New-York tribune., 1868-08-11
JOURNEYS AROUND HOME.
MP GREELEY,S FARM.
rFaoM OUR own CORRESPONDENT

N
miles from New York and at Chappaqua, niue
station Of perhaps 1870 inhabitants, Is Mr. GTeeleys
farm containing about 80 acres. Coming to CDapM-
Qua i'm the morning passed an S-acre lot OF MS
a recent purchase. which is devoted TO the growing
of timber About 20 acres have been planted TO To-
Gust and 10 acres are to be planted to larch ne
whole region is mountainous, and yet 1t IS thicky
| settled the faIm-hOuses are numerous ana well
built there extensive orchards the soil IS good
the roads hard and of easy grade the ar Is delight
| full. and the scenery imposing.
| Chappaqua is at the head of the Neperan valley,
| which extends TO NOnkers, distant Is miles Gong
along the mountain road we saw range Oi hlgh lllls
before us mostly wooded and between Is the valley,
at least 200 feet deep. Having descended into TINS
valley stopped at creamcolored house, conSplc
uonsfv neat but not pretending. modest country
church without steeple, Is at the next door Ihls
is Mr. Greeleys residence but the house in which be
had been living is down on the edge OF the valley
thckly surrounded by trees.
Leaving the house in search of bfr. Greeley, we
came TO a beautiful playhouse, with caTDeted nOOr
for the girls then passing along well-kept prVate
road at the base of a high hill where springs fre-
quently burst forth among the rocks, we found
number of hay-makeTs who said that ne had gone
UP the hill with his Taking the direction through
an open wood reached a tolerably level held, IN
which stands a concrete barn, four stories high.
nro w. d another field hut not so steep as TO for
bid cultivation, for q large extent OF corn was
planted. Evidently the ground had been wen ma ma
nured and deeply plOwed. The corn was remarkably
thrifty Often there were three or four suckers to
stalk and if there any defect II was IN the rank
growth, making one doubt whether " WOuld ear
well: but of this IT was too early III the season 10
iudpe Whatever may be the crop this year, 1t Is
certain that the ground must be IN the very best con-
ditiOn for any future crop and that Tor many years
it Will continue productive. Passing up beyond this
field TO another ltNel, bordering an apple orchard,
we saw the owner in a little thiCkCt, taking ont such
trees as would interfere with the growth OF thoSe
that were 10 stand. IL was q warm DAY, ana the
sweat ran down in streams. A little beyond was a
small vineyard, moderately loaded with trult, ana
gOOd-sized apple orchard; but II would seem that
the cultivation had been good that there was te
show of fruit since the wood, on which de-
pend could not harden sufficiently; In such cases
t...1. bog haa xyl
ever the fruit crop is poor III all this section what
ever the management may have been: lhen we an
went down hill leaving the fields beyond the
orchard unvisted, and Immediately we entered q
forest as dark and uDtTequented as can be l0und
IN the lumber regions of Michigan. There were oak,
hickory, hard maple, hemiock, pine, wmte WOOD, ana
other trees and in many cases 1t was evident thai
they had been trimmed TO great hight, which had
been told Mr. Greeley himself bad done, using lad
ders There must have been ten acres OF tins forest
along the steep hillside. On reaching the bottom
we entered the road which we had LETT the woods still
being on either side in one place we saw Whelea
swamp had been drained, the line OF the dram beng
pointed out among the TeesC Coming out of this wilder
ness NY companions were abOut to turn ana descend
another hill, when / heard the roaring Of waters
and saw "a bridge. Going thther we found
a good sized stream coming down through the woods,
and pouring in a cascade just above the bridge The
hight of the fall is increased and made more DtauInI
bV a convex wall of work. built on the rock
bed of the stream. Below the bridge IS series OF
falls in a tortuOus passage lined with Perpendicular
bluffs making what IN the Rocky Mountains might DC
called a CANYON over which lofty trees throw SOM
Der shade Then we descended by road, ana al the
foot of the descent | saw staircase leading down
the bluff at opening IN the canyon and as We were
going down the stream was seen pouring III Two
shutes OF falls, each eight or ten ieet hlgh above
which the walls turned shutting of q further view.
All aboUt is forest grown. Along the edges ana tops
of the bluffs the roots of the trees clasp around the
inches and enter the cTeylces, and the root OF
a large birch desends to the bottom, and fastens
itself among piles of fallen rock In high water.
after a shower the stream pours through tins chasm
with musical roar and immense velocity, the water
often being or 10 feet deep In Summer the murmur-
ing soothes the ldler to sleep The stranger is reluc
ant 10 leave such scene. Going up the stairway, Mr.
Greeey's house is seen at short distance and be-
low and along the stream a barn in a cultivated
field. The house is III forest OF majestic trees III
is plain structure OF no great cost, still oil neat a-
pearance and with many cOnvenienees, but 1t IS ad-
mitted that so much shade makes the IOOms damp.
1t has been declared that portion OF the trees shall
come down.
At no great distance in front of the house is a large
garden, containing greenhouse, and on the north
side is wind break of eyerUeens much 80 feet
high. Beyond this IS orchard, which has had
deep cultivation and plenty OF manure, although
in grass the ground was so porous and spOngy that
good sod could not FORM According TO recent
theories it will be required for the roots of these
trees to descend deep and anchor III hard ground be-
fore they bear much after that they shOnd bear
heavy crops for many long years Others alege that
where roots blged TO descend deep for footing,
they must be deprived OF the Influences OF light and
atmosphere, so important for fruit. Which theory is
correct il is important 20 know and we can only learn
from such experiments South Of the garden Is an
orchard the Oldest, which has borne rs much as 100
barrels of apples year. In front of these orchards
and toward Chappaqua is field of about 20 acres,
| level as prairie. When MIR. Greeley took posses
sion it was an impossible swamp. Along the foot
OF the hill aders grew thick and high, and during
many ages large quantities of rock had
fallen in among them. For several years
the work Of reducing this swamp has
been going on. There are thousands OF such swamps
in the Eastern States filled with deposits from de
composed rock and of leaf mold held in solution,
and water from many springs. Only here and there
have they been reclaimed for the expense is great.
The whole Of this swamp has been drained with tile
and brook running across IS used for the general
outlet But when the work had been done, and the
reward of great outlay looked for it was found
that during wet seasons the whole net work of tile
was flooded with back water which the surface soil
absorbed, and the labor in vain. new plan
was adopted. A pam VI 6-inoh tile Was laid regard.