1863. 



XEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



85 



the family. The effect was almost electric, as the 

 farms in every part of the county have presented 

 a more thiiving aspect ever since. 



For the Xew England Farmer. 



HUDSON" RIVER HIGHLANDS— QEN. 

 WASHINGTON— GRAPE GROWING. 



Mr. Brown : — Did you ever visit the Hudson 

 River Highlands in winter ? If not, you have 

 failed of an experience which I doubt not would 

 be often recalled with great satisfoction in all af- 

 ter life, providing your stay was sufficiently pro- 

 longed to witness both storm and fair weather. 



1 left New York city on the Hudson River liail- 

 road. last Monday morning, at 7 A. M., for Fish- 

 kill ; took the ferry boat and crossed over to Xew- 

 burg. on the west side of the river. This is an old 

 place, dating back beyond Revolutionarv times. 

 It often was the headquarters of our troo])s in 

 those days, and in the building where Washing- 

 ton had his headquarters are now collected many 

 relics of events then transpiring. At Canterburv, 

 half a dozen miles below Newburg, I was showna 

 house where Wasliington slept. The room he oc- 

 cu))ied is regarded with veneration by the owners, 

 and visitors often go there with feelings akin to 

 Mohammedan worshippers at the shrine of the 

 prophet of Mecca. I iear we have not a Wash- 

 ington now to counsel and guide us in this our 

 hour of calamity and sore trial. O, that our 

 Heavenly Father would raise us up sucli an one 

 to go before us and lead on to a successful issue 

 of our national affairs ! 



A letter to a friend failing to reach him in time 

 for him to meet me at Newburg, and two hours' 

 •waiting for the stage not to be thought of on a 

 pleasant day, when only six miles lay between me 

 and my destination, I took my bag and umbrella, 

 and trudged on at my own pace, fast or slow, as 

 the changing views varied in interest to me as I 

 pi'ogressed. 



From the spot from which I am writing, I have 

 the river in front. Storm King on my riglit, and 

 Round Top on my left, with quite a plat of allu- 

 vial land between me and the river. These lands 

 are more or less devoted to fruit of various kinds, 

 and are well adapted for such use, while on the 

 hill and mountain sides the grape is encroaching 

 year by year. These vineyards are an interesting 

 feature of the country. I think the time is not 

 remote when the productions of our vineyards 

 will take high rank with the great sta])les of our 

 land. These mountains will be terraced to their 

 very siuninit, and the luscious grape be cultivated 

 thereon with remunerative success. In answer to 

 the inquiry made of the friend with whom I am 

 stopping, as to the time he usually expected frost 

 in autumn, he said not until about the middle of 

 November, while the low lands along the river 

 and in the valleys would have it at least a month 

 earlier, and liable to much sooner, even, than that. 

 This absence from frost in the highlands, or up 

 the mountains, is the great desideratum in the 

 successful growing of the grape. Were it not for 

 the early frosts of Massachusetts, we could grow 

 the grape quite as successfully in many places as 

 it is done here. I am told here that the Catawba 

 will bear two or three frosts without injury, while 

 the Isabella would be ruined bv the fu'st touch. 



This is an important fact to those who cultivate 

 the grape. The I )elaware is getting to be much 

 esteemed here, and bids fair to supersede most 

 others. M\ friend finds it more profitabli' to con- 

 vert his grapes into wine than to market the fruit. 

 As a temperance man, I have some repugnance to 

 this wine-making. I fear it mav eventually re- 

 sult in great evil. Still, if men will drink wine 

 and strong drink — if we cannot prevail upon 

 them to give up the abominable compounds con- 

 cocted for their use — why, I don't knciw but we 

 shall do them a favor in sup])lying them with a 

 pure and, compared with what they now use, 

 harmless beverage. But this question I leave for 

 those more versed in such matters. 



The lands here are held at very high prices, 

 owing to the influx of visitors to spend the warm 

 season, and the erection of summer residences by 

 merchants in the city. Fabulous returns are re- 

 alized by some of the fruit giowers for their crops 

 in good seasons. This stimulates others to try 

 their hand, and many a man in the city lias, dan- 

 cing before his eye, visions of wealth in connec- 

 tion with his outlays here in vineyards and fruit 

 orchards. So fiir as I am now informed, com 

 does not do as well as with us in Massachusetts. 

 Potatoes generally good, and but little I'ot. Green 

 crops not very good. Facilities for market very 

 good. Most of the farmers seem to be thriving 

 men in this business. There is a spirit of im- 

 provement among the masses that is perceptible 

 at a glance over their premi.ses. As usual with 

 me, I have fiiiled noting what I intended when I 

 sat down. I may refer to this ramble again, and 

 what I saw and thought. o. K. 



Cornwall, N. 1'., Jan., 1863. 



For the \etr England Farmer. 

 WINTER FEEDING OF SHEEP. 



Mr. Editor : — I have been farming something 

 over twenty years, keeping sheep, with as little 

 other stock as would suffice for the necessary team 

 work, and su])ply the family with milk and butter, 

 having usually a little more than one hundred, so 

 as to have as near as possible to one hundred 

 breeding ewes. 



It is often said that sheep will run a farm down, 

 but my experience does not prove it so. My farm 

 was prized to me at 81.600. and after keeping 

 sheep some eighteen years, I sold it for 83,(M)0. 

 For a few years ])ast I have been in the habit of 

 feeding a good many potatoes to my shcej) ; two 

 vears ago I fed 500 bushels to 100 sheep, almost 

 the whole of them boiled ; one year ago. 400 bush- 

 els. One year ago I fed 110 bushels, with one 

 foddering of oat straw, one of corn fodder, and 

 one of unthreshed oats, and two bushels of boiled 

 potatoes per day, no hay ; the straw being green 

 enough to be good, and the unthreshed oats cut 

 rather green. I could not see that they lost flesh 

 any, managed in this way. 



i have usually fed twice a day to hay. and once 

 to straw, at noon, but that sj)oils their ai)])etitc for 

 the straw, and I think it better to feed as I stated 

 above, until the straw is nearly gone. It is well 

 to save some of the straw and keep one rack filled 

 M-ith it, after commencing on hay. so that they can 

 go eat it when they please. 



There is no danger of their eating too many po- 



