374 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
fisher’s island. 
As you take the steamer from Stoning- 
ton to Norwich, you observe on the south 
of your route this beautiful island, which has 
been in the possession of the Winthrop fam¬ 
ily since the first settlement of the country. 
It is a good illustration of the wretched pol¬ 
icy of holding land in large tracts and leav¬ 
ing it to take care of itself. There are some 
five thousand acres of land upon the island, 
and a part of it is of the first quality. Sur¬ 
rounded by the sea, and indented with safe 
harbors, it has the means of bringing the 
soil into the highest state of fertility. It has 
been skinned and re-skinned, and yet it is 
very productive. Owing to the poor tillage, 
it suffers very much from drouth in dry sea¬ 
sons. We learn that this island is for sale, 
and we do not know of a prettier enterprize 
for a man of capital, who has a taste for 
rural pursuits, than to purchase it, and people 
it with industrious laborers. There are now 
but a few small farm houses, accommodat¬ 
ing probably less than fifty persons. It is 
capable of supporting over a thousand peo¬ 
ple in comfort and plenty. It is just the 
spot for a community of gardeners to lo¬ 
cate. All the island could be profitably cul¬ 
tivated in small fruits to supply the New 
York market. The strawberry, raspberry 
and blackberry flourish along the neighbor¬ 
ing shore in the greatest luxuriance, and if 
plantations were made of these fruits, they 
would ripen just after the Jersey and Long 
Island gardens, and would prolong the sea¬ 
son of these delicious fruits. We would cut 
up the island into small homesteads of ten 
or twelve acres, and rent or sell as suited 
the means and wishes of the settler. We 
would bring the settlers from Europe. This 
speculation is projected for the benefit of 
any of our amateur gardeners who have 
plenty of capital, and want to make a good 
investment. 
PEQUONNOC PLAIN. 
On the north of the route you spy a wind¬ 
mill near the mouth of the Pequonnoc river. 
This mill pumps water for an oil factory. 
Vast quantities of moss bunkers are caught 
in the adjacent waters along the coast, and 
are here made into oil,,and the refuse fish 
sold to the farmers for manure. On either 
side of the river are extensive plains spread 
out, once excellent land, but now run out 
with hard cropping. The fish are com¬ 
pletely transforming it. Great crops of po¬ 
tatoes, corn and other cereals are grown 
wherever the fish are applied. This factory 
has quickened the farming interest through¬ 
out the neighborhood. 
WATERING PLACES. 
All along the shores, from New London to 
Watch Hill, hotels have been put up within 
a few years for the accommodation of sum¬ 
mer guests. On the west side of New r Lon¬ 
don harbor is the Pequod House, a first 
class establishment, well filled with select 
company. On the east side are the Griswold 
House and the Ocean House. At Bradford’s 
Island a new house has been put up the past 
winter, and is now well filled. Two miles 
up the Mystic river they have two hotels 
for summer visitors. At Stonington they 
have three, and at Watch Hill two large 
houses uncomfortably full during the hot 
weather. Two lines of steamers run daily 
between Watch Hill and Norwich, touching 
at all these places. The distance from Nor¬ 
wich to Stonington is about thirty miles, and 
the fare is five cents. The travel of course 
is abundant, and the hotels are reaping a 
harvest. These places of summer resort 
are a direct benefit to the adjacent farming 
interest. They bring down to the shore 
perhaps a thousand or two of additional 
population from all parts of the country, 
who have to be fed with the fat of the land. 
This makes a brisk market for butter, eggs, 
fruits, vegetables and meats. The only way 
a man outside of the charmed circle of these 
good livers can get sight of a chicken or a 
fresh egg, is to keep them in a show case 
for exhibition, or to grow them upon his 
own premises. Every thing is bought up 
beforehand. It makes living more expensive 
in the cities and villages, but is a mighty 
nice thing for the farmers. 
THAMES RIVER 
is some sixteen miles from its mouth to 
Norwich, at the head of sloop navigation. 
It is one of the most picturesque streams in 
New England, and were the tide of travel 
upon it like that upon the Hudson, it would 
be as well known and as much appreciated 
for its peculiar beauties. The scenery along 
its banks is not so grand as that of the Hud¬ 
son. There are no Palisades or lofty moun¬ 
tains, but on every side rugged granite hills, 
now covered with forest, and now cropping 
out in bare rock. There is no extensive tract 
of interval, as along the Connecticut or the 
Hudson, but on the whole length of the 
stream the hills push boldly into the water. 
The valley is sparsely settled with farmers. 
There are many beautiful sites for country 
residences along this river, and the day is 
not distant when they will be occupied. It 
is a part of the thoroughfare between New 
York and Boston, and is within easy dis¬ 
tance of both these cities. 
The farms in this valley are among the 
best in the county. The premium crop of 
Indian corn was grown here, measuring one 
hundred and eleven bushels to the acre. 
The river furnishes large quantities of sea 
weed and fish, and it only needs more capi¬ 
tal expended in manures to bring the farms 
here to the highest state of fertility. 
THE VALLEY OF THE QUINEBAUG. 
Leaving the steamer at Norwich, we take 
the railroad up through this valley. The 
Quinebaug is a model stream for manufac¬ 
turers, and is pretty well improved, though 
there are several spots where the whole 
power of the stream is unused. There is a 
large fall near its mouth, and another at 
Jewett City, that are waiting for capital to 
turn the water upon the wheels and put the 
spindles in motion. Several manufacturing 
villages have been built up in this valley, 
Jewett City, Central Village, Danielsonville, 
Wauregan, Dayville, &c. These are thriv¬ 
ing villages, and afford good markets for the 
products of the neighboring farms. 
LISBON 
is the lowest town on the Quinebaug, and 
lies between it and the Shetucket. It is 
mainly a farming town, with but a small vil¬ 
lage in the north part. Its population has 
remained stationary for more than thirty 
years. The soil is not remarkably fertile, 
and requires good management to make it 
productive. Charles Tracy’s farm lies im¬ 
mediately upon the line of the road. He has 
put up fine buildings, perhaps the best in the 
county, and has expended large sums in the 
improvement of his soil. He is making 
many experiments, and is doing a good 
work in his neighborhood. His crops were 
looking grandly, and we very much wanted 
to alight from the iron horse and spend a day 
with him. There is little bottom land in 
the lower part of this valley. It is mostly 
light sandy soil on which rye, white beans, 
potatoes, corn and buckwheat yield small 
crops without manure. The lands along 
the road lie remote from the farm houses, 
and the crops have been gathered and car¬ 
ried home from time immemorial, so that 
the land is now exhausted. It is on these 
lands that guano can be used with most pro¬ 
fit. This and the turning in of green crops 
are worthy of the attention of farmers in 
this town. We commend to their notice 
the experiment of Mr. Lockwood, recorded 
in our last issue under the head of “ Buck¬ 
wheat as a Green Crop.” The soil of this 
valley is naturally adapted to rye, and it 
only needs higher tillage to bring it back to 
its original fertility. Lisbon has a few good 
farmers who take the papers, and are put¬ 
ting in practice better methods of husbandry. 
H. L. Read, the efficient Secretary of the 
New London County Agricultural Society, 
resides here, and is successful in vegetable 
gardening and fruit culture, as well as in 
field crops. We see frequent evidence of 
progress in the muck heaps and drained 
lands, and in the luxuriant crops upon fields, 
that a few years since were barren sheep 
pastures. 
The County Society is vigorous, and its 
influence is felt for good in every township 
and every rural parish. There is a new in¬ 
terest among farmers, and their sons begin 
to look upon farm life with complacency. 
We hope the tide has turned here, and that 
these parishes will be able to retain a larger 
portion of their youth at home. Our notes 
on Windham county we must reserve.— [Ed. 
A Punctuated Retraction. —A member 
of the English Parliament having charged 
an officer of the Government with dishon¬ 
esty, was required to retract it before the 
House -of Commons, which he did in the 
following words: “ I said he was dishonest, 
it is true; and I am sorry for it.” This was 
pronounced satisfactory, but he managed to 
have the printed report of the transaction 
read thus : “ I said he was dishonest; it is 
true, and I am sorry for it.” 
Another Retraction. —An officer having 
become offended at another, said of him: 
“ He is not fit to carry garbage to swine.” 
He was 'called upon by officer No. 2, who 
required him to retract his statement. “ I 
will take it back,” said he, “ and I now say 
you are just fitted for such an occupation.” 
