28 
A VISIT TO BLOOMSDAIvE. 
On Bloomsdale farm are three family mansions situated about four hundred 
yards apart, and connected by finely planted lawns. One of these is the 
original mansion, the other two being modern structures. The central part 
of the old mansion house was erected in 1752, but has been added to and 
remodeled till now it presents the appearance of a dignified old-style English 
country house, surrounded by noble trees, and with a broad sweep of grass 
sloping down to the river edge, 1000 feet distant. 
The Bloomsdale lawn comprises over twenty acres planted with specimens 
of the best types of conifers, some of the most noticeable being Abies Doug- 
lasii and A. excelsa; Piceas Cephalonica, Nordmanniana, pinsapo, nobilis, 
grandis and lasiocarpa ; Taxus adpressa and T. baccata. Many of these trees 
are sixty to seventy feet in height, and many were brought from Europe 
early in the present century. Very noticeable is a fine holly tree given to 
the late David Landreth by George Washington Custis, and which was raised 
at Mount Vernon. There are also some grand specimens of the copper beech, 
and magnificent oaks. The rhododendrons and kalmias are also very good, 
some clumps being fully twelve to fifteen feet high. 
The farm has a river frontage of one and a half miles, the river being three- 
fourths of a mile wide and twenty feet deep of tide water, with a rise and 
fall of seven feet. The transportation facilities are certainly excellent, as 
besides the river on one side, the Pennsylvania Railroad runs through the 
centre, of the farm, while there is the Pennsylvania Canal at the back. As 
the farm comprises some 600 acres, the importance of these various means of 
transportation can be readily imagined. 
The operations on this farm are of the most intense order, and as regards 
implements all that arensed are made on the farm, there being well fitted- 
ixp wheelwright and blacksmith shops suitable to turn out and repair every- 
thing needed in this line.. 
The operations consistin the production of vegetables to their finest devel- 
opment of edible condition, that the}' may be still further grown on to produce 
seed. The first half of this work is done by the same methods as are pursued 
by a market gardener, while the second half is over a season of growth beyond 
that which a market gardener carries his crops, for seed h produced only 
after the full vegetable growth, as recognized by the consumer of vegetables, 
has been absorbed, or drawn upon by the plant for its subsistence during this 
production of seed, consequently risk of injury by insects, fungus, drought, 
rain, hail and other accidents over a long drawn out season is vastly in- 
cr-eased. 
At the time of my visit all crops were looking most flourishing, but if no 
•rain comes in the 'hext two weeks the crops will of course be diminished. As 
regards insects, too, there are troubles; thus with parsnips it is impossible 
t<5 grow these for. seed more than four years in succession on the same farm, 
as they are attacked by a bug; so this crop goes to the Virginia farm for 
four years, then to Jersey and then back to Bloomsdale. 
The crops no# growing consist of cabbages, there being about sixty acres 
aow in seed, and with excellent prospects for a good crop. I,ast season was 
very dry at the time of planting, and it is easy to distinguish between those 
planted early and late, as a large percentage of the late planted ones do not 
seed. At the time of the visit there were enough cabbage plants in the seed 
beds to plant 150 acres ; they were awaiting a good rain. 
Turnips and beets are also largely represented, and look well, the long 
blood turnip being in specially fine condition. 
Onions for sets form quite an industry by themselves, and the crop has 
aever been better than this season. There are about thirty acres of these. 
The BP \»msdale pearl onion shows up remarkably well and very true. The 
liermu^ . red is also very good, and was just beginning to die down. The 
Extra Early Red is an excellent crop, somewhat taller than the two above 
■named, and ripens later. 
Tomatoes also form a prominent crop, there being over seventy acres, but 
owing to the dry weather are not so far advanced as last year. Some of the 
hvbrids produced last year are doing well, and look very promising. 
Peas, spinachiand kale hIso form very important crops. The latter is now 
almost ready to harvest ; this is done before the crop is perfectly ripe, the 
