New-York daily tribune., 1844-06-06
yo,e. on Farminc-Wes,chesscr Co.

- a.
prised at the evidences OF slovenly farming 50
generally presented. There are few landhold-
ers in that vicinity who know how to deserve and
to secure good harvests-wtness the good Qua
ker who owns farm well stocked with ihElitY
fruit. trees in Somers on the North side OF the
Croton Pond-witness Mr.. UndcFhill, who has
serenty acres planted with delicious grapes on
Croton Point, and much fine fruit beside-but
the mass of the farmers, after you leave Slng-Slng
two miles behind evidently belong 10 different
class. Meadows undra!ned and rank with sour
wd.grass; fields unrnanured and given over tothe
production Of consumptivc looking Ryc-ploFed
lands not iertilizcd and expected to grow corn as
unreasonably as the isEeelites in Egypt were cem-
manded 10 make brick without straw-such arc
the more usual aspects. The result must !nev
itably be harvest not one. fourth so abundant as
it nigh, and should be with better culture.
All this would be bad enough any where; but
in Westchester, where land is worth from $50 TO
$500 per acre. it is absolutely insane. No farm
half cultivated after this fashion can pay three
per cent. on its price; and the man who so cult
Yates it, especially ii he owes for part of 1t,
or has habit OF slipping toddy,) will soon be on
his rapid downhiIl journey. His sons will coIne
10 New-York TO beg places as tape-measurers or
lacqueys, and he will be pushing West, and far
,her West, to find that undiscoverable place where
mans business will take firstrete Of Itself
ana leave him to sit day after day IN the bar
room.
Now the land Of this portion OF Westchestcr Is
mainly rugged, stony, and broken, though OF
pretty good soil wherever it can be plo"ed. 1t
is rather hard land 20 work, and must DC ~eH
cultivated or worked at d loss. Twenty bushels
of corn 10 an acre do not pay. bat sixty would
\ man who mas farm there must make every
rood pull, or he goes behind. The rugged his
that cannot be plowed should be planted with
the choicest TIMBER and not allowed TO grow up
10 anv stuff that chooses to work III. Their south
ern slopes should be lcslooned with grape-vines;
whlIe groves Of Hickory, Sugar Maple, &c
should abound. The arabic upland should be
covered with the mud OF the swanps and mea-
dows, as well as with manure, until brought 10
the highest state Of fertility. No foot Of ii should
be suffered TO bear hall crop. Better cultivate
nall the ground and let the rest be idle.
But, says one, | can't afford to cultivate my
land so nicely am not able Then. sir. sell
all YOU are unable to use properly and Obtain
means TO cultivate thoroughly what you retain.
If YOU have hundred acres sell fifty, keep
tacn,y acres Of arabic and thirty Of rocky wood
land, and bring tbs to perfection. OF course,
YOU won't do this III moment, nor year; but
be doing it at once. PIow but five acres, If you
are only able to fertil:ze and thoroughly TIL SO
much; put on the lime, the plaster, &c. after
you have exhausted your immediate resources,
and roll out crops that will make the Earth laugh
ior joy-En truth, no man who knows how TO
look for manure and really SETS about II ever finds
a deficiency, except Of materials to qualify and
bring out the virtues of what he has. One load
of lime mixed with twenty of brook mud, swamp
muck. forest mold. &c. viii make the best mate
rial Of il all. OF course, the man who knows
how to prepare this will not neglect or throw
away any which is more readily at hand.
No man owning one of these farms ought TO
consider himself excused from planting acre
OF fruit and two OF choice timber every season tall
his waste land is well covered with timber ana
his fruit of all kinds is abundant. Neither need
be much in the way OF cultivation if properly dis
posed. Ten acres of ,illage cultivated to pcriec-
ton will produce more than fifty usually DO. And
what moral right has any man, we would like to
know, TO atiict and svershadow fifty acres to pro-
duce crop which might with less labor be OBJ
tanned from ten acres Is he not monopollzing
the earth to his own detrment and that Of the
Race
This region has natural capacities which ap-
pear 10 be entirely neglected. ItoveT!es stratum
oflimcstone but very little lime appears to be used
on the soil. 1t is better watcred than almost any
section we know, and yet Irrigation appears not
TO have entered the minds Of the Farmers Yet
there is hardly farm which might not, by water
alone be made to double its product-water gush
ing abundantly from It's hills, and easily made sub
servent to the purposes of enhancing the lhni-
fulness OF the soil. Even drainage, where 1t Is
easy and would be most useful, is seldom attempt
cd What can the Farmers mean
Las, and worst of all, the insufficient orchards
already existing are this season attacked by the
caterpillar in great numbers, and the Farmers, in
stupid apathy are allowing them 10 destroy their
frui, and even kill the trees. Why this is not 50
respectable as madness--., is drivcng idocy =
What 60 the men mean Can they not make a
swab of old rags fas,cn il on the end Of a pole,
dip i, in spirits OF tu-pentne, and rub II over Their
afflicted trees Tnis Will do the business prompt
ly and etiectually. 1t might have been better N
season, perhaps, 10 have bored small hole IN each
tree, filled ii with sulphur and driven plug after
,hat-as this we believe would al once have
killed the worm and benefited the tree. But the
turpentine is always in order We insist that no
farmer has right 10 let the worlns destroy hls
trees unresis;ed He may be able TO spare them;
but he is harborng and breeding pests for the
whole neirhborlinod and ought 20 be indictabe