120 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER 



Vol. 3. 



ROCHESTER, ArorST, 1842. 



AGRICULTURAL EXCURSION. 



By the invitation of several respected friends in 

 Monroe and Livingston County, the editor has had 

 the pleasure of passing a few days with some of the 

 excellent farmers of the Genesee Valley. He grate- 

 fully acknowledges their kindness aiid hospitality. 

 He could not have had n more delightful excursion. 

 He is never more nt home than among the farmers, 

 and truly enviable is the condition of the residents of 

 this charming country. He has taketi the liberty of 

 adding some hasty and superficial observations made 

 in this jaunt in reference to the agricultural condition 

 of this region, which he trusts will give no offence, 

 and which will be extended when he has more room. 

 They are given not from any conceit of their value — 

 very far from this ; but in the hope that they will call 

 attention to the subjects adverted to, and elicit com- 

 munications from those whose intelligence and expe- 

 rience would greatly instruct the agricultural commu- 

 nity. 



The Genesee Vallfey. 



The river Genesee rises among the high lands of 

 Pennsylvania in the neighborhood of the Susquehan- 

 na. Winding its way among the mountains, it enters 

 New York by the Southern side of Allegany county, 

 passes into Livingston county, which it divides loir 

 giludinally nearly in the centre, and after traversing 

 the whole breadth of Monroe county pours its ricli 

 tribute into Lake Ontario. At its ordinary level it 

 presents an average breadth of only a few rods. Its 

 course is remarkable fbr its windings and doublings- 

 It has some rapids ; and it has at least si.\ considera- 

 ble falls, all within New York, of remarkable pictur- 

 esquenees ; and at high water, of singular beauty and 

 grandeur. Its rapid torrents, its brilliant cascades, 

 its sweeping and in some cases its terrific floods, and 

 its lofty and precipitous walls, rising for a considera- 

 ble length of line to a height of 400 feet and present- 

 ing in some instances, perpendicular cliffs of 600 feet, 

 are objects of attraction to men of taste, the geologist, 

 and the curious traveller. In these respects they are 

 surpassed in the Northern United States only by the 

 world's wondfer, the giant of the waters, Niagara. 



The river, after successive leaps and rapids soon 

 after leaving Allegany county, at Mount Morris be- 

 comes a quiet and in low water a sluggish stream, 

 bordering on each side meadows and alluvions of large 

 extent and eminent fertility. At the village of Mount 

 Morris the river may be said to enter the Genesee 

 Valley. Here the fiats begin, forming an extensive 

 region of alluvial meadow, surrounded by hills of 

 medium elevation and of easy and gradual ascent, 

 presenting an expanse of an average width of more 

 than two miles, as nearly as the eye would enable me 

 to judge. A large portion of this land is cleared and 

 under cultivation. It was to a degree cleared when 

 the whites first came into the country ; and was a 

 favorite resort of the Indians, whose judgment direct- 

 ed them to select the most fertile as an instinctive taste 

 led them to spots the most picturesque and beautiful. 

 A considerable portion is still occupied by a deep and 

 dense forest of extraordinary magnificence; The 

 parts which are cleared, are adorned, or perhaps it 

 inightbeproperlysaid,left with excellent taste, as they 

 were adorned in their original condition, with here 



ond there a single tree of beautiful proportions, some- 

 times a bBlt of considerable length, and at other times 

 a clump equally as grateful in thsir shade as they are 

 exquisite in their form and foliage. The largest tree 

 that has ever tome under my observation, is an oak on 

 the meadow of Mr. Wadsworth in Geneseo, being 

 full eight feet in diamater, standing out in its majesty 

 as the contemporary of other generations and the 

 mute historian of departed centuries. Under its 

 shade the imagination naturally reverted to days gone 

 by and to the changes which have transpired during 

 its long reign. The wild children of the forest, who 

 were accustomed to gather under its sprcoding branch- 

 es to celebrate their rude festivitiGsorbold their coun- 

 cils of wor, have all departed ; and the quiet and re- 

 joicing herds, marking the progress of civilization and 

 humanity, repose securely around it. The council 

 fires are extinguished ; the deadly arrow no longer 

 rustles among its boughs ; and (he warwhoop and 

 shrieks of vengeance, which once filled these valleys 

 with terror, have given place to the songs of harvest- 

 home and the gentle and peaceful undulations of the 

 village bell. Everywhere among these meadows, 

 clad in a verdure of surpassing depth and richuess, 

 and waving with their golden harvests, cultivation hos 

 triumphed over the rudeness of nature, and art and 

 skill and taste display their brilliant trophies. 



It was once asked what was the use of rivers, 

 and the reply was, to feed canals with. Acting 

 upon this assumption, the Stale hos penetrated the 

 whole of the Genesee Valley, from Rochester to Dans- 

 ville, with a canal, and availed themselves of the wa- 

 ters of the Genesee river to fill its banks. The line 

 of passenger boats on this avenue are of the best de- 

 scription. The canal from Rochester passes for some 

 distonce through an uncleared forest of extraordinary 

 growth until presently it emerges into a highly fertile 

 and cultivated country, and for its whole distance to 

 Mount Morris, as far as we pursued it, intersected an 

 ogricultural country as rich as the eye could rest upon, 

 and doited all over with flourishing villSges and the 

 abodes of rural wealth and independence. Nothing 

 seems wanting to render the picture perfectly enchant- 

 ing but an expanse of water ; and if nature had seen 

 fit to spread out in this valley a lake like that of Can- 

 andaigua or Seneca, the imagination would have had 

 no difficulty in recallmg all iHs beauties and splendors 

 of the primeval slate. 



The Soil. — The soil of the country varies some- 

 what in diflii;rent places, but is throughout strongly 

 aluminous and calcareous. On the meadows or flats 

 it is alluvial and I'ull of vegetable mould, the wash- 

 ings and gradual deposits of the hills, and so clayey 

 as to be used with advantage lor bricks. In some 

 cases on the uplands, it is so strongly clayey as lo be 

 cold and heavy, and unfavorable to any grain crop and 

 difiicult and discouraging in the cultivation. The best 

 soils are undoubtedly those of a gravelly nature ; 

 with clay enough to render them tenacious ; and lull 

 at the same time of small and finely comminuted 

 stones, which are supposed to be limestone, though 

 as well as I could learn no exact chemical analysis has 

 been mode in any case. This kind of soil prevails in 

 Wheatland, Caledonia, York and other places, and is 

 eminently productive. On Mr. Wadcworth's farm 

 in Geneseo, I found a marly substance composed of 

 lime ond clay, which readily effervesced with acids, 

 indicating the presence of carbonic acid. In the hilly 

 portions of Mount Morris, the crops were later than 

 in the valley region, but promised most abundantly. 

 Here, it was slated to me, no lime is found. These 

 lands, however, haver been much more recently 

 brought under cultivation than those which I have be- 

 fore adverted to. The best crop of wheat which I 

 found in my whole journey, though by no means the 

 most exteneiye, tUat which promised best intcTiect 



to its evenness, cleanncES and fulness, was in this part 

 of the coLintry on the farm of James Conklin of 

 Mount Morris. It was of the red chofi' variety. 

 None of these soils as yet, however, exhibit any di- 

 minution of their product, though in some caaes thB 

 cropping is severe and often without manure. 



Ckops. — The crops cullivoied in the county are al- 

 most wholly wheat, oats, and grass. Wheat every 

 where predominotes, and is the article on which the 

 farmers mainly depend for their cosh returns. On the 

 alluvial meadows herds-grass, red top and various 

 natural grasses prevail ; on other lands, subjected 

 oftener to the plough, clover is mainly cultivated. 



Of all the crops, wheat claims the principal atten- 

 tion of the farmer. The average crop, as rated al- 

 most unanimously by the intelligent farimers whom I 

 consulled, does hot exceed twenty bushels, which is 

 certainly very much below what the land is copoble 

 of producing. Where the error or deficiency lies, if 

 error or deficiency exist, is not readily perceived; 

 but if possible il is most desirable that it ehould be as» 

 certoined. The quonlily per acre of seed sown ia 

 about IJ or IJ bushel, and the general practice is to 

 wash in brine, and lime the seed before sowing. The 

 time of sowing is from the first to the 15ih Septem- 

 ber. One or two farmers spoke of the advantage of 

 putting in their seed the last port of August. 



Much larger crops are sometimes obtained, and I 

 saw several fields of large extent, which might safely 

 be put down at thirty bushels per acre. Mr. Shef- 

 fer near Scotlsville, one of the earliest settlers in thb 

 country and the owner of a magnificent farm origi- 

 nolly of 700 acres, in Monroe county and intersected 

 by the canal, in the early settlement of the country 

 obtained from forty acres of land in a single field, 2500 

 bushels of wheal, which was at the rale of 62j bush- 

 els per acre. Within a few years, Mr. Hall, in the 

 centre of Wheotland, on 12 contiguous acres of land, 

 obtained 648 bushels, or 54 bushels per acre. A neigh- 

 bor of his, Mr. Blackmir,. obtained in one cose 68 

 bushels per ocre. 



Not having hod the pleasurs of an introduction to 

 either of these farmers, I could not ascertain what 

 paiiicular circumstances of soil or culture enabled 

 ihem to produce crops so extraordinary. No such re- 

 sults are matter of accident, or, as it is often termed, 

 luck, and must in a great degree depend on some pe- 

 culiar superiority in the condition, cullivalion, or 

 management of ihe soil. The best cultivation in 

 England and Scotland produces 50 and 60 bushels of 

 wheat 10 the acre. Now there is no circumstance con- 

 nected with our climate, soil or condition, which 

 should prevent the wheat farmers in the Genesee vaU 

 ley from producing as much as can be grown by any 

 farmer on any land in the world; and the diflierence 

 between 20 and 50 and 60 bs. in the produce of a field, 

 certainly deserves all consideroiioh. The crops of 

 Wm. Gorbut of Wheatland, whose farm for its con- 

 dition and crops, strongly attracted my attention, usu- 

 ally average twenty-five bushels per acre. There cer- 

 tainly is no reason why our friends Garbnt or Harmon, 

 two of ihe best farmers in the country, should allow 

 themselves to be out done by any farmers in any 

 country. 



Mr. Harmon of Wheatland, has taken great pains 

 in the cultivation of wheat, and made experiments 

 with several kinds of wheat, having cultivated them 

 separately with a view to ascertain their comparative 

 times of ripening, tlieir hardiness, their proof against 

 or freedom from injury either by insect, rust or mil- 

 dew, lie is sliU pursuing these experiments with 

 great core. At the Monroe Agricultural show he ex» 

 hibited twelve different kinds in grain and in sheaf, 

 with a view to nttract the attention of the farmers to 

 this important subjecu He has now growing several 

 of the bald and bearded varieties, among which are 



