 This town, situated in Monroe Co. N. Y. is on land 

 Itnown by the name of " Oak Openings," and con- 

 sidered by the first settlers of the neighboring 

 towns of little or no value. 



Five families of rocks are found here, namely, 

 calcareous, gypseous, granite, hornblend and con- 

 glomerate. The calcareous, or lime rocks, are 

 common limestone, secondary formation, calcareous 

 sandstone, a mixture of lime and sand or silecious 

 matter, calcareous shale, or a limestone slate, prob- 

 ably containing a portion of silex and alumine, cal- 

 careous tufa, perhaps hydraulic lime, or water ce- 

 ment, and occasional masses of coral. 



Heds of gypsum are somewhat numerous, and of 

 great value to the farmers, not only of this town, 

 but of all others in the neighborhood. These beds, 

 indicated by swellings or small elevations on the 

 surface, are overlaid by calcareous shale, and un- 

 derlaid by limestone of a purer and more compact 

 character. They are uniformly in a single rock, 

 from C to ]2 or 15 feet long, and from 3 to 7 or 8 

 wide, always thicker in the centre than at the 

 edges, and wider in the middle than at the ends : 

 or in the language of (he owner of the beds I vis- 

 ited, they are shaped like a goose ngg, a little flat- 

 tened at two opposite sides. The quantity in a 

 single bed, varies from 1 to .30 tons. The strata 

 are horizontal, or nearly so, from 3 to 12 or 15 in- 

 ches thick, compact, color brown, light grey and 

 clouded, frequently interlaid with thin veins of 

 fibrous gypsum, snow-white, with occasional mass- 

 es of granular gypsum. 



Various theories have been advanced respecting 

 the formation of them and other ranges of gypsum, 

 but as I was not there during its fornnition, and as 

 I am not learned in theories, the only account I 

 can give of that part of the subject is that J do not 

 know how or when they were formed. 



Tlie granite rocks, like those of the hornblend 

 and conglomerate families, appear to consist entire- 

 ly of " boulders," or loose masses, probably strag- 

 glers from some other country, having taken pas- 

 sage perhaps upon ice cakes, at a time when this 

 country was a portion of the bed of the Atlantic. 

 Only two of the commonly recognised members of 

 the granite family are found here, viz : granite and 

 gneiss, little if any of the mica slate having ever 

 visited this region, or taken residence here. 



Of the hornblend family are found masses of 

 hornblend, nearly pure, hornblend rock, or horn- 

 blend with a small portion of quartz and perhaps 

 felspar, hornblend slate, sionite and greenstone. 



Of the conglomerate family are sand stone and 

 pudding stone, the latter apparently in small quan- 

 tities. 



Perhaps this town and the surrounding country 

 to a considerable extent may properly be termed a 

 gypseous region, assulphur, one of the elements of 

 sulphate of lime, or gypsuin, appears to be diffused 

 through the carbonate of lime, or common lime- 

 stone, in considerable quantities. 



Allen Creek, the principal stream in Wheatland, I the KJth to the 20th of June is the time f^.r sowing, 



runs nearly through the centre of the town, and 

 moves in four flour mills nineteen run of stones, four 

 saw mills, three plaster mills, two stave machines- 

 and one woollen factory. The four plaster mills 

 mentioned, with one on Mill Creek, giind annually 

 about 4,000 tons of gypsum, which is sold at the 

 mills at §.3 a ton. 



A canal of 1 1-4 miles, cost $14,000, and a rail- 

 road 8 miles, cost $34,000, are provided by the citi- 

 zens of this town, for their accoinmodation in busi- 

 ness. 



Wheatland contains about 18,000 acres of land, 

 three fourths of which are under cultivation, and 

 about 5000 acres in wheat annually, averaging for 

 the last ten years about 20 bushels to the acre, or 

 100,000 bushels for the whole town annually: for 

 the ten years previous to the last ten, the average 

 crop of wheat was not more than 15 bushels to the 

 acre, and in some sections, not more than 8 or 10. 



The two leading features in the agriculture of 

 this place are wheat and clover culture, whidi fre- 

 quently alternate with each other every otherlyear ; 

 the wheat crops occupying the ground one year and 

 clover the next. 



In connection with the raising of wheat, which 

 is the principal object of farmers here, and in a 

 wide extent of country in this section of the state, 

 wool growing forms an important item. L is a 

 common opinion among farmers, in Wheatlant par- 

 ticularly, that as many sheep can be kept uion a 

 farm as acres' of land cultivated, without injury, 

 rather with benefit to the wheat crop. On some 

 farms of 200 acres of cultivated hnd, are kept 250 

 sheep, or in that proportion, making as many sl^^ep, 

 as acres of land in the whole farm, embracing the 

 wood land and all other not cultivated. Sheejiare 

 Merino and Saxony, with a few crosses of the [.ei- 

 cestershire and South Down : the merinoes aver- 

 aging from 3 to 4 lbs. annually on different farms, 

 the crosses 6 or 7 lbs. not fine. About one fouith 

 of the whole nupiber of sheep fatted for the slaugh- 

 ter annually. 



About IGOO fat hogs are sent to market annually 

 from this place, 200 of which are sold for fresh 

 pork after harvest, weighing about 150 lbs. each, the 

 remainder 275 lbs, 



some prefer the first of June. 



Apples are also fed to diflerent animals, especial- 

 ly swine, ^br which they are considered excellent 

 feed, especially for store hogs. In one case a far- 

 mer kept for two or three months in winter, thirteen 

 hogs weighing 150 lbs. or more, upon two bushels 

 of apples a day, given raw, a bushel in the morning, 

 the same quantity at evening, and never had hogs 

 do better. For fatting hogs, apples need boiling 

 and mixing with provender. 



A plough in considerable request, perhaps gen- 

 erally preferred in this vicinity, is an improvement 

 on the Clute and Iden Patents. Jointed harrows 

 are common and of different patterns. In some 

 instances the old fashioned triangular harrow is 

 used, and for grounds not well subdued, frequently 

 preferred. 



It is evident from the facts here stated, that 

 wheat, clover, and sheep, aided by a free use of 

 plaster, may form the ground work of a good sys- 

 tem of farming. It is also evident from these and 

 other statements from various sources, that hay is 

 not the cheapest feed for stock during the winter, 

 and that the ruta baga, wurtzel, carrot, beet, pota- 

 to, &c., are objects worthy of more attention than 

 they generally receive from farmers through the 

 country. 



The soil of Wheatland appears to be no less fa- 

 vorable for the cultivation of intelligence and sounc 

 morals, than that of baser productions : of which 1 

 was furnished with proofs entirely satisfactory, botl 

 by private interviews with many of the citizens, ant 

 at a public meeting held for the piu-pose of adopt 

 ing measures to elevate the character of commoi 

 education, especially atnong farmers, and no lesi- 

 through the agency of families than of schools, h 

 connection with the intelligence and morals of ou 

 country, a general feeling, many regrets, and not i 

 little indignation were expressed at the characte 

 of the matter filling our public journals, more par 

 Ucu'iarly the political papers. 



Ofi the subject of advancing the intelligence an' 

 elevatmg the morals of American citizens, especial 

 ly in ther own conmiunity, several resolutions wer 

 passed a, the meeting referred to, which, on som 

 future octasion, I may put into your hands, to b 



Not less than 1.50 fat cattle are annually sent to ; disposed if at your discretion. Among these reso 



market; of butter and cheese not as much made as 

 consumed in town. Of horses, not more than half 

 raised in town, which are used by farmers, millers, 

 &c. 



utions, the one relating to our Public Journals, ani 

 not only [tssed unanimously, but with a genera 

 and strong expression of feeling on the subject, i 

 probably wcrliiy of a careful perusal and attentio 



Horse teams are in all cases principally used, on \ gf the condwtors of the American press generally 

 manv farms entirely ; the common opinion prevail- I On some titi>-e occasion, I may give you a par 

 inff, that a horse team will plough 1 1-2 acres a ^^.ular accouit oi several farms I visited, embrac 



day, or in the same time that an ox team wn. 

 plough one acre. • i v. 



Besides the common breed of cattle, which by 

 some are preferred to any imported breeds, the 

 Devonshire and Durham cattle are introduced to 

 some extent, and propagated with great attention 

 for market. 



An excellent breed of swino prevail here, being 

 a mixture perhaps of several breeds, but the By- 

 field and the Lcicesterehi.re appear to predominate. 



With many farmerf; in Wheatland the ruta baga, 

 mangel wurtzel and sugar beat, are articles of con- 

 siderable attention, and considered much cheaper 

 than hay for krepino ■ stock. A common crop ol 

 ruta baga is about G( 10 bushels to the acre, plant- 

 ed on clover lays wit h once ploughing, rolling, and 

 harrowing, in drills, 3 feet by six inches, by a dnu 

 barrow, one man pla u ung 3 or 4 acres a day , 



<T the kind aid f^nount of products, modes of cul 

 ture, expenses, pioVs, &c. ; at present I will onl 

 add the respect aiufesteein of 

 YourFri^d, 



JOSIAH HOLBROOK. 



The Mexican States, >efore the revolt in Texas 

 covered 27 degre-s of laltude, and had a territor 

 equal to that of France, Slain, Austria, Portiiga 

 and Great Britaii combiuei, Over this imniens 

 reoion they had a scattere. population of eigh 

 millions, of all castes, conditioki and colors ; and ye 

 how imbecile and powerless, a, a people and na 

 tion, they were, ant still remain., 



Flour is selling i.i Cincinnativ 5^4 25 per bo 

 rel. '\ 



