Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 521 



Long Island Lands. 



Mr. John K. Havens, of Patchogue. — Among the many calls that 

 are made to the attention of persons residing in the Eastern States 

 and other parts of the country, allow me to add one in behalf of 

 " old Long Island," in the matter of where they shall invest their 

 capital to the best advantage. Now, it is true that, so far as is gene- 

 rally understood by the word " farming," this central part of the 

 island does not occupy tlie front rank. And yet, with the facilities 

 we enjoy for obtaining manures in the way of Irish sea weed, and 

 many other fertilizing substances furnished by our bays and creeks, 

 we think, so far as profits are concerned, it compares favorably with 

 other parts of the country. And, by the way, while speaking of our 

 bays and creeks, that in many cases pass by our very doors, I pre- 

 sume I am safe in saying tliat no people in the world are more highly 

 favored as regards fish, oysters and clams. Here is the abiding place 

 of the world-renowned Blue Point oyster. But the greatest induce- 

 ments now held out, and interesting more particularly to men of 

 capital, are cranberry culture, water-cress culture, and more especially 

 tlie culture of brook trout. Fortunately, as regards these three last 

 named, this part of the island is most peculiarly adapted, from the 

 fact that it is one continuous intersection of the finest brooks, from 

 which our town derives its harmonious and very appropriate name, 

 Brookhaven. 



In almost every case water-cress has been found growing spontane- 

 ously and in no- instances have we failed to find that greatest of 

 luxuries, the speckled trout, showing beyond cavil that these brooks 

 are natural to their production. One of the great advantages we 

 enjoy over most other parts of the country, as regards the culture of 

 cranberries, water-cress and trout, is that what are called freshets are 

 not known. As regards the price of lands necessary for the above 

 named purposes, it usually ranges from ten dollars to twenty-five 

 dollars per acre. ISTow, to illustrate our ideas to success in the use of 

 swamp lands, we will briefly describe the operations of a friend of 

 ours here in Patchogue. He first selected a brook already (as is 

 usually the case) stocked with trout. This brook, as a type of all 

 the rest, is bounded on each side by a gently rising slope of from 

 fifty to 100 feet. From the base of this slope to the margin of the 

 brook is an average of from fifty to 100 feet of muck bottom, per- 

 fectly adapted to the culture of cranberries, from ten to fifteen acres of 

 which he has already in successful ojteration, and four acres of wliich 



