The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-04
Enlarge the Aroa of Our suburbs.


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Enlarge the Arca Of Our Suburbs.
To enlarge the area of the suburbs of the
metropolis il a matter of more than mere
local interest Everything which adds to the
extent and advantages of New York becomes 8.
subject Of national import. Everybody knows
how cabined and confined we are on Manhat-
tan Island how brown stone and marble and
brick have locked us up in a rough embrace,
and that we are going to be squeezed tighter
and tighter every year, until there is not
garden spot left around the city to supply the
agricultural wants Of our vast population.
We print in another column communication
upon this subject, suggested by an article
in the HERALD recently, to the effect that
fresh vegetables are imported from Europe
by steamer at lower price than our market
gardeners can furnish them in Washington and
other city markets. We believe that
this is an undeniab!e fact. This
question of vegetable raising may be
small thing. The subject of cabbages, Tor
that, we want cabbage. A population Of
million Of people require plentiful and cheap
supply Of vegetable diet; they require also
pure milk, produced from cows fed on sweet
pastures and not in distilIeries. Now it is
evident that the area of cultivatable land
around the city is wholly incompetent to pro-
duce the quantity of vegetables necessary for
consumption. Hence tons of stale and I'M
wholesome vegetables are daily thrown into
eur markets which have been transported,
probably, hundred miles. The effect of this
kind OF food upon the consumers thereof can
be easily imagined, and can be demonstrated
by the records Of the Board of Health in the
catalogue Of gastric complaints, diarrhea,
dysentery and other diseases Of that type
The remedy for this does not seem so diff
cult The thousands Of acres Of marsh land
lying all round the city, on Staten Island,
Long Island and Jersey, can be utilized by
draining or dyking, and converted into excel
lent arabic land, capable of raising all the gar
den crops the city will require for a quarter of
a century. 1t has been established by chemi-
cal analysis, as well as by the experience of
two years on the Jersey meadows, that the
salt marsh, when drained makes the best soil
in the world for vegetables and other aercul-
tlral productions. We have, as we said.
thousands of acres Of these worthless and ma
larious lands hemming in the city and its en-
virons, producing nothing but intermittent
fevers, very unpleasant crop, and returning
no taxes to the public treasury. Here is a
chance, then, for capital to multiply itself by
undertaking to reclaim them Fer instance,
we find, according to the United States Coast
Survey, that there are FIVE thousand eight
hundred and twenty acres Of tidal
marsh on the northwest side Of Staten Island,
running from Factoryvile, on the s'Kills," to
Rossville, with water front Of seven and o
half Enthusiastically, we mlgnt say, on New
York harbor. Why cannot this tract be
dyked off from the tidal flow and transformed
into coed arabic land, aud converted to
other useful purposes-say, for example, good
roads connecting the two points of the island,
which are much needed in that drectisn2 On
Long Island also, in the vicinity Of Flushing
and other points, thousands Of pestilential
acres await the application Of skill and
to be vast wealth underlying these sveraowed
lands-richer, indeed, than the pearl diver
finds in the ocean bad. AT all events. it
would be great public work, an incalculable
benefit to the whole community, if this great
area Of nuisance, as we may call It, were cou-
verted into useful and profitable addition to
the suburbs of the metropolis. We are sur
prised that the thing has net been done long
before this, the necessity fer it is SO apparent.
DECREASE OF AMERICAN TONNAGE. One
Of the most important subjects for considera-
ton during the approaching session of Con-
gress is the decline Of American ton mage. Ne
branch Of our industry needs more careful
attention than our shipping interests; none
other suffered SO severely during the war Of
the rebellion, and even the remarkable pros
perity which has prevailed throughout the
country since the return of peace has failed to
roo To Al