1830. THE CULTIVATOR._ 373 
affected the potato a few years since. Then the 
tubers affected grew black and hard, now they turn 
a kind of palish red, and then grow soft. We have 
had much wet weather, with sudden changes, and 
a great deal of harsh wind. If this has not been 
the cause of the disease, I think it has greatly ag¬ 
gravated it. The potato tops began to decay about 
the first of September, those planted the middle of 
June being affected as soon as any. The disease is 
developed the most on wet lands; in some instances 
whole fields are not worth digging. Other vegeta¬ 
bles have done well and there is a good supply of 
fruit.. W. L. Eaton. East Weave, N. H., Octo¬ 
ber 8, 1850. 
The Farm ol J. Bennett, Esq. 
Eds. Cultivator —I was much gratified by a 
recent visit to the farm of J. Bennett, Esq., in 
the town of Mamakating, Sullivan co., N. Y., and 
having found much to admire and approve, I know 
nothing which I can furnish for the columns of your 
excellent journal, that may be as useful as an ac¬ 
count of some of the practical operations of this 
intelligent, skillful, and long experienced farmer 
and horticulturist. 
Mr. B.’s farm is situated on the east side of the 
Shawangunk mountain, near the top, which range 
passes through the county, and at an elevation of 
some hundred feet above the plain below; but the 
slopes are so gradual as to admit of easy cultivation, 
and are not liable to be gullied or washed by rains, 
and there is a most lovely view, from that portion 
of the farm situated on the top of the mountain, of 
the surrounding country. To the west the view is 
extended over Sullivan county to the Deleware 
river, a distance of 40 miles—eastward, to the high¬ 
lands below Newburgh, through which flows the 
beautiful waters of the Hudson, at a distance of 26 
miles; while beneath lies, spread out with their 
fertile fields and groves of woodland, the counties of 
Orange, a part of Ulster, Dutchess and Rockland. 
The soil of Mr. B.’s farm is composed of loam 
mixed with the debris of slate, and is very pro¬ 
ductive in all the different kinds of grains, vegeta¬ 
bles and grasses, and his mode of farming is to ma¬ 
nure well and till well. And his theory is, as it 
should be that of every farmer, that one acre well 
cultivated is better than two half done, both as re¬ 
gards the labor and its rewards. His farm, and 
those in that vicinity, are celebrated for being the 
best dairy farms in the state, generally yielding from 
two to two and one half, and sometimes three fir¬ 
kins of butter to the cow during the season, which 
is attributable, in the first place, to the selection 
of the best breed of stock for that purpose; second¬ 
ly,—to not over-stocking—-only keeping so many as 
can be well fed; thirdly, a bountiful supply of good 
water, from springs which gush forth from the 
mountain side; and lastly, skillful and judicious 
management in butter making. 
As a fruit grower, Mr. B. is amongst the fore¬ 
most in this section of the state. He has a large 
apple orchard, grafted with the most approved va¬ 
rieties. I was shown by him, an apple tree on his 
farm, which is rather extraordinary in size; it 
measured 10 feet in circumference, at the trunk, 
and the branches extend each way from the body 
about 60 feet; it is in a vigorous condition, and 
produces a good crop of good quality. He also has 
a peach orchard of about 800 choice trees, together 
with an assortment of pears, plums, cherries, &c., 
most of which have been grafted and budded by 
himself. He has a mode of propagating the peach 
which was new to me, as perhaps it may be to most 
of the readers of the Cultivator, which is as fol¬ 
lows: At the time of transplanting a peach tree in 
the orchard, he also plants two plum trees of less 
size than that of the peach, one on each side di¬ 
rectly opposite each other and at a distance of about 
6 inches from the peach, and when the three are 
firmly set in the earth, cuts off the plum trees at a 
distance of about one foot from the ground, with a 
sloping cut of about 3 inches in length; he then 
bends the plum stocks, bringing them with the 
sloping cut directly against that of the peach stock, 
at the same time getting the size of the slope cut; 
then removes the bark with a sharp knife from the 
peach tree, to suit the slope cut already made on 
the plum stocks. This done, the parts are brought 
in a close connection, and tightly bound with bass 
matting and waxed over with grafting wax. The 
tree is staked and tied to prevent the wind moving 
it. The time of performing the operation is at 
spring transplanting. I was shown some which he 
had treated as above described, which, on examina¬ 
tion, I found firmly united together, and in a vigor¬ 
ous and healthy condition, and he is of the opinion 
that in case the peach worm should injure or destroy 
the peach tree at the root, the plum trees will act 
as life preservers. 
Mr. B. is also very successful in grafting the 
grape. Instead of performing it in spring, as gen¬ 
erally recommended, he prefers the month of No¬ 
vember. He then takes any of our native sorts 
for stocks, saws them off close to the ground, and 
inserts them in the usual mode of cleft grafting; 
then covers them with earth and lets them remain 
until the next spring; the earth is then carefully re¬ 
moved, and nothing more is required to be done. 
R. H. Drake. Bloomingburgh, Sullivan county, 
N. ¥., Aug., 1850. 
Washington County (N. Y.) Fair. 
Eds. Cultivator —The tenth annual Fair and 
Cattle show of the Washington County Agricultural 
Society, was held on the 18th and 19th of Septem¬ 
ber, at the village of Argyle; and notwithstanding 
autumn, always represented as being so lovely, did 
not bless these holidays of the farmer with her usual 
brilliant sun, still the attendance on both days was 
immense. The tent was finely filled with fruit, the 
products of the dairy, domestic manufactures, the 
best vegetables from the garden, the handiwork of 
the fairer sex in the shape of counterpanes, cover¬ 
lets, &c. See. While passing over the useful, we 
must not forget the ornamental, for the tent was 
profusely decorated by skillful hands with Flora’s 
rich gifts. The grounds adjoining the tent, were 
covered with farming implements, fine vehicles and 
stock, which would probably compare favorably 
with that of any other county of the State. 
The plowing match took place in the forenoon of 
the second day, and was entered into by several 
competitors with avidity. Only two varieties of 
plows were used, that of Eddy Sc Co. of Union 
Village, and N. C. Northup Sc Son of Sandy Hill, 
the former of which took the first premium of the 
Society. An interesting address was delivered on 
the second day, by Le Roy Mowry, Esq., of Union 
Village. 
Altogether this surpassed in interest, all previous 
fairs which have been held in the county, notwith¬ 
standing the opinion was predominant that it would 
be the last: that there was not sufficient ambition 
among the farmers of Washington county to keep 
up the society, and that it must consequently be 
