The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-10-04
FARMERS COLUMN.
worthles, Land Mado Very Valuable.

An item going the rounds OF the press
says: "A few years ago, what 10 now the
great onion tract Of Chester, in Orange
county, N. Y, was q worthless piece Of
land. To day it would bring readily $1,000
au acre. Last season, on these meadows,
10000 bushels Of onions were grown,
which were sold for more than $l25 600.
This seasons crop will be even larger Last
summer the editor Of the Prairie Fdrmer
visited portion Of this tract--there are two
or thres Of them, several miles apart and
can youch ioi part oi the above. As to the
product, we think the number oi bushels is
underststed; 100, 900 barrels is nearer the
IN rk; ana the price IS too lsrge--it is given
st an average of $l.04 per bushel. Our
recollection is that during the sutumn the
producers were glad to get IS cents a bar
rel. New York dealers, or commission men
sent up sacks in most cases, aud the pro
ducers 6 He'd the u aud iuaded them upon
the railway cars.
As to the land, it was originally swamp.
closely covered with ismsrark aud other
growth so thick that hunters with their
Digs, in pursuit Of quail or partridge, could
with difficulty work their way through.
when the ground was dry enough in sum
mer or iroxen in winter so as TO bear walk
ing over. 0ptu bitches, three To five feet
wide and deep, were cut, 8" that the water
level is kept two feet or 60 below the sur
face. leaving the top portion dry enough for
cultivation, yet with N full supply oi in"is
tu re underneath, regulated at the outlets Of
tne drains, 80 as to obviate any difficulty
from drouth.
The soil is very 6ns muck, in which
onions and csbbsges grow with great luxur
lance, and very RAPIDLY. Some cuItlvatorS
find it profitable to uss super phUsphates
or ashes, even in this rich vegetable mold
The seed is suwn thiekly IN raws, which
are pretty nesr together, leaving room
only for scufil- hoe, or hand cultivator tC
trids the onion rows and cutting close up
To the plants.
At harvest time the gatherers sit or knee
and work along the rows, lifting the bulbs
and clipping off the stems with a sort oI
short stuhbed sheep shears, made specially
tor the purpose. About u inches Of tn,
stem q left on the bulbs, as they keep bet
ter thus. We saw many fields the topped
'nions were 60 numerous that they covered
II quarter or third of the whole surface -
1t il question whether much 0t this land
would sell for 81 900 an acre; yet the pre-
viously worthless mslarious swamp, thus
trained and cleared of ITS timber aud
bush, will doubtless pay a good interest on
several hundred dollars per aero. In many
cases the timber would fully pay for the
clearing.
There are mnltitudes Of similar tracts IN
various parts OF the country that may well
be turned to profitable account. ANY one
"aving even a single acre of swamp would
d well to visit Orange county, p. Y. and
examine tho region above referred Toto
reach the place we visited, which is good
one for making observsti tions, sop at Goshen
station, SO miles northwest from New York
City on thesErie (now called New YORK.
Lake Erie md Westerly railroad, and TAX,
The Pine Island branch road three miles
south to Orange Farm StatiCn, where mus
of the onions grown in the vicinity, are
shipped. Many are also forwarded iron
the station at Florida, six miles south o'
Goshen. A walk Of one or two miles weGI
| from this Station brings one into the mid
die oI the onion fields. This Florida is 9
pleasant village in the township of War
wick, and was the birthplace of the lat'
Hon. WIN II. Seward. Sending fresh
milk 10 New Y 'rk City is the chief buslnes
Of all the county arnund.-There is still :
portion OF the original swamp land unre
| ltimed ,ss fear exists that the onion bus
ne will be overdODe in that vicinity, tor i
1t goes On increasing as for three or inu
ears past, the Metropolitan market viii
scarcely be able tn take the entire crop
enunerative prices in favorable years
But cabbages, Intat0es corn and other feel,
crops grow luxuriantly on this land IN tw'
Or three years after its rselamStion.-An
other good point tor studying tho method
Il clearing these swanps is Chester Station
lew miles east of Goshen GU the Err,
| rnAd,