1858. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
193 
as it appears at first, and that but few years will do 
wonders, where care is taken to add continually to the 
resources of the soil. And if any reader is prompted 
to the effort by this example, as those under whose 
eyes it proceeded have been—they have but to turn to 
previous volumes of our journals to find details much 
fuller than are now offered on the subject—these great 
principles pervading them all, however, first to stimu¬ 
late the soil from deadness into partial activity, and 
then, by means of stock, returning to it more or less of 
the crops it yields, and by a rotation of them, and 
economy of manures, constantly enlarging instead of 
diminishing its fertility. And at the risk of repetition 
and of croaking , I will add that unless our farmers, 
east or west, north or south, bear in mind the impor 
tance of some such system of manuring and rotation, 
they might as well expect to purchase the widow’s 
cruise, as land so fertile that its yearly outpouring of 
cereal wealth can be forever unaffected. There may 
be exceptions to this, as to other general rules : the 
danger is that every man will consider his farm such 
an exception, until it finally costs more to keep it than 
to “ move west,” and he or his son leaves to go again 
through the old course in some other region. 
The soil on Mr. Blair’s place is a quite light loam. 
He has about 500 acres, of which 200 are cropped in 
hay or the grains. And the only kind of produce he 
sells is the former, for which there is always a mar¬ 
ket at good prices—especially for timothy, which sel¬ 
dom or never sells for less than $1 per cwt., and often 
is considerably higher. We enter the grounds by a 
gracefully winding drive through a pleasant wood, and 
this, as well as quite extensive roads and walks on 
other portions of the grounds, are very tastefully dis¬ 
posed, and add much to the beauty as well as the plea¬ 
sure of the place. A fine spring of clear, soft water, 
rises in an ornamental recess or basin under the rock, 
and is collected in a little lake, the surplus of which 
turns a wheel furnishing about four horse power, for 
grinding and other farm purposes. In addition to this 
Mr. B. has a steam engine employed in winter, and at 
other seasons if required. The stock includes 15 to 20 
head each, of horses and cattle. Along the road on 
which this estate is situated, there are now a number 
of farmers who conduct smaller establishments in an 
economical and profitable way. Among Mr. Blair’s 
neighbors are also Mr. Biggs the well known banker, 
and Mr. Claggett, a retired merchant, both of whom 
have within a few years commenced the formation of 
places for retirement from the city, and entered upon 
similar systems of improvement. As a pioneer in the 
movement, Mr. B. should receive the credit, which 
every thinking man at once awards to public spirit and 
enterprise, the more as they must in this case have 
added greatly to the value of a large tract of land, 
suggested a new pleasure to the attainment of the 
wealthy, and enabled the agriculturist of limited means 
to work at an advantage instead of a loss. 
•Folm Saul’s Nursery. 
About midway between the city and Mr. Blair’s, Mr. 
John Saul occupies 80 acres as a nursery. A brother 
of A. Saul of the Highland Nurseries, he first came to 
Washington with Mr. Downing, with whom he was en¬ 
gaged for some time upon the public grounds, since 
which, as many of our readers are aware, he has con¬ 
ducted a horticultural establishment of his own, and 
one which it gives us pleasure to commend in high 
torms to subscribers through the south. We were 
pleased to have the evidences we had already seen of 
the increased attention given through this region of 
country to rural improvement, corroborated by the in¬ 
creasing support which Mr. S. is constantly receiving. 
He has occupied hi3 present locality but 3 or 4 years, 
and is by degrees bringing it into thorough cultivation. 
His stock is a large and general one of the different 
varieties of fruits, including both dwarfs and stand¬ 
ards, and vines, and he can also meet a large demand 
for evergreens, roses, &c., See. 
Like several other gentlemen with whom we con¬ 
versed, Mr. S. thinks the soil about Washington pro¬ 
duces remarkably excellent garden vegetables of sev¬ 
eral kinds. Strawberries flourish well—the best Eng- 
glish sorts coming up to their standard where origina¬ 
ted, much more nearly here than at the north, and be¬ 
ing marketed on quite an extensive scale by several 
growers, who get for them about twice the price of the 
ordinary home varieties. Bhubarb seems to be in 
greater demand, proportionately, than in many north¬ 
ern localities—the Prince Albert being most highly 
valued as an early, delicious and productive variety, 
and the Victoria for later cutting. The Dendar Ce¬ 
dars and the Pinus Excelsa find the climate more con¬ 
genial than a northern one, and the Cryptomeria Ja- 
ponica is as hardy here as the Norway Spruce. Dwarf 
pears appear to do well—Mr. S. had never lost a tree 
from blight, although others have suffered from it. The 
peach is perhaps the great fruit of the country, and 
though the best kinds in New-Jersey and the north are 
equally good here, there are some delicious sorts here 
which there will not succeed. The Catawba is the 
grape—the Black Hamburg and Grisly Eromtignac 
may do without shelter, but are uncertain. Among 
the best apples for this latitude, are “ Hopkin’s Bed,” 
“Mitchell,” “Halliday’s Seedling,” “Bambo,” and 
“ Pryor’s Bed,” for fall varieties, and “ Brooks’ Pip¬ 
pin,” “Cannon Pearmain,” and “ Bawles’ Janet” for 
winter and spring. 
Mr. Saul’s land lies beautifully, and is thought to 
resemble in character of soil that on which so many of 
the Bochester Nurseries are situated. It extends be¬ 
tween the two roads which enter the city at 7th and at 
14th streets. The former of these two, as already in¬ 
timated, shows more improvement than any other part 
of the suburbs of the city, and the land upon it is cor¬ 
respondingly growing in value. It is perfectly healthy, 
while some lower parts of the city and neighborhood 
are not thought to be, and will undoubtedly in the 
course of a few years afford sites for a large number 
of fine residences and pleasant places, as well as pro¬ 
ductive farms 
To Mr. Saul I was indebted for many kind atten¬ 
tions, to which I must refer more particularly hereaf¬ 
ter—the lateness of the hour now warning me to close. 
The Country Gentlemen. —This is decidedly the 
best agricultural paper published in the United States. 
We were pleased to learn that the Clermont County 
(Ohio) Agricultural Society, at Olive Branch, have 
concluded to give a large number of copies of this paper 
out as premiums, instead of all in money, believing 
that it will be more acceptable than the cash itself. A 
good move, we think .—Clermont Courier. 
