THE CULTIVATOR 
299 
BANKS OF THE HUDSON. 
About the beginning of last month, we made a hasty 
call at some of the fine places near the Hudson, in the 
counties of ‘Orange and Dutchess. Our first stop was at 
Newburgh, where we visited the extensive nursery 
grounds of Messrs. A. J. and Charles Downing. These 
gentlemen have devoted much time and attention to the 
improvement and culture of fruits, and in return for their 
assiduous and long continued labors,have acquired a deser¬ 
ved and extensive reputation, which brings a ready de¬ 
mand for all articles in their line of business. Their 
principal object is rearing trees of the choicest kinds of 
apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, &c. Thirty acres 
are set to trees, and more healthy, thrifty, or handsome 
trees, we never saw. We noticed in some instances, the 
smaller trees were cultivated in alternate rows with su¬ 
gar beets or potatoes—-the latter increased the trouble of 
cultivation but little, though they afforded a crop which 
would probably more than defray the whole expense. 
The trees are cultivated chiefly by a cultivator, the con¬ 
struction of which we think, is in several respects supe¬ 
rior to any other we have seen. The teeth are made of 
wrought iron, the feet being laid with steel, the shank 
shaped somewhat like a coulter to a plow. The feet 
nearly flat, and very sharp. It is on the expanding prin¬ 
ciple, and by means of a wheel, the depth is regulated, 
and the work is done in the best manner—even the hard¬ 
est ground is well cut up and pulverized. 
Messrs. Downing pay considerable attention to the 
rearing of hedges. The English thorns have not succeed¬ 
ed—they are not hardy enough—are subject to mildew, 
&c. Some of our native thorns do w r ell—such as the 
white, and the Buckthorn. 
One of the most ornamental and beautiful objects about 
the grounds, is a hedge or screen of the American Arbor 
vita, or white cedar. The trees were taken from a bluff 
near the river, only ten years ago, being then from a 
foot and a half to two feet high, set in the form desired, 
and have never been trained or touched at all, yet they 
are now from sixteen to eighteen feet high, forming a 
most magnificent screen, impenetrable to the sight, and 
as perfectly true and even as the sides of a wall. 
Messrs. Downing practice a new mode of pruning 
peach trees; at least, it is new to us. It is cutting off 
half to two-thirds the new wood of the limbs, every au¬ 
tumn. The advantages are that the wood hardens better 
—the soft and tender twigs, not sufficiently matured to 
stand the winter, and which are besides most likely to be 
injured by the aphis or other insects, are taken away, by 
which the sap and wood of the remainder, are rendered 
more sound and healthy. The number of fruit buds for 
the succeeding year are increased, and there are plenty 
of leaves, by which the sap is more perfectly elaborated 
and the fruit made larger and higher flavored. 
The soil of the nursery grounds, is mostly a gravelly or 
stony loam, rather moist. Neither the worm or curculio 
does much damage here. The solidity of the earth, 
makes it difficult for the insects to enter it for the purpose 
of undergoing transformation. 
Every thing about the grounds of the Messrs. Down- 
ing, indicates the best taste and judgment, both as regards 
ornamental arrangement and profitable cultivation. There 
is an admirable neatness and order observable through¬ 
out, from the original design of the buildings and 
grounds, to the placing and training of every shrub and 
flower. 
From the Messrs. Downing’s, we called at Mr. Frede¬ 
rick J. Betts’ place, situated about two miles from New¬ 
burgh. The farm is located on a very high swell of 
land, and commands a beautiful view of the river and 
surrounding country, embracing the Beacon mountains, 
on which were kept the beacon lights to direct the move¬ 
ments of the army and vessels on the river, during the 
revolutionary war. 
Mr. Betts is engaged in improving his place by the 
building of new fences, planting trees, manuring the 
land, &c. He has made several trials with peat or swamp 
muck, and with a species of marl, which is found under - 
lying the muck. The natural locality of the muck is 
some distance from the farm, but is to be had in any 
quantity, at thirty-seven and a half cents per cartload, 
delivered. Composts have been made by mixing two 
parts muck with one of stable manure, and on trial the 
compost has been found equal in all respects to the clear 
manure. The muck has also been used separately. 
Spread on grass-ground, it has had the effect of largely 
increasing the yield of hay. The marl has not yet been 
tried so thoroughly as to be able to state its value parti¬ 
cularly. It is known, however, that its qualities as a fer¬ 
tilizer are very considerable. It is composed mostly of 
small shells, mixed with a friable clay or loam. It looks 
and feels between the fingers, much like leached ashes 
mixed with lime. When laid immediately on the land 
after it is taken from its bed, it seems rather to injure 
than benefit vegetation; but after lying exposed to the 
rains and air for some time, the deleterious qualities seem 
to be dissipated, anil it promotes the growth of all crops. 
It is often so with muck—when first dug, it is sour, as 
farmers express it, and it is not till this sourness is ex¬ 
tracted, that it becomes good manure. It always con¬ 
tains more or less vegetable matters, which need only to 
be placed in a proper situation to aid (he growth of 
plants. We are glad to see that farmers are beginning 
to appreciate its value. 
We also called on Capt. Robinson, near Newburgh. 
We found him just on the point of leaving home, and did 
not examine his farm as we should have done, could he 
have been with us. We were shown some very good 
hogs, which we understood were imported from Lanca¬ 
shire, (Eng.) They were white, very thin-haired, long¬ 
bodied, and small-boned. They resembled hogs we have 
seen brought from England, under the name of Graziers. 
From Newburgh we crossed the river to Fishkill, 
where we procured a carriage to convey us to Pough¬ 
keepsie. Our route lay over a diversified and well cul¬ 
tivated country, and a more delightful ride of eighteen 
miles, we have seldom enjoyed. The road was excel¬ 
lent—as hard as a pavement, but smooth as a board—just 
sufficiently undulating, to make the travel easy for the 
horses, and the change of motion agreeable to the pas - 
sengers. 
The next day we went up by carriage to Hyde Park. 
Here, also, we found many beautiful places and highly 
cultivated farms. We called on Mr. Fuller, who has a 
beautiful place of two hundred acres. The scenery from 
some of the points overlooking the river, is most charm¬ 
ing. The river, with its graceful windings, its banks, 
now bluff and abrupt, now gx-adually and beautifully slo¬ 
ping, the green wood and the cultivated field, with lofty 
mountains rising in the distance, all mingle in a delight¬ 
ful picture. 
After enjoying the hospitality of Mr. Fuller, he, 
together with his neighbor, Mr. Allen, (a most in¬ 
teresting and amiable man, who has a fine place 
near Mr. F., which we regret having no opportunity of 
examining,) accompanied us on a visit to the farm of Mr. 
R. L. Pell, at Pelham, Ulster county. 
When we reached Mr. Pell’s farm, the day was so far 
advanced that we had not time enough to make scarcely 
a beginning in the examination of the man)' objects of 
interest to be seen there, and we must therefore defer at¬ 
tempting particulars till another visit, which we intend 
making. Mr. Pell has made very great improvements 
during the four years he has occupied the farm. In ap¬ 
proaching the farm, the first object which meets the at¬ 
tention of the stranger, is the neat stone wall with which 
it is enclosed. The avenue leading to the mansion, 
winds through green fields and among plantations of 
trees, in a very interesting manner. There is also-a de¬ 
lightful carriage-road, leading in a picturesque manner 
through the vales and among the hills and groves of the 
farm. There are also not less than five miles of wallrs.as 
Mr. Pell informs us, leading over the most interesting 
points. As we pursue these labyrinthiari walks, we find 
ourselves sometimes in the depths of a dark ravine, 
where the primitive forest and the original wilderness 
of all objects around, give an air of solitude which 
would lead us to imagine we were at a great distance 
from the abodes of man. Several of the ravines are cross¬ 
ed by foot bridges, one of which is eighty feet in length. 
They are supported by wires, and were made on Mr. 
