New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-09
WILD LANDS OF VEST JERSEY

Of new homes and occupations as euitivhtorso Oh
the earth. IL wac wise determination, and no doubt
there are q great many ctlers, no. OF tie poverty
striese en- class either WHO have thonght eerousy the
patt Ssmmer about accepting the sane course Thought
about going 10 the West, where they can get cheap
land" and setting themselves about making home
and q support fcs their ianihes in s cultivation
Thought too at leaft tho wife and daughters have,
tat il was wih country very far FROM the center OF
civilzation-tbss is, Pnindelphia-and if they went
West they mus part with old associations and all old
friends and scquantances; perhaps, in the care OF
,oung WIFE, ieave father and mother 10 follow the un
CERTAIN fortune of husband into very far-oh coun-
n.y. for SO il seems to very many people.
STILL tbeIe necessity for many city residents TO
go or DO something, beside banging upon the wreck
of fortune in cities, waiting for " change Of umes'
There many Others, VITO, having acquired little
property In the city though contenrd 20 live and
die there would really like TO ct out into The country
and own little spot Of and, bu, do not wish 10 beeone
gTea Western farmers, sn6 really do not suppose that
theee s such thing cheap wild lands, fertile too
wshin two hours Of Philadelphia.
week ago, we did not know it; now we do. We
had heard Of the wild lands OF West tersey," which
we had nlso heard :" great barren wasies," and
sometimes heard them called the paradise Of coal
burners" where ule only made Of the land, many
thousands Of together, TO grow forest trees
which sparse population Of sem-civIlzed people con-
veued into charcoal which was hauet 10 Philadelphia
OF navgable inl into the wilderness, or 10 some
rou furnace gisss factory. And much OF this land
was owned by the companies who owned furnaces or
glars- and opeu for settlement or cultivation.
Really IL Lad the reputation Of being unfit for culsa
ton; quite, II not wholly uniertle. Tnat the reputs-
ton WAS not justified by facts we shall soon see.
II il true tha, some of this wild land has been
kept from cultivation, and net for sale; and
il is equally that Of late yeats II has been
purcha,abe, In suitable tTscts for farms, NJ
very moderate prices, that Is, from s. 10 sl5 an
acre, and that too, within thirty to hfy miles
Of Philadelphia south southcas: Of that city, max.
ing the laii,ude but little above 39o, and is the
with all West Jeney, lying at slight elevation above
the ocean with numerous navignbe inets into the very
heart Of the wilderness and yet. principal use made
of them was 10 transport wood and charcoal lum-
ber irOn and other manufactures As an agricultural
regi0n il has been entirely overlooked and neglected,
notwithstanding 1t has In great part OF the region, II
not all jus. fertile soil that Of Camden and Bur-
ngton coan,ies which Is 30 highly cultivated for fruit
and marke.garden purposes, that ]. frequently pays
the interest Of $500 sn acre. II 70 this region that
we would call public attention, particularly that part
Of the public Of Philadelphia, or other convenient
places who talking thinking about leaving the
city for homes in the country and 10 such we shall, VIC
think confer particular favor by telling them what
We have lately learned about the West Jersey hrra
,neogna Incognita II need be no loager, rinee three
railroads now penetrate IT. one, the Camden and At
lsnhc has been in operation two three years; and
one, the West Jersey road, from Caamden 10
Bidge,on. something over forty miles, opened 10
travel last Spring. skits the wsst edge Of the wilder
ness tract; and = branch Of this road about
twenty mias long, from Glsssboro to kllvile. just
opened, runs q great portion Of its distance right
through the woods and for ten mes north Of Milve,
without sOppng.place, and yet that town butforty
miles from Philadelphia
To this MiyDle wilderness wo have lately paid
visit, and after thorough examination Of the stua-
tion SOIL and crops upon several spots lately opened,
we are free ~ say that asonsbment that such tract
has lain forever La q wild state 30 near Philadslpha
was pred minsnt feeling; and still remains because
we have no. yet been able solve the mystery unless
the solution is found in the that has kept
the perfect garden soil Of Hampstead Plain. and other
portions OF Long Island, right at the threshold Of New
York, In the same unproductive condition as these
Jersey lands about the distance from Philadel-
phia And that reason Is erronsous idea that the
land is good for nothing for cultivation.
During the past three years We have been interested
in the reports from new town called Hammondpor,
on the Camden and Atlantic Railroad, about 80 miles
from Philadelphia which was located upon these wild
lands by G. X. Lands who purcbasd 200 acres, and
divided il up into small FARMS which have been occu
pied mostly by New-Engand people, who have proved
that the land thing but barren, and the plan OF
thus inducing people settle upon and cultivate these
wild lands. having proved entirely saccessfu We were
delighted 10 bear the other day from Mr.. Lands that
be had purchased another tract much larger, con-
taning about 10000 acres in one body, al
most in square form, which be intended TO have set
tied ia the way. by population that would not
only improve the Snl but their own condition, and
we ut once opened conespondenceand made arrange
ments TO give this new purchase personal examina-
ton and an opinion Of ItB value. This we are now
prepared TO do.
Leaving Philadelphia at 10 o'clock and Camden
twelve minutes later from the station as that OF
tie Camden ard Amboy and Camden and Atlantic
roads we pass Woodbury., rich old town, Smiles, and
at Giassbcro - miles named from IFS manufactures,
We charge cs and take the Ailiyile road. THIS far,
and LITTLE below, the country is Gil divided up INTO
farms, some OF which Are under good cultiyation
after tie Old routine Of grass and grain, hogs horses
and neat cattle, but very lew sheep, and not exten'
Give orchaIdne. The Indian generally all along
the road was remarkabl, fine. AL Of the farmers are
of the "w e-iO-do soii; and Of them, who
have tuned their attention to iruiisaDd market garden
ing, have govp rich, The soii loan, varying from