46 



NEAV ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



tile drainage, in the United States, a plain honest 

 farmer, who has grown rich by his farming. 



His opinions are as valuable as those of any 

 man within my knowledge, upon this very sub- 

 ject, and here is what he says, through the Coun- 

 try Gentleman, of the Long Island lands. I omit 

 the part of his letter, which does not refer to the 

 middle portions of the island : 



"I took the cars at Hicksvillc to view the so- 

 called barrens of Long Island, near Islip — espe- 

 cially that described and advertised by Dr. Peck. 

 I stopped at Thompson Station, and called on Mr. 

 Stone. He has a good house and barn, has 

 cleared off considerable of the scrub oaks with 

 which some half million acres are covered, and 

 has some fifteen acres sown Avith winter rye. He 

 has purchased some two hundred acres, and on 

 terms of purchasing about four hundred more. 

 He also took me to Mr. Taylor's and a Mr. 

 Bridge's, who have also made settlements near 

 him, and to a farm purchased by Dr. Stimson, of 

 Canada West. His two sons are going ahead fine- 

 ly, clearing off the scrub oaks and rooting them 

 out ; they have a good deal of winter grain sown, 

 and looking finely. 



I noticed where they were digging cellars and 

 wells, the soil was from two to three or four feet 

 deep, and was gravel underneath — some of it quite 

 solid, yet the soil seemed perfectly dry, and I can 

 see no reason why it will not produce as well as 

 any part of this highly-favored island. I had holes 

 dug in many places, and found the soil nearly the 

 same depth. I never saw finer apples than some 

 grown there. I saw a poach orchard of some six 

 years' growth, from which was sold $4:00 worth of 

 peaches this season. It is strange that this vast 

 quantity of land laying adjoining settlements for 

 two hundred years, should have laid until now in 

 an unproductive state. I think it requires only la- 

 bor to make it valuable land. A Mr. Wilson has a 

 very fine farm on the same wilderness ; he has 

 one hundred acres improved and as fine-looking 

 land as I ever saw, and I was told raises good 

 crops. I could see from the looks of his clover 

 and grass fields that his crops of clover and 

 grass had been excellent, and I always think 

 land that will produce good timothy and clover, 

 must be good land. I was told that Mr. Wilson 

 raised 3000 bushels of potatoes on these lands, 

 from ten acres of land last year. The quality of 

 the potatoes raised on these lands is excellent, so 

 far as I saw. I also saw some very large onions 

 raised from the seed, and some pretty good corn 

 and turnips. 



Now, Thompson is only two hours by rail to 

 the city. It is strange that so much land remains 

 in a state of nature so near that city that con- 

 sumes so much of the products of the soil. I 

 heard various reports about the cost of clearing 

 the land — some said about .f 13 per acre; others 

 said to do it thoroughly would cost from .§20 to 

 $2o. In a few years it will show what the land 

 will do ; these gentlemen have gone at it with en- 

 ergy, and I hope they will be abundantly paid for 

 their enterprise. To look over the country on that 

 wilderness, one thinks it a vast plain, but where 

 cleared it is just rolling enough, and where I trav- 

 elled through it, it appeared the same. If some 

 thousands of Germans were settled there, I think 



they would have gardens equal to any on the 

 island. As I said before, the island has been set- 

 tled over two hundred years ; the lands, or a 

 greater part of them have remained in the hands 

 of the descendants of those families until this 

 day, and excepting for their fast horses, the great- 

 er part of the farmers appear to be at least half a 

 century behind the age. Talk to a Long Islander 

 about the wilderness, and he will tell you it is 

 not worth a dollar the whole of it ; but I believe 

 he does it through prejudice or ignorance, and I 

 fully believe the time is close at hand that will 

 make them change their opinion. 



Mr. Wilson's farm may be some eight or ten 

 miles from Thompson's Station, but also adjoin- 

 ing the railroad. He is said to be a man of 

 wealth, and truly he appears to have a fine place 

 and fine farm, and I was told he would have six 

 hundred acres under cultivation in a few years. 

 Thompson's Station is only four or five miles 

 from the village of Islip — a great resort for the 

 grandees of New York city in the hot season ; it 

 is also a port for shipping, and quite a handsome 

 place, with very large hotels. The land around 

 Islip, 1 was told, sells from $200 to $oOO per acre, 

 and three or four miles distance in the wilder- 

 ness it sells at $20, and I would not be surprised 

 if the latter proved the best land by far, after it 

 is cultivated a few years. The land around Paris, 

 Canada West, I have been told by men who 

 cleared it up, v;as all covered with scrub oak, and 

 indeed the soil is very similar to the Long Island 

 wild lands ; and now there is no part of Canada 

 where farming is more profitable than there ; 

 their barley excels, their wheat is also of a fine 

 quality and early, turnips grow luxuriantly, as 

 well as other root crops ; and I see nothing to 

 hinder the Long Island barrens from producing 

 equally as well, if they were settled with as intel- 

 ligent and enterprising farmers." 



Of the island generally Mr. Johnston says : 



"It is surely a fine country to keep stock, and 

 a good market for fat stock quite near them. I 

 did not see twenty sheep on the island, and there 

 can be no better land to keep sheep, as it is all 

 dry and raises the best of timothy and clover, 

 where the land is kept in good condition. I would 

 advise them to kill of!' their dogs and keep sheep. 

 It Avill ultimately pay them fiir better than either 

 carting or carrying their hay, straw and corn to 

 the city. True, the cicy must have hay and straw, 

 but as f;\r as Long Island is concerned, they 

 ought either to have double the price they get 

 now, in order to enable them to purchase far 

 more manure, or else consume it on their farms. 



The land is of excellent quality, and mostly of 

 easy culture, and if properly managed would be 

 the garden of the State. Tlie climate is much bet- 

 ter than where I write ; their spring comes two 

 weeks at least earlier, and the fall frosts are as 

 much or more longer in coming, and I do think 

 it is an excellent country to farm in. I was told 

 there were some men keeping dairies and doing 

 very well ; improving the soil and making it rich. 

 Some are doing the same by gardening on a large 

 scale, and many are doing well at the latter on a 

 small scale ; but how the farmer that sells all, or 

 nearly all, his hay, straw and corn, can do well, I 

 cannot comprehend." 



