The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-25
U%N0CCUPIED LANDS.
An Interesting Account of Those Stu
sted in South Jersey.

An Interesting Account of Those Stu
xted in South Jersey.
There are in the southern parts of the
State. writes State Geologist Euech.
large tracts of land which are still un-
cleared or covered with brushwood, and
which are adapted to tillage and capable
Of producing large crops Of small / fruits
and market garden vegetables. The wood
on them is mainly oak, with some pitch
pine, aud hencs they are called oak
lands 10 distinguish them from the more
sandy lands and tracts on which the pitch
pine Krsws almost exclusively. The lat
Ter are known az pine aud The total
area Of cleared farn) lands in the south
cru division of the State, southeast of the
mari belt. is about 450, 600 acres. The
pine land belts have an aggregate area of
486. 600 Rcres. leaving at least 800.0 900 acres
OF these oak lands, which are available
for farms. AMI which are so situate as
TO bs accessible by railways traversinR
them from the large cities and also near
to tide water navigation. The maps OF
the Geological Survey khow the location
and extent of these lands. their railway
lines aud their relation to the settlements
already made and 10 the cities of the
State and Of adjacent States.
The soils Of THESE tracts are. sandy aud
not naturally so rich aud fertile as the
more heavy clay soils of the lin st0ne
the red shale and the mari districts OF
the State, but thay arc not 50 sandy and
so coarse-grained as To be n0n-praduc-
tive, as Is the case with some of tue pine
laud areas. The latter are often deficient
in plant food and are dsssrvedly charae-
ierized as pine Barrsns." aud too poor
for farm purposes. The growth of wood
(oak and pine). as we'll as chemical an
alysis. shows that the oak lands soils
contain the elements of plant produc-
ton. They are not SO we'll suited TO
pasturxge or to continuous cropping rs
naturally-rich virgin soils. Hence they
are better fitted for raising vegetables,
melons. sweet potatoes. small fruits,
peaches and pears, than wheat. Indian
corn. hay andsO1hsr farm staples. The
eminent superiority OF this Kind OF
farming 10 New jersey over the old
routine OF wheat, hay, corn and potatoes
Is SO well known that 1t is useless to do
moro Than refer to the fact. Ths pro-
ditabie farming Is now Ia raising those
crops wh:ch eau be produced on these
South Jersey soils. Tbe success at Ham
n~i0utup, Egg Haroor City. Vineland and
other places is notable. aud equally good
results are to be mad at q hundred or
mare places as we'll situated rs they are.
These lands are sold at q merely nominal
figure, and the settler saves in capital
and Interest account. They are easily
cleared of Drushwoo I or standing timber
aud wood is salable In all this part of the
State at remuueratiys prices, ofIen pro-
ducing a larger return than the original
cost Of the land. The soil is easily cult
waited, land throughout most Of the yesr IL
Is possible TO work. The long WORKING
season and the short aud mild winter
favor the arrapaement of work so
that all is don with The least Gu tlay for
help.
The pine bolts are SO situated that they
are favorinR climatic influences. and also
afford u supply OF wood within easy reach
or farms aud settle ments
the West Jersey Railway, the Camden
and Atlantic. the Philadeiphia and Read
ing's Atlantic City Railroad, the New
Jersey Southern Railroad. and other
branch roads tributary to these main
lines, afford excellent transportation
facilities for access 10 New York, Pniia-
delphia aud the cities OF the State. This
CohAnsey, Maurice aud Mullica Rivers
head well up near this northwest limits
or these lands, and their n~avigable
reaches run for miles across them. The
waters OF tue Delaware Bay and the ocean
are within u few miles of = large part of
thir oakland domain.
The advantage Of an old settled aud
Eastern State. lying between New York
and Phil adeiphia and Baltimore, and
wtthin easy reach OF these large markets.
Of i soil which IL easily tiled b gener
ous aud quick lii its response to feeding,
and Of low priced lands, are such as e
commend them with equal. X not greater.
force Than do the rich prairie soils OF i
New West, or the low prices aud cheap
lands do the abandoned hilisides Of New
England.