Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-08-25

Travel Along the Border.

Correspondence Of the Stauntsn vINpIcAToR1
WATKINS GLEN, N. Y,
August 10th. 1889.
THE GENNEssEE AND sUs9UEHANNA
VALLEYS.
In the tennessee Valley, york State"
and Susquehanna, Penn, the crop OF wheat
hardened the land it stood upon and one
almost expects to see the earth sink under
the weight, much of 1t is still uncut ano
further north near tho lake, whole fields
are green, Just beginning to turn, bu,
heavy everywhere. The shocking of wheat
in this section is peculiar to a valley man.
Two or three dozen bundles are set up to
gether in a sort of double or triple rov
with 40 caps or 9th er protection from thu
weather. An old farmer who set on to.
seat with me says it is 50 much easlei
saved that way; they don't let it stay yer!
long and if the rain comes they spread i
out and let 1t dry and it don't hurt. Nv.
let our wheat get great deal ripper here
than you do in the South,'.' said he. I'VE
think it makes better bread and better
seed too" I noticed that in some Relds
the heads were bent double with ripeness
and the straw breaking down and no reap
or in sight.
ZIG FARMS AND GREAT FARMING.
The old farmer, who liked to talk
about their farming, told me Of their rich
farmer Wadsworth, on the Genessee, who
used to start out in the morning to visit
his farms and drive in straight line till 4
P. N. before he got over. but his lands
are nightly cut up now" he said. Then
there was Robert Swami, the President OF
the Now York Agricultural society, and
son-in-law of old Joe Johnston, the great
underdrainer, everybody knew him. He
was she son of New ork druggist, but
did not take to pills and his father sent
him out to work Joe Johnstons, the
ScOtchman'S farm, and he married his
daughter and has got to be the best farmer
in York State. He has 5000 miles Of terra
Gotta pipes, understanding his land every
16 feet and the waste water turns his
mills. Six hundred and forty acres of his
farm slope down to Seneca lake. and Is so
smooth and we'll kept that you can see
pullet anywhere from his front porch. He
has sixty acre field of wheat you might
throw an empty -four barrel on and il
would hold it up, or 4 wheat cradle either,
and it will yield 80 bushels to the acre.
Gong South from Seneca we strike the
dairy counties of New York and Pennsyl-
vania, Chemung, Groom. Chenango, Ti0ga,
Steuben, Alleshany and others. This too is
q beautiful rolling country, the cows. fine
short horns, standing knee deep in clover
and timothy; twenty-five. fifty, a hundred,
and even hundred and Fifty on q farm.
great red barns and dairies everywhere,
and here aud there cheese factory. A
dairyman along here tells me that all
their money comes from butter and cheese.
that the water is soft, no lime 10 it, that
spoils butter and cheese in the market. He
has something to say about the great crop
year too. A careful observer had told him
that he never saw ANYTHING like it. The
leaves of the oak, beach and fruit trees
were double the thickness and weight that
they had been for rs years, everything was
prolific in the same proportion. This year
of plenty would bring everything straight
and make provisions and living 50 low
that the strikers will all 60 to work again
and say nothing more about hard times.
SENECA LAKE
is the jewel of this portion Of New York.
1t il 40 miles long by about wide ; clear,
cold and deep; in many PLACES about 700
feet deep, and fed by springs throughout
its length so cold that the boys cannot
bathe in it during the Summer, nor does it
freeze in winter. It is 10 clear that you
can see Is cent piece in thirty feet wa
ter. and abounds in trout and salmon. A
small stream empties into it on the South !,
| but ten times Is much water runs out at
Geneva through the outlet as runs in, the
rest of the water being supplied from the
| subaQueous springs. Its waters empty into
| Ontario, and at its head il the celebrated
| Watkins Glen, which every tourist ought
| to visit aud see-One of the sweetest and
| most romantic spots in the country. You
| sleep IN an elegant and comfortable bOtel
| near the summit of 3 mountain on one
side of deep, dark and dangerous noun
tain gorge, and crossing an airy bridge,
breakfast on the other side, and such fish,
and bread, and butter, and coffee.
THE QUEENS COMMONS.
| 1t is but three hours run from Lske
| Chautauqua by Niagara Falls, which has
stunned your correspondent beyond every
effort at description, to the landing of the
| Toronto boat on Niagara river, some eight
miles below the Falls. Another three hours
| ride by boat takes you forty miles ont OF
sight Of land. and your breakfast too, il
the water is little rough, across Ontario
to Toronto Canada and there you arc
in a strange land. among strangers, sure
enough. The people are English, look and
talk English; you hear English names, Jen-
kins, Spoford, Wilkins, Haskins. The ho-
tells are The Queen, Royal, The Liam the
hacks are cabs, the time is half hour
slower than on "our side," and the watt
era and draymen in proportion. The nap
kins on your table are crowned shaped !;
the people talK about parliament and Her
Majesty, and the Egyptian war AZ il they
were in 1t the merchants sell you SIS
piece of goods for $3.50; q 81 silk umbrella
for 81, and $50 suit of clothes for $40, and
the very newsbOys call your two. cent
pieces "Y ankee pennies" and won't allow
but one cent for them. 'a
Your correspondent naturally found his
way to the American Hotel'' and unex-
pectedly found az good accommodations
there at So per day AS you will get in Wash
ington at 50. The clerks are English and
rather bluff. but attentive if you
give them time, nothing for omni-
bus and baggage, but the big por-
ter will take anything the gentleman
| may choose to give," walters all white
girls, some of them rather aristocratic
looking and pretty, some very striking.
call each other by their sirnameS. ''Jenk-
ms. Pitcher, Stafford. "and take their time
TO fetch hot cakes or cold tea all the same,
say yes. 10, anu ucVcI CuIuk VI BIZ
That's Frenchified pOliteness.
DRIVE
around the good city in cab at much less
than Niagara prices will show you very
business place, a young Zoo with big
whale and little alligator great unem-
bellished park with oak trees and grass,
and nothing else. except smooth road and
q pretty monument to the Britishers who
0ot ki1lod in tha Fenian rnOyAmant ten Or
more years ago. a Governors mansion,
stately and fine, with pretty grassy lawn,
flowers and Conservatives and 3 civil
head gardener, who will give the lady and
gentleman any rose they PREFER public
hall with beautiful grounds and great va
riety of flowers. handsome Normal In
stitute and grounds and some very pretty
streets and private and public buildings.
You 60 to the ferry too ard CAN cross In