New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-10
SCRUB OAK LAND OF LONG ISLAND.

about twentp I'VE gent ennen, went ou' uPou au
81 10 the scrub oak lands ofLorg s:nt to have an
ocular demonstration tia. the prevailing ides that
the.e lands sre barren, is all aDscy-s iauacy Of the
mos, Injurious kind 20 the island to this city and par
cus,y to thousands of abOrers who are in pursuit OF
os priced acres for cultivation.
The object of the COMM tee on the present occasion
wa. TO visit tie Wilson farm, at Deer park, torty
miles from the city, which Mr.. Wilson, wso csrries
on bu,ness in Brooklyn purchased about three years
sgo at Eve aud Elk dollars an scre-i being then IKE
many thousands OF Of land in the center OF the
island. covered with scrub oak, small pine, aud white
osk
There is ss.rip Of this kind OF land through he cer-
ter of which runs the Long island railroad, about tour
or five miles wide aud sixty miles long, that has been
known so msny years SIS the barrens, that people
have c. me 70 regard ]; SIS barren In fact.
The frs, pioneer into this wilderness, who undertook
to conyin people OF their nonstrous folly in regard
irg This lard unfit for cultivation, WAS DR.. Peck OF
Brooklyn. be had undertaken TO coavers Savagee TO
civilized e he might have hoped for success but 10
THU Of combating the worse than he.then preudices
Of the Lorg Islanders task beyond his strength
Trey we're wlirg 10 sell him the "plsin lands but
would rot Gu vate them, nor let any body else if they
could possibly dssusde hem BY lying representations
th.t their ancestors had repeatedly tried and found
them utterly barren. No mater that there was
growth of fifty tuos of vegetable matter TO the acre:
tha, all went for nothing.
No matter that every acre Of the ground cleared and
D anted under he pces of Doctor Peck produced
g, cd COPS; the stiff nscked dsbeliever still contend
ed that the growth all owing to expensive a2pi-
csns Of manurts, far beyond tie profit of the pro-
ducts No matter that yesr after year parties settled
upon various parts OF these lands and proved them TO
possess e cd soil those Who did see them, however
anxious they were believe the truth, constantly
assured oy thousands of the residents upon the north
snd south shores of The island thst every story OF
crops grown upon the plains was got up by specuiA-
tors for the purpose OF seog their lots at high price,
and gulDg such fools as they could induce to pur-
chase their prefer ded valuable lands, but which IN
fact were really worthless.
Such Ie,tnscity in error, when the mainter snce OF
TIE errcr wss opposed 70 their own interest has se
dom been witnessed
Perhaps the people of the coss. really believe that
il is their ntees 10 keep the center Of the island in
wilderness .tate-oply fit for q deer walk or hiding
place for bears, both of which wild animals m'y be
still hu1 ted within two hours ride of the city of New
Yors
Certain il is that no people ever contended moro
have for ,ha. which hss kept this great tract of land
two hund,e ed years barren waste True it ia that tor
more than a century II vas kept in par as town
commons and in part IS an entaiIed estate that
coud not be parceIed ont and cultivated, until a.
hpgthit began to be believed that it really unfit
for cultivation, and except for crop of wood about
four times in century it has been considered wholly
valueess al d unstable VI Oue dollar an acre.
We believe that thousands OF acres be purchased
row, within two miles of the railroad, aud within two
hours uD OF the city, at from I've to ten dollars an
acre; and with proper appliances, such as Mr. Wilson
has brought to lis aid it can be ceared of trees aud
stumJs and plowed ike his farm sixteen inches deep,
ard sowed to the first crop and put under good fence,
at a coet OF less than thirty dollars an acre.
Mr.. Wills made his commencement at Deerpark
station three years ago. Then tue whole tract was
like al t the kind Of land that see along the
rosd. Now it is an oasis in the desert. After cutting
off TIE pines snd large oak bushes he is able to tear
up The 70 is with rs, drawn by three horses. The
white oak stamps be is obliged to pull out With ma
CHR e. It quite job to h nj Off the roots since the
weight Of wood below the surface greater than that
above; but it makes exec lent fuel.
Looking all around upon The barren wdness OF this
region the visitor is most forcbly struck, as he ap
proaohes the handsome farmhouse which Mr. Wilson
has Greece, to see beautiful yard of green grass,
flowers End shrubs, bounded one side by young
orchard snd on the other by handsome clover field.
Upon this he tells Us, bis first crop thirty bushels
ofye. Beyond that. there ia good evidence that
indian has grown good crop, and still further
eff there is bro sd field Of fne carrots aud Belgian
tun ps .s any bottom land farmer can brag Of; and
this is upon ground that was covered last April with
u ~ kg OUin in a soila az
promising as almost any acre on Lorg island.
1t is true that Mr.. Wlson has plowed the land at
great expense compared with such hen scratching
most land receses, but no more than all land needs
He has only followed with sub-soil plow in every
furow.
1t is true he hiss transp 1ted manure long distance
because he had sown upon the land, and is not fool
enough to try to rsise COED crops without manure.
With it, and With good blowing he hes proved that
good crops be grown upon this rejected soil and
verify believe with more profit 10 the farmer
than 10 q msOriy OF the cultyators Of the western
prairies.
We believe every one Of the company who visited
this farm lest Saturday, are willing TO bes' witness in
favO of the OF this experiment Of Mr.. Wilson
who lie not Spectator, bat has made this location
for future home, and to prove his fellow citizens
Of Brool and Long sand, that it could ell be put
under profitable cul;ivstiop AID that il should be,
certainly needs proof. Ii, instead Of being kuoxn
as the barrers " il was al under such cultivation
as this farm, who can imagine the result
One Of the results would be tenfod population and
ban ten.old increase OF value in the property Of
the i.aI to the advantage of the ncrea ed supply
Of food TO these cities. the result hey nd magnaiiou
Ii the misnsmed barens of Long island were all 10