126 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
TRIP TO SYRACUSE. 
-Lunatic Asylum—Manufacture of 
-Syracuse and Us vicinity — Preva- 
The Mohawk Valley- 
Parchment at Utica 
lence of Weeds. 
Every body travels. The facilities of locomotion are 
so great, the inducements to travel so strong, and the 
means of gratifying the passion of seeing so easily pro¬ 
cured, that few are contented to spend all their time un¬ 
der the dull monotony of home or eating cares of busi¬ 
ness, but occasionally escape from them to the free air 
of our mountains and valleys, to return with renewed 
health and spirits to the daily occupations of life. We 
too have been rambling; and the ground chosen was the 
oeautiful valley of the Mohawk, and the fertile fields of 
Western New-York. It may well be questioned whether 
any other route of frequented travel in this country offers 
more to interest, instruct or please, than the Mohawk 
valley. Its round wooded hills; its massive precipitous 
rocks and wild gorges; the rolling waters, long glitter¬ 
ing reaches, and willow covered islands of theriver; the 
impressive historical recollections connected with almost 
every part of the region; and to the farmer, with whose 
eyes we viewed it, of more real consequence than all, its 
rich and broad flats, sloping pastures and cultivated fields 
constitute a picture of beauty and richness rarely equaled. 
No man traverses the Mohawk valley without feeling 
that God has lavished upon it the gifts that best fit a 
country for the residence of man; and if he sees, as he 
too often does, things that do not harmonize with this 
feeling, he is convinced that it is to be traced to the im¬ 
providence or the neglect of man. AVhere weeds grow 
in rank luxuriance, crops of grain of equal vigor might 
be produced; nothing but the care and the labor of man 
is requisite to secure this result. Feeling thus, it is im¬ 
possible to offer any reasonable excuse for the various 
weeds that are so rapidly multiplying on the fertile soils 
of the Mohawk, and we are confident fast reducing the pro- 
fits of the farmer. It does no good for a farmer to yawn, 
fold up his arms, and say weeds cannot be conquered. It 
is not true: they can be; and numerous facts prove this 
to be the case. There is not a weed, now encroaching 
on the soil and the profits of the farmer, but can by per¬ 
severing effort be eradicated, and by care and vigilance 
prevented from ever again appearing to any extent. The 
johnswort, thistle, daisy, elder, cicuta, wild mustard,&c. 
&c., are not immortal, but are continued by seeds or pro¬ 
pagation from the roots. Strike at their existence, at the 
point most vulnerable; if their mode of propagation is 
from seeds, sow none; if from roots, or from both seeds 
and roots, then dig or plow the roots till killed. If we 
were to classify the weeds of the Mohawk farms, accord¬ 
ing to the injury they must occasion, the. mustard or char¬ 
lock would be placed at the head, and the elder next. 
Both delight in precisely such soils as there exist, rich, 
friable, and not liable to drouth. It was deplorable to 
see how the spring sown crops were overrun by the mus¬ 
tard; whole fields of the brightest yellow, and the poor 
oats or barley maintaining a dubious struggle for ascen¬ 
dancy, if not for existence. Now and then the heart 
was gladdened by a farm from which skillful cultivation 
had mostly kept these pests, and the richness of the grow¬ 
ing crops attested what such soils would do when pro¬ 
perly cared for. 
Strange as it may seem to those who remember the 
time when the Mohawk valley was considered the finest 
wheat country in the United States, there is now but ve¬ 
ry little wheat grown in that district. A traveler vvill 
see more wheat on the ground, in four or five miles ride 
in Onondaga and the western counties, than in the whole 
Mohawk valley from Schenectady to Rome. From 
thence, through Madison, there is a perceptible increase, 
and in Onondaga an Cayuga it is grown in great quanti- 
tities. Throughout this extent, or indeed^ through the 
whole west, lands lying on, or in the vicinity of the 
limestone strata, are found to be the most productive of 
wheat, a fact which examination will easily show. It 
is wortbv of serious consideration with the farmers of 
the wheat producing districts, whether their lands too 
will not soon fail them like those of the Mohawk, and 
they be obliged to rely on other sources of profit for 
thrift, if not for bread. There is, we think, clear indi¬ 
cations that such will be the fact; that western New- 
York will soon cease to produce wheat to the present ex.- 
tent, and stand in relation to Michigan, Wiskonsan, &c. 
as the Mohawk valley now does to her. That there is no 
necessity for this exhaustion of soils; that they may al¬ 
ways be made productive of grain, is evident from the 
continued fertility of soils in Europe, that have been 
cropped for hundreds if not thousands of years. It 
would be well for them to inquire the cause and the 
progress of this exhaustion, and endeavmr to avoid such 
a disastrous result. 
It has been an opinion to some extent, that a different 
kind of soil was required for corn and the spring grains, 
than the one best adapted for wheat; It is certain that 
corn and the spring grains will frequently succeed where 
winter wheat will not; but in our excursion we found 
the best corn, and the best spring sown grain, on those 
farms where the best wheat was growing; a fact which 
proves that these farms were better cultivated, or that 
the best wheat lands were also the best for other farm¬ 
ing purposes. Corn was every where backward, but the 
very warm weather of the middle of July, was bringing 
up leeway rapidly. It is to be hoped there will be no 
failure of this crop, for there is none that contributes more 
vvidely to the sustenance of both man and beast. 
During a few hours spent at U tica, one of the most 
pleasant and prosperous places on the canal, a visit was 
made to that splendid proof of the state’s consideration 
for the most unfortunate class of her citizens, the Luna¬ 
tic Asylum. One side of the square only, a massive stone 
building of about 500 feet in length, is completed; the 
others are in various degrees of forwardness. The num¬ 
ber of inmates was at that time 130. Some were labor¬ 
ing in the grounds belonging to the asylum, some were 
walking up and down their rooms in moody melancholy, 
and a few were raving mad. It was a pitiful sight to 
see these wrecks of humanity; and it was a saddening 
and humiliating reflection, that the slightest injury, the 
mere loosening of a screw as it were, in the complicated 
mechanism jpf man, might reduce the proudest intellect 
to a similar ruin. An insane man is said by his lan¬ 
guage to show what the prevailing current of his thoughts 
were, while moving in society and among his fellow 
creatures. This is not improbable; for the conduct of 
the insane reminded me of a school in which the master 
is absent, and expressions were used and words uttered, 
Avhich would not haAm been, had reason, the master, been 
present. The conduct of no inconsiderable part of the 
insane, goes to prove the truth of Talleyrand’s maxim, 
“ that language Avas given to man, only to conceal his 
thoughts.” 
There are many branches of manufactures carried on to 
a considerable extent in Utica and its vicinity, furnishing 
employment to many operatives, and opening to that ex¬ 
tent, a market for farmers that would not otherwise ex¬ 
ist. Among th< l8 manufactures is one of parchment, 
where large quantities are annually produced, and of the 
best quality. A specimen from this manufactory re¬ 
ceived the premium at the State Fair at Albany, last Oc¬ 
tober. An anecdote related to me by the proprietor, J. 
C. Delong, Esq. Avill show to what perfection the article 
has arrived. Considerable quantities are used in the de¬ 
partments at Washington, and has generally been import¬ 
ed, a good article being rarely found in this country. To 
exhibit his own, and call the attention of the officers of 
the Government to the manufacture, he addressed a letter 
on a sheet of it to the head of the War department, say¬ 
ing that the sheet sent was a fair specimen of the parch¬ 
ment manufactured by him, and inviting an examination. 
Supposing the letter to be only an envelop of the speci¬ 
men, he made some inquiry for the article itself, which 
he supposed had been mislaid, and among others spoke 
to Mr. Ellsworth of the patent office, showing him the 
letter at the same time. “ Sir,” said Mr. E., returning 
the letter, “ that letter is the specimen spoken of.” “ You 
do not mean to say,” answered the Secretary, “ that this 
letter is parchment?” “Certainly sir, the letter is the 
parchment referred to, and to convince yourself, you 
have onty to attempt tearing it.” It was so, and the Sec¬ 
retary was surprised to find that American manufacturers 
could produce parchment equal in appearance to the very 
best kinds of writing paper. 
Syracuse is a place that possesses many advantages. 
The center of the New'-York salines; the point where 
various lines of communication from the south and the 
north, from Erie, Ontario, and the Hudson meet; in the 
heart of one of the best farming counties in the state; 
and possessing water power to a considerable extent; it 
is not surprising that the place should be prosperous. 
The great number of new buildings going up, and the 
crowded state of the principal thoroughfares, are very 
sure indications of a healthier and better condition of 
things than has existed for some years. There are few 
manufactures more important to the country at large than 
that of salt, or one in which the agricultural part of the 
country is so deeply interested. An article necessary to 
the health, and indispensable to the comfort of both man 
and animals, salt must always hold a high place among 
our articles of consumption. The act of the last session 
appears to be nearly every thing that could be desired, 
and the activity of the manufacturers shows that a large 
quantity of salt Avill be produced the present season. The 
fertility of the soils in the vicinity of Syracuse is of the 
highest order, and farms are proportionably prized. It 
may be considered a curious and instructive fact, that the 
district of country proved to be the most valuable in this 
county, for many years after the settlement was consi¬ 
dered almost valueless, and only to be occupied by the 
poor or the unfortunate. It is a remark of which the 
experience of many years has verified the truth, that a 
knowledge of the state of the crops of wheat or corn on 
a line across the center of the county, from Dewitt to 
Ellbridge, would enable one to form a very correct es¬ 
timate of the condition of these generally in the slate; as 
in no case has the general aA'erage been found to exceed 
that indicated by this particular section. But Onondaga, 
like the eastern counties noticed, shows that more atten¬ 
tion has been paid to taking of crops with little labor, 
than to keeping the lands clean, and in an improving 
state. In the wheat lands, the steenkrout or red root, 
one of the worst enemiesof that grain, has a wide spread, 
and like the charlock or mustard of the Mohawk, threat¬ 
ens ere long to have undisputed possession of many 
farms. Farmers cannot be aware of the serious loss they 
suffer from the presence of this and similar weeds in 
their crops, or they would make more energetic and con¬ 
sistent efforts to destroy them. A severe drouth was pre¬ 
vailing here, and greatly lessening the prospect of root 
crops generally; still an early recurrence of rain would 
give these crops a fair chance of success. 
But these rambling remarks must be here closed; and 
it is done under the increased appreciation of the value 
of agriculture to the country, the beneficial effects of a 
farm residence on the health and spirits, and the assu¬ 
rance that the most profitable farms are those managed 
the most neatly and skillfully- 
NEW-YORK STATE AG. SOCIETY. 
The regular meeting of the Executive Committee of 
the N. Y. S. Ag. Society for July, was held at Rochester, 
on the 12th. Present, Mr. Wadsworth, President; 
Messrs. Sherwood and Langworthy, Vice Presidents; 
Mr. Tucker, Sec’y, and Messrs. Walsh of Lansing- 
burgh, and Hillhouse of Albany, members of the Board. 
There were also present, the President and several of 
the officers of the Monroe Co. Ag. Society, together with 
a number of citizens of Rochester, who took part in the 
deliberations of the Committee, and evinced a AVaxm in- 
tei’est in behalf of the efforts of the Society. 
Propositions Avere made to alter the lime of holding 
the Fair to an earlier day than had been fixed upon, and 
to alter the Premium List so as to give separate prizes to 
the different breeds of Short Horn, Hereford and Devon 
Cattle. Both propositions were, however, after full dis¬ 
cussion, rejected. 
The Committee, after viewing the different locations 
offered for holding the Society's Cattle Show and Fair, 
which is to be held on the 19th, 20th and 21st days of 
September next, selected a beautiful spot on the west side 
of State street, about a mile north of the center of the ci¬ 
ty of Rochester. The ground is elevated and dry, with 
a close heavy turf, and is admirably located for the pur¬ 
pose, being on one of the principal avenues, with a mac¬ 
adamised road and sidewalks extending to it. 
The question of enclosing the grounds, and charging 
the small sum of l2i cents for admission, as practiced at 
the last Fair in Albany, was discussed, when it was unani¬ 
mously 
Resolved, That a committee of arrangements be ap¬ 
pointed, whose duty it shall be to prepare the show 
grounds for the exhibition, by causing eight or ten acres, 
as they may think best, to be enclosed Avith a high and 
substantial fence—to erect such building or buildings as 
they may deem necessary—procure tents, build pens, &c. 
and that to defray the expenses thus incurred, a fee of 
12^ cents be charged for admission. 
The following gentlemen were appointed for the pur¬ 
pose specified in the abov'e resolution: 
Committee of Arrirngements. —J. S. Wadsworth, Esq., Col. A. 
Sawyer, L. B. Langworthy, Lemuel Thompson, Gen. K. Har¬ 
mon, C. F. Grosman, P. Barry. 
The folloAving gentlemen were appointed Judges to 
award the premiums to be paid at the Fair: 
On Bulls, Classes I, IT, III, IV .—James Gowen, Philadelphia, 
Pa.; William Garbutt, Wheatland; C. N. Eement, Albany; 
Wm. Fuller, Skaneateles; Z. A. Leland, Bath. 
On Cows, ^c. Classes V, VI, VII, PJJI.—Adam Fergusson,Wa¬ 
tertown, U. C.; Henry AVhitney, New Haven, Conn.; H. D. 
Grove, Hoosick; G. V. Sackelt, Seneca Falls; Edward A. Le 
Roy, Avon. 
On Cows, 4'c. Classes IX, X, XI.—L. C. Ball, Hoosick; Thos. 
Weddle, Rochester; Lyman Hibbard, Homer; John Ayrault, 
Perrinton; Elijah W. Sheldon, Sennet. 
On Cows, 4'C. Classes XII, XIII, XIV .—Daniel H. Fitzhngh, 
Mt. Morris; Wm.Parsons, Lockport; Jno. Webster, Hamburgh; 
Abel Baldwin, Clarkson; Lee Comstock, Le Roy. 
On H’orhing Oxen and Steers —Wm. A. S. North, Schenectady; 
Israel Boies, Homer; Obadiah Hoag, Lockport; C. A. Godfrey, 
Geneva; E. Marks, Navarino. 
On Fat Cuttle and Fat Sheep. —P. N. Rust, Syracuse; Allen 
Frost, Rochester; J. C. Mather, Schaghticoke ; Holloway Long, 
York; William Otley, Phelps. 
On Stallions and Matched Horses .—Francis Rotch, Butternntts: 
Allen Ayrault, Geneseo; F. F. Backus, Rochester; Samuel 
Greenleaf, Canandaigua; J. R. Speed, Caroline. 
On Mares and Colts —W. Tt. Barter, New-York; D. D. Camp¬ 
bell, Schenectady; Abram Vougbt, Mendon; Joseph Christo¬ 
pher, Rochester; Dan Hibbard, Cortlandville. 
On Swine. —T. C. Peters, Darien ; E. Wolcott, Rochester; Ez¬ 
ra Cornell, Ithaca; O. F. Marshall, Wheeler: Wm. Salisbury, 
On Sheep. Classes I, IJ. —R. L. Allen, Buffalo ; S. E. Hudson, 
Palmyra; F. M. Rotch, Butternntts ; Ira S. Hitchcock, Oneida 
Castle; J.ared Cohnan, Rochester. 
On Sheep, Class III. —J. P. Beekman, Kinderhook; William 
Randall, Cortlandville; Ij. A. Morrell, I..ake Ridge; R. Harmon, 
jr., Wheatland; R. C. Nicholas, Geneva. 
On Plows. —Geo. W. Patterson, Westfield; Myron Adams, 
East Bloomfield ; C. C. Dennis, Auburn; John Moxon, Char¬ 
lotte ; C. S. Billion, Newark. 
On other Agricultural Implements. —L. B. Langworthy, Ro¬ 
chester; J. C. Langdon, Troy ; Geo. C. Latta, Charlotte; T. D. 
Burrall, Geneva; C. F. Crosman, Rochester. 
Plowing Match. —J. B. Nott, Guilderland ; Theron BroAvn, 
Wheatland; E. A. Howland, Ledyard; William Gorham, Can¬ 
andaigua; Jno. H. Robinson, Henrietta. 
On Battler and C/ieese.—Rob’t Denislon, Salisbury Mills; B. 
P. Johnson, Rome; Laurens Hull, Angelica; Dr. T. Goodsell, 
Utica; Z. Barton Stout, Richmond. 
On Maple and Cornstalk Stigur.—John Greig, Canandaigua ; H. 
S. Randall, Cortlandville; Thomas Hillhouse, Albany; A. B. 
Dunlap, Ovid ; John Vernon, Mt. Morris. 
On SiZ/c.—Orville Hungerford, AA’atertown; Henry Polhemus, 
Auburn; T. Mellen, Madison; William Kidd, Rochester; Ro¬ 
bert Rose, Richmond. 
On Domestic Manufactures .—Samuel Cheever, Albany; Lewis 
Brooks, Rochester; Geo. Byington, do.; M.W. Soper, Batavia; 
J. B. Dill, Auburn. 
On Vegetables.—Ahuer Bryant, Buffalo; Lemuel Thompson, 
Rochester; William Blossorp, Canandaigua; Asa Rowe, Swe¬ 
den; Dr. Beaumont, Lyons. 
On Fruits.—J. J. Thomas, Macedon; John R. Murray, Mount 
Morris; Benjamin Hodge, Buffalo; N. Goodsell, Rochester; 
Dr. Doty, Montezuma. . „ r, „ 
On FZower-s.— Alexander Walsh, Lansingburgh; P. Barry, Ro¬ 
chester : M. B. Bateham, do.; S. E. Warren, Troy ; James H. 
Watts, Rochester. , , 
On Discretionary Premiums. —J. B. Duane, Schenectady ; Jno. 
J 'V'iele Lansingb'urgh; Harvey Baldwin, Syracuse, J. McDo¬ 
nald McIntyre, Albany; G. 1. Pumpelly, Owego. 
Premium on Steers.—T he following were added to 
the Premium List: 
Three Year old Steers 
. f 10 I Second best,.-. $6 
Third best, vol. of Transactions. 
Two Year old Steers. 
. $8 I Second best,. 
Third best, vol. of Transactions. 
M. B. Bateham, Esq. Rochester, was appointed As¬ 
sistant Secretary for the Fair. 
Best pair, ■ 
Best pair, • 
