NEW 
“ TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND MIND.’ 
SERIES. 
Vol. V. ALBANY, AUGUST, 1848. No. 8. 
BRnBF SKETCHES OF FARMS, &€. 
We had the pleasure, in June last, of visiting a por¬ 
tion of the fine country on the Hoosic river and its 
principal tributary, the Walloomsac. Few districts 
are naturally more fertile than this, and none are supe¬ 
rior to it in picturesque scenery. It was first settled 
soon after the close of what is commonly called the 
“ old French war/’—the war which commenced in 
1756, between France and England, each supported by 
their respective American colonies. In passing to and 
from lakes George and Champlain, many of the En¬ 
glish and New England officers and soldiers, became 
acquainted with this neighborhood, and being resolved 
to avail themselves of its agricultural resources, short¬ 
ly afterwards took up their residence here. It has long 
been considered a very desirable farming section, ard 
its rural population is distinguished for independent cir¬ 
cumstances and good farm management. The farmers, 
generally, seem to appreciate their advantages, and 
have no disposition to change their location. Conse¬ 
quently there are but few farms for sale; and the lands, 
of average quality, are nominally held at forty to sixty 
dollars per acre. 
Surface and soil. —The surface is mostly hilly, and 
in parts mountainous—a portion of the Green Mountain 
range extending into the district—-but the swells are 
large, and, except in a few instances, the slopes are 
so gradual as to admit of easy cultivation, and are not 
liable to be gullied or washed by rains. The soil is a 
loam mixed with the debris of slate, lime and trap rocks, 
and is very productive of the smaller grains, vegetables 
and grass. The alluvions, and some of the lighter hill- 
lands, produce large crops of Indian corn. Apples, 
pears plums and cherries, flourish in most places. 
Wool-Growing. —But perhaps the most important 
product of the farms in this section is wool. Merino 
sheep were early introduced here, and at a later day, 
the late Henry D. Grove brought in some of the choi¬ 
cest animals of the best Saxon flocks, the blood of 
which has been disseminated in the vicinity, as well as 
other parts of the country, to the great improvement 
of the quality of the wool. The flocks of Messrs. Ro¬ 
gers, Haswell, and others, of Hoosiek are well known. 
Mr. R. has lately disposed of his flock, of 3,000 head; 
he and his sons having purchased lands in Virginia, to 
which they are about to remove, where they intend to 
re-engage in wool-growing on a large scale, as soon as 
the requisite preparation can be made. We saw a por¬ 
tion of his flock with the wool, just taken off, and have 
seldom seen so large a number of fleeces of equal qua¬ 
lity, and none that were put up in better order Mr. 
R. procured from Mr. Patterson, of Washington Co. 
Pa., about twenty rams, in the fall of 1844. and he 
thinks the cross from these has been of advantage to J 
his flock—especially in imparting constitution and ad¬ 
ditional weight of fleece. 
The farm of Judge Ball—his laboratory, &c. 
Our stay in the neighborhood did not admit of our ma¬ 
king particular examinations of many of the farms. 
We called on Hon. L. C. Ball, who accompanied us 
to Bennington and vicinity. First, however, we took a 
view of his own place, with which we were well plea¬ 
sed. His residence is at Hoosic Falls, where he settled 
in 1833. His farm originally consisted of 400 acres, 
for which he paid $25,000, and made an additional out¬ 
lay of some $12,000 for improvements. All the build¬ 
ings and fixtures were erected under his immediate su¬ 
pervision, and are planned and arranged with judgment 
and good taste, combining in a great degree the ad¬ 
vantages of beauty and convenience. 
For several years Judge Ball carried on the whole 
of his farm—keeping from five hundred to seven hun¬ 
dred sheep, thirty to forty head of fine cattle, and six 
to eight horses—the sales from the farm amounting to 
$2,000 to $3,900 per year. But ill health has lately 
compelled him to relinquish the management of so much 
business; and on this account he has sold off 300 acres 
of land, reserving a homestead and 100 acres, which 
still gives a handsome farm. 
Judge B. has for the last year or two devoted his 
time with as much assiduity as his 6 health would admit, 
to chemical and other scientific investigations. He has 
ju*st fitted a very complete laboratory, where he is 
now engaged in analyses, having reference to agricul¬ 
ture and its kindred arts. To this laboratory the stu¬ 
dent of the Ball Seminary, an excellent institution in 
the vicinity, have access; and Judge Ball gives, also, 
occasional lectures on the sciences connected with ag¬ 
riculture, before, the pupils. The management of the 
school by Mr. Veeder, the Principal, is highly satis¬ 
factory, and with the chemical department, under the 
care of Judge B., as an auxiliary, we have great con¬ 
fidence in its usefulness in imparting sound practical in¬ 
struction. < 
We made a short visit to the very interesting mine- 
ralogical cabinet of Mr. Lyman Wilder, at*Hoosie 
Falls. This is one of the most extensive collections of 
the kind in this country, and as an individual collection 
we believe it is exceeded by but few in the world. It 
comprises over 7,000 specimens of minerals, and their 
arrangement is on a plan, (original with Mr.^W.,) which 
is at once curious and convenient. . 
In going to Bennington, we took ^Iie .foad leading 
up the valley of the Walloomsac. The farms along 
this stream are well cul^ivated,*and for good buildings, 
fences, and neat appearance, <are scarcely surpassed by 
any in the country. The stream, like the Hoosic, has 
