The sun., 1897-03-21
BRooKLYN HAS BIG FARMS TEE
Picturesque Spots That Survive the Temptations
offered by City Lots

Onered by City Lots.
Not all the farmers OF Brooklyn will do their
usual spring planting this year. There are lots
of these farmers still, and some OF their farms
are big ones They are found in Flatbush, Flat
lands, New Lots. and tho other territory annexed
to Brooklyn in recent years on account OF the
wickedness OF John Y. McKano and other rulers.
The farms are not OF the make believe kind still
TO be found on the upper end Of Manhattan ISL
and, but consist of broad fields and meadows,
with great barns, and perhaps q shingled farm
house 200 years old, whose timbers, the
owner boasts proudly, are as sound as they were
on the day when they were hewn out laboriously
with the broadaxe. Many OF the farms have
been in the possession OF the same families ever
since the western end of Long Island WAS set
tied. Tho buildings afford some OF the quaintcst
material for artists to Re found hereabouts, and,
with their s!oping roofs curvng in graceful
lines. their curious and often beautiful door
ways, their great chimneys, forming sometimes
half the end walls, and their ancient stairways.
they may well deserve tho attention of those
interested In the colonial period Sometimes,
wandering along narrow road In spring, ono
comes across an old cottage whose door was
made with an upper and lower half long years
before that style was revived in expensive mod
ern houses; with n rude bench on each side OF
the door and climbing vines around 1t, ard with
plots of tho old-fashioncd flowers, the whole
seeming like bit OF old New England set down
in Brooklyn. There are memories OF magnih-
cence, too. You find great mansions, with
thirty and forty rooms and woodwork in tho
interior fittings well calculated to arouse envy.
and you hear tales Of the hospitality dispensed
by their former owners, great merchants dead
long ago-a hospitality SO lavish that their fami-
lies have since been more or less impoverished.
There are few stories OF impoverishment told
of the farmers. Occasionally one does not get
along and is looked at askance by his ncighbors;
families quit farming long ago, having become
as rich from manual labor Us they cared TO be.
and have since left the duty Of adding to their
wealth to their property itself. They have before
power Of thrift confined with land managed
wisely. There Is, for instance. the old church
in Flatbush. When 1t was founded It received
grants OF land for its support: SO wisely has the
property been managed that the church IS said
to have $3.50 600 out on mortgage now. besides
owning fifty or sixty acres of land worth easily as
The reason some of the farmers won't do their
usual spring planting this year is that they have
long known that there is more profitable crop
the time to raise It SO they are going to uss
their Ploughs TO mark OF city streets through
lots s;t for sale Already they see blocks Of hisE
stoop, brick. city houses where the corn waved
Po this hsy eSn
some OF the schemes seemed near realization.
Then the hard times stopped most development
schemes temporarily. Now that the times arc
better. that the Brooklyn Bridge improvement
has boon completed, and that people have
TO large oxtent, they think that tho
day Is near when they can sit still and grow
rich by receiving their rents and clipping cou-
pons. One characteristic OF most of these land
| schemes Is doubtless due 10 long tenure OF the
| property and inherited ideas OF what IL Is going
| TO be worth some day. 1t Is that tho prices
| asked are extremely high. Rents and prices OF
lots are far above those in adjacent sections OF
| Brooklyn proper, which more desirable.
| This fact has no weight with the owners They
simply reason that some day they will be able TO
| get their price. and they arc content TO wait.
For this reason tho development OF Brooklyn
1t is said that land speculations in the Brooklyn
| suburbs which have succeeded hest have becn
managed by men from the city. They have bcen
| capable OF Judging correctly the kind OF people
| II would be possible TO attract and have graded
| their prices accordingly. One OF the most sue
cessful sDcculations of this kind was carried out
| by company. II acquired largo tract of
| ancient farm land. and has built altogether
nearly one thousand houses. 1t is estimated.
| Many of these were two stories high, and
| were arranged for two families Tho pricos
| ranged from 81 800 to $1,000. BY living on one
| floor and letting the other tho purchaser of ono
| eXertion ont of his wages The purchasers In
| cluded mechanics, clerks at small salaries, and
| street car employees. The owners of most of tho
property In the agricultural section OF Brooklyn.
| however, are not content to grow rich In this
way and so heir part OF the city remains pictur-
esQuc, in spite OF such efforts TO give 1t q city
character promised this spring.