4 
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE UNCULTIVATED LANDS ON LONG ISLAND IN 1850. 
tical that the soil is capable of yielding, when 
cultivated like other parts of the Island, in the 
same abundance. Immediately on the plains 
along the borders of the railroad, the trees are 
chiefly pine, with a thick and vigorous growth 
of underwood or bushes, such as scrub oak, 
whortleberry, vines, and grasses. 
A little to the north, are found the chestnut, 
hickories, the varieties of the oak, as white, black, 
or yellow oak, black walnut and locusts—all of 
which exhibit the most vigorous and thrifty 
growth. Indeed, so rapidly do trees grow on 
this part of Long Island, that about eighteen 
years are considered sufficient to produce a 
crop of wood suitable to cut into cord wood for 
the New-York market, and there is no part of 
this state, (New York,) where timber will grow 
so fast as on Long Island. If the soil were bar¬ 
ren and destitute of the supporters of vegetation 
this certainly would not be the case. It may 
be here remarked that the locust, now so abun¬ 
dant in many parts of the Island and so valua¬ 
ble as timber, is not a native, but was brought 
from Virginia, or from further south, by one 
of the Sands family, who settled near Sands’ 
Point in about the year 1660. Mr. Sands was 
a sea-faring man, and traded between the West 
Indies, the southern colonies, and New York. 
The whole region of the Island, now in waste 
and wild, might be very easily transformed into 
a beautiful forest of locust, hickory, or oak, to 
great advantage and profit compared with its 
present condition. This growth of forest trees 
is evidence that fruit trees can be successfully 
cultivated; and this opinion is sustained by the 
facts of the case; for whenever any attempts 
have been made, and proper care and attention 
bestowed, the most complete success has fol¬ 
lowed. The nurseries of Flushing have long 
been celebrated for their extensive and choice 
varieties of frnits. Peaches have been success¬ 
fully raised on almost every part of Long Island, 
notwithstanding opinions have been advanced 
to the contrary, There were peaches of the 
largest size and finest flavor raised at Hunting- 
ton, and exhibited at the Agricultural Fair at 
Commac, in the fall of 1846. 
The Rev. J. Pillsbury, (now of Illinois,) culti- 
tivated successfully, a fine variety of fruit, in¬ 
cluding peaches, at Smithtown, Long Island, a 
few years since. 
The peach orchard of Mr. John J. Stoothoff, 
at Jamaica, is such as to encourage others on 
the Island to cultivate this delicious fruit. For 
a particular account of this beautiful and flour¬ 
ishing peach orchard, and its productions, see 
the American Agriculturist, Feb. No., 1848. It 
will be sufficient to say, the year being the sec¬ 
ond of bearing, the orchard, containing about 
2,500 trees, yielded about 2,637 baskets, worth 
$2,600. The whole product from 27 acres of 
land was $3,646. Peas and potatoes were cul¬ 
tivated between the rows of peach trees, and 
asparagus in some parts of the land. The soil 
upon which this orchard is planted is as much 
like the soil of these uncultivated lands, as it 
can be; it is impossible to discover any differ¬ 
ence in viewing it, and it is not probable, that 
a careful analysis would show any difference. 
A few remarks on some of the privileges 
which the surrounding bays and waters afford, 
may not be uninteresting. They are not more 
than three, four or five miles distant from almost 
any part of these lands; and in these waters 
are fouud various kinds of fish and wild fowl for 
the sportsman. In the streams that flow from the 
Island, the waters are remarkable for their 
purity, and for being but little affected with 
drouth. These streams are full of trout of large 
size and fine flavor. 
The Long-Island Railroad is to be the great 
means of changing this great wilderness from 
its present wild and waste condition to the hab¬ 
itation of man, to convert it into gardens and 
cultivated fields. The railroad now brings this 
part of the Island almost within the sound of the 
city bells, and affords constant and regular 
means of access at all seasons of the year, there¬ 
by enabling those who will now take up and 
settle these lands to have the benefits of the 
New-York and Brooklyn markets, with as much 
ease and economy as the inhabitants of the 
western part of Queen’s county have formerly 
had. It is to the interest and welfare of the 
whole Island to have these lands settled and 
cultivated—it will add greatly to its wealth and 
population. To the railroad, it will be of essen¬ 
tial service and benefit; it is a plain matter of 
fact, that every settlement made on the borders 
of the railroad must necessarily furnish a cer¬ 
tain amount of business and travel for the road. 
Lake Road, or Irvington, is one of the most 
beautiful sites of the inland parts of the Island. 
The soil there is of superior depth and quality, 
well adapted to the cultivation of all kinds of 
fruit, such as pears, peaches, grapes, and apples; 
and grain, as wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, 
as well as for every variety of vegetables raised 
on any part of the Island. 
The whole glebe, or tract of land to the south 
of Ronkonkoma Lake, and to the east of Con- 
netquot River, is the very best of all the uncul¬ 
tivated land on Long Island, and when cultivated, 
will be equal in quality and value to any land, 
and the situation is extremely desirable for set¬ 
tlement and residence. The wood and timber 
on this tract is oak, hickory, chestnut, locust, 
and pine; and it may be here stated that simi¬ 
lar land a little to the north or south of this tract 
is valued at, and sold for $50 to $100 per acre, 
whilst this tract is offered at the very low price 
of $10 per acre, a large part of the purchase 
money of which may remain at 6 per cent, in¬ 
terest for a term of years, if desired by the pur¬ 
chaser. The title is as good as can be to any 
land in the State of New York. 
Lake-Road Station is the Half-Way House, 
between Brooklyn and Greenport, and the most 
central and important depot on the Long-Island 
Railroad, for freight and passengers, being the 
terminus of an evening and morning train of 
cars, for the accommodation of the morning and 
evening travel between Lake Road Depot and 
New York. 
Edgar F. Peck, 
306, State st, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
