236 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
A DAY IN THE COUNTRY. 
VISIT TO LINDENWALD. 
We lately passed a beautiful summer’s day in the vici¬ 
nity of Kinderhook. Among other places of interest, we 
visited Lindenwald , the seat of ex-president Van Buren. 
Linden wald, formerly the residence of Judge Van Ness, is 
pleasantly retired, and commands a very agreeable land¬ 
scape view, the most prominent features of which are 
the Catskill mountains, whose elevated summits are often 
veiled by the shadowy cloud. 
We found Mr. Van Buren at home, and accompanied 
him in a walk over the farm. When he entered on the 
occupancy of this place on his retirement from the Pre¬ 
sidency, three years since, it was much out of order: 
the land, having been rented for 20 years, and been under 
cultivation for the period of 160 years. Several of the 
buildings had become poor, the fences were old and were 
rotting down, and bushes and grass of wild growth had 
taken possession of much of the farm. During the short 
time it has been under Mr. Van Buren's management, 
the place has been greatly improved, and a course is now 
fairly begun by which a handsome income may be de¬ 
rived from it. The garden and pleasure-grounds have 
been enlarged and newly laid out—hot-houses have been 
erected—and a large number of fruit and ornamental 
trees, shrubbery, &e. have been planted. The green¬ 
house contains a collection of exotic fruits and plants, 
among which were some fine grapes just ripening. In 
the garden we noticed fine samples of all the fruits of the 
Reason, and some of the finest melons we have ever seen, 
(so early in the year,) in this latitude. 
Among the objects which give beauty and interest to 
the grounds, are two artificial ponds in the garden. 
They were easily made by constructing dams across a 
little brook originating from springs on the premises. 
Soon after they were made, (three years ago,) some fish 
were put into them, and they are now so well stocked, 
with trout, pickerel and perch, that Mr. Van Buren as¬ 
sures us they will afford an abundant supply for his ta¬ 
ble. This is a matter well worthy of consideration. 
There are many situations where such ponds may be 
made, and, with a trifling expense, the luxury of catching 
and eating a fine trout or pickerel may be had at any time. 
Several of the fields have been enclosed with new fence, 
and several buildings erected; among which are a very tasty 
farm-house, and a barn calculated for storing 150 tons of 
hay after being pressed. 
But perhaps the most important improvements which 
have taken place on the farm, have been made on a tract 
of bog land , thirteen acres of which have been thorough¬ 
ly reclaimed, and are covered with luxurian Tops of 
grass or oats. Three years ago, this land v .s almost 
worthless. It was first drained by ditches. The stumps, 
bushes, &c. were then cut out and burned, and the ashes 
spread on the land. It was afterwards sown to grass— 
using a mixture of timothy and red-top seed—three pecks 
to the acre. The whole cost of reclaiming was thirty- 
eight dollars per acre, and the land will now pay the in¬ 
terest of a hundred to a hundred and fifty’" dollars per 
acre. In this Mr. Van Buren has set a good example, 
which we hope will be followed by other farmers in the 
neighborhood who have lands similarly situate. 
The potatoe crop is one of considerable consequence on 
this farm, as well as on others in the vicinity. Mr. Van 
Buren raises the variety called Carters, produced from 
the ball a few years ago by the Shakers. He considers 
these far the most profitable kind known. They yield 
well, and their quality is thought equal to any. Mr. Van 
Buren assured us that all which could be raised would 
readily command fifty cents per bushel, by the quantity, 
in New-York. All the crops appear to be well managed, 
and are promising. Leached ashes were tried here last 
season with excellent success. Great benefit has also 
been found from plowing in clover. 
Mr. Van Buren keeps but little stock, a considerable 
Object being the sale of hay, which a large portion of the 
farm is well calculated to produce—the horses for car¬ 
riages and farm-work, with a yoke of oxen, and a suffi¬ 
cient number of cows to afford milk and butter for the 
family, comprising about all. We did not see the cows, 
but were informed that they were grade Durhams, and 
were excellent for the dairy. We were shown a good 
three years old Durham bull, whose head and limbs de¬ 
note good blood, and whose mellow skin indicates that 
he is a thrifty animal. 
All the improvements of which we have spoken, have 
been planned and executed under the immediate super¬ 
vision of Mr. Van Buren, who finds in these useful en¬ 
terprises a salutary exercise for the faculties of the mind 
and body, which seems to be highly enjoyed. In this 
pleasant retreat, removed from the cares of state, and the 
turmoil of political wars, he, 
- 11 With a choice few retired, 
Drinks the pure pleasures of a rural life ” 
VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE N Y. S. 
AGRICULTURAL, SOCIETY. 
In the village of Kinderhook* is the residence of Dr. J„ 
P. Beekman, President of the New York Slate Agricul¬ 
tural Society. Dr. Beekman’s home place is not large, 
(embracing only about 100 acres,) his principal farming 
operations being carried on at three other farms, situa¬ 
ted from two to three miles distant. His primary ob¬ 
jects are wool and grain. He has about one thousand 
sheep, mostly of Saxony blood. Their wool is very fine, 
and Dr. B. expects to realize sixty cents per pound for 
the clip of this year. We were shown the fleeces, which 
averaged two pounds ten ounces each, were very clean, 
and put up in good order. We saw none of the sheep,, 
excepting a few bucks, and those we had not an oppor¬ 
tunity of closely examining, but from their appearance, 
should think some of them were excellent animals. 
Dr. Beekman gives his sheep generally no grain or roots 
—feeding in winter principally on hay, which he is 
careful to have cut at the proper time and well cured. 
To some of the feeble sheep, he sometimes gives a few 
oats. He finds his mode of sheep husbandry attended 
with very good profits. He sells no hay—finding that 
he can, in the average of seasons, turn it to better advan¬ 
tage by feeding sheep, besides the great benefit the sheep 
are to the land. The return for his hay is usually ten 
dollars per ton. Every farmer can see that this is pro¬ 
fitable farming, because hay at ten dollars a ton, on the. 
farm , is a profitable article. 
Dr. B.’s course of farming, on his sheep farm is very 
simple—the routine being merely grain, hay, and pastur¬ 
age—the latter affording the best possible preparation for 
wheat—and the fertility of the farm has been constantly 
increasing under this management. 
Plaster has been extensively used for many years, par¬ 
ticularly on clover amd Indian corn, with the best ef¬ 
fects ; but its effects are not now as visible as formerly; and 
leached ashes have taken its place in a good degree, the 
latter being now found most useful. 
Eradication of Couch Grass, ( Triticum repens.) 
Many of the farms about Kinderhook are overrun by this 
pest. Dr. Beekman has hit on a good plan to eradicate 
it. He has found that if he can keep the ground thickly 
covered for a year, with some other crop, the couch- 
grass dies—it is smothered out. The plan is this: if there 
is a piece of ground on which this grass has become 
troublesome, it is pastured with sheep till July—then 
evenly turned over with a plow, and sown immediately 
to buck-wheat. The crop starts quickly, gets the lead of 
the couch-grass, and soon covers the ground. The next 
spring, the ground is planted to potatoes—they, also, 
thickly shade the ground, and continue to do so for nearly 
the whole season, which pretty effectually does the work 
for the couch-grass. 
Lime on Sorrel..— To ascertain, if possible, whether 
lime will kill sorrel, Dr. Beekman had several loads of 
good lime spread on some land which was much infested 
with this plant. It was spread in the central part of a field 
thick, that the effect, if any was produced, might be seen. 
After a lapse of two years, no effect whatever has been 
discoverable, either for or against the sorrel, or any 
other plant. The soil is rather light, inclining to gravel. 
On some other descriptions of soil, the lime would pro¬ 
bably have produced beneficial effects as a manure. 
Dr. B. keeps very particular accounts of his farming 
operations, and is able to calculate accurately the “loss 
