Winslow C. Watson

“ The plains are now not entirely without improvement, as numerous sites have been subdued and occupied. Productive farms and highly cultivated gardens and orchards, are springing into existence and beam amid these wilds like oasis in the desert. Some of these improvements already compare favorably in culture and productiveness with the most fertile tracts on the island. Men who unite practical knowledge to wealth and science have entered on these wastes, and are exhibiting demonstrative evidence of the capabilities of this soil for high and remunerative culture. ”

“ The fact is not controverted that the plain land, when first cultivated, requires a small application of manure to correct its natural sourness and inertness, and to stimulate it into activity. The soil feels the influence, and amply returns the expenditure. The remarkable crops I saw upon the plains were, in no instance, secured by an extravagant outlay for fertilizers, and no greater than every provident farmer would desire to effect a remunerative result to his labors. ”

“ A rotation of crops, based on the clover culture, is, I have no doubt, the most certain system by which the permanent improvement of the soil may be effected. The exemption of the land from stones and large stumps, the ease with which it can be tilled, the mildness of the climate, and the additional time this circumstance affords for labor, are all highly important inducements for the cultivation of these lands, and should be considered in deciding upon a system of tillage. ”

“ Is the soil adapted to cultivation? The production, upon the plain lands, every fifteen or twenty years of a heavy burthen of firewood, and which sustains at the same time a massive growth of coarse herbage and under bushes, so thick as in places to be almost as impenetrable as a Mexican chapparal, would seem to conclusively attest the presence of a strong, as well as quick soil. Every opening on the plains reveals a vigorous growth of clover and other nutritious grasses, which spring spontaneously. ”

“ If the land in these districts is susceptible of this high culture, and are made equally productive with the choicest land in the State, we are justified in the conclusion that soil in other sections of the Island, possessing the same inherent qualities, may, by similar culture, be made alike valuable for agricultural purposes. If, as I confidently assume the fact to be, the soil of Hempstead and the Woodland plains has the same normal properties as that of the other localities referred to, there can exist no reason why they cannot receive the same productive improvement. ”

“ The soil of Flatbush and the range of farms upon the south shore, which have been cultivated for two centuries, and during that period have been esteemed the garden of the State, and which are still distinguished for the exuberance and beauty of their crops, exhibit the same elements of soil as the plains, and have the same appearance, modified by culture and the application of manures. ”

“ The purpose is to form extensive manufacturing establishments upon this territory, and to confer on the operatives the privilege of purchasing small parcels of land, at moderate rates, for their own cultivation. Steam will always readily and cheaply supply the motive power to any extent, for such institutions. I can only thus glance at the scheme, but its importance to individuals and the immense augmentation of the business and wealth of the Island it would promote, must commend it to the earnest consideration of every intelligent mind. ”

“ If frosts do at present prevail on these plains, the fact may be referred to philosophical causes, which the progress of improvement will remove. Here is a vast area covered by a thick matting of trees, bushes and impervious herbage. The winds do not circulate through this canopy; the earth beneath it is always damp—an immense excess of evaporation takes place from these combined causes, and the soil has never been penetrated or warmed by the genial rays of the sun. ”

“ They expend annually $3,000 worth of manure, principally stable dung, and realize upon their grounds an average neat profit each year, of about $6,000, from the proceeds of the crops they produce.
When improvement and cultivation shall have succeeded the rude wilderness which now deforms these plains, the repose and seclusion, the delightful climate, the salubrious air, and the exceeding beauty which will then fascinate the eye, will allure to this region, the votary of Nature, and the men of business and wealth. ”

“ Fifteen loads of barn-yard manure to the acre, seems to be regarded as an abundant application.
The clover culture I regard to be the instrumentality which is calculated the most certainly to advance the agricultural prosperity of this territory. The soil is adapted to it; and the mild climate, frequent rains, and moist atmosphere, will always maintain the crop in a vigorous and thriving condition. I have seen nowhere, more beautiful and prosperous clover crops than I met with on these plains. The same natural causes will cherish the culture of other grasses. ”

“ The crop will be small, but aids in remunerating the labor. In August he cuts closely the young sprouts, which are as tender at that season as corn stalks, with the grass. The mass affords good coarse sheep fodder. Repeat for two or three years the operation, cutting the bushes two or three times each season, when they will be entirely destroyed. The roots will have, to a great extent, decomposed in the earth, and in the process have imparted, he thinks a fertilizing element to the soil equivalent to fifteen or twenty loads of barn-yard manure. ”

“ Sourness.—There is, I believe, little difference of opinion in reference to the fact, that the bush plains are affected by an innate acidity which imparts a certain degree of coldness and infertility to the land in its natural state. It is not greater, however, than might exist in any earths which have been shrouded for ages from the influence of the sun and air, by a heavy foliage, where leaves accumulate in deposit on the surface and are in various processes of decomposition. ”

“ I have not space to discuss the question so much controverted, whether manure is wasted by evaporation or leaching, but will assert without hesitation, that a soil made so adhesive by a preponderance of clay, as characterizes the plain lands, is in danger of being too compact rather than too open. ”

“ It is proper to remark in connection with this subject, that the wide spreading and massy roots of large trees which usually occur on other new lands and so inconveniently impede the plow and drag, do not now exist on these plains. The large roots of the oaks, which do not however, attain a great size, are chiefly tap roots, penetrating the ground vertically, and not widely extending over the surface. The roots of the shrub oaks and bushes, are soft and porous, readily severed by a sharp coulter, and rapidly decay in the earth when their vitality is destroyed. ”

“ All the knowledge we can now attain is, that the grass plain exists—a phenomenon of nature and a miracle of beauty.
These plains are mantled by a rich and heavy growth of grass, which affords pasturage for large numbers of cattle. ”

“ In my judgment, when the land is not designed for immediate cultivation, sheep would be found the most effective and economical agents for preparing the soil for tillage. The course to be pursued in this system would be to cut off the trees and large bushes, pile and burn the refuse material, and enclose a field, its size being determined by the number of sheep, by a secure fence. ”

“ A highly eminent gentleman who resides on the Island a portion of each year, informs me that it is habitual for the occupants of the gardens and orchards on the south shore, to transport the loam from the plains to replenish and fertilize their grounds. If this soil is worth transporting for such purposes, it can require no elaborate argument to prove its value for cultivation. ”

“ No owner of wild land in other sections of the country, would dream of preparing his soil for cultivation by a preparatory grubbing by manual labor; yet, under existing circumstances, this method on these plains, has undoubtedly its advantages. ”

“ They are a few feet deep, and nature appears to sometimes provide them, but they are more frequently contracted by puddling the soil. It is a singular fact and perfectly illustrative of the purity both of the water and atmosphere, that the water stands in these excavations throughout the summer, retaining a pure and limpid condition without taint or putrescence. A few swamps or marks appear on the plains, but they are limited in size and generally occur at the head springs of the streams. ”

“ The sea-sands first accumulate; upon these spring the coarse aquatic grasses, and these, in the memory of man, are succeeded by a nutritious vegetation. Such may have been the operations of nature, by which the uniform soil I have described was gradually spread like a mantle over the surface of the island. I was informed of a singular geological formation, which I was not able, however, to examine. ”

“ Most of the farms are supplied by wells, which are often of great depth. The water on the Island is sweet and sparkling, and commonly soft. On Fire Island, and other islands off the coast, of a sandy formation, wells dug in the sand at the margin of the sea, afford agreeable fresh water, and the cattle depasturing on these islands supply themselves with drink by pawing holes in the sand. ”

“ A dwelling upon these plains will then gratify the taste, and secure all those pleasures and enjoyments which render a rural life so attractive to the denizens of the city. A small freehold may now be purchased on this territory at a price which would scarcely secure a rocky knoll at the same distance from New York, on the banks of the Hudson. ”

“ Johnson remarked to me that he recollected when the whole district from Brushville to the present Hicksville, a distance of about twelve miles, was an open common, but which now embraces some of the best grass farms in Queens county. Occasionally the plains are penetrated from the sides by farms which show long cultivation, and date their occupation, by some squatter or pre-emptive rights, to a period anterior to the Revolution. ”

“ The small streams, which generally start four or five miles from the sea coast, in their early course crawl sluggishly through the rank herbage which springs from their ooze, but in their progress they acquire more activity, until as they approach the ocean they become bright and sparkling brooks, with a current sufficient to propel machinery. These rivulets afford the choicest trout, and the plains furnish excellent sport in deer, smaller animals and fowl. ”

“ They feed with avidity upon these grasses at that time, and will totally suppress the growth of all bushes and briars. In the second year the surface of the land will be cleared and subdued; and while this process is in progress, the roots and stumps will have essentially decayed. In addition to these benefits to the land, the sheep will impart a positive and great fertility to the soil, which will be equal in its effects, to the application of a large amount of manure. Their excrement must also exert a powerful effect in freeing the soil from its inherent acidity and inertness. ”

“ Cultivation.—The method by which the most judicious and appropriate culture may be applied to these lands, is a question of the greatest practical importance. The fact, I think, is established, that they possess most of the essential inherent properties necessary to successful tillage. They are of sufficient natural fertility; they are warm, genial and perfectly underdrained. The abundant crops they yield, afford the most conclusive attestation of the correctness of this opinion. ”

“ The strangeness and wild aspect of the scenery is beautiful and impressive, and the mind can scarcely comprehend the fact that such utter stillness and seclusion and such an exhibition of nature, in more than its primeval rudeness, should occur within three hours' ride of the great metropolis. ”

“ The large stumps will then be torn up by the plow without difficulty. He thinks that seven or eight dollars will cover the disbursement of clearing the land by either system. The burning over the whole surface is in one aspect objectionable. The accumulation of vegetable matter, and the humus on the soil, will be consumed by the process. Although the ashes will be valuable, the ingredients themselves are far more so. I should prefer, I think, piling the bushes and rubbish in as narrow and high heaps as possible for burning. ”

“ Almost as far as the vision reaches, the eye rests only upon a sea of waving bushes. They are not sparse and open, as is the case usually on feeble sandy soils, but the growth is heavy, compact, and generally uniform. Occasionally, patches of trees of a larger growth appear, but there is mainly a singular uniformity of shrubs and bushes, interlaced with vines and matted by a coarse herbage. ”

“ It is undoubtedly true that they require, or like most other lands are greatly benefited by the application of manures; but it is not true that an excessive quantity is necessary to render them productive, or that the effect of manure is not enduring. Land which, for a series of years, will yield an unusually large burden of hay, without the use of stimulating ingredients, must be esteemed congenial to grass. Soil which returns an abundant crop from the moderate application of manure, as was illustrated in the corn and potato crops on Mr. ”

“ It is not necessary to invoke the aid of science, to determine the singular identity of the elements of the soil throughout the whole island. I collected specimens from the cultivated farms near Brooklyn, Smithtown, and on the south shore, and from the Hempstead plains and the Bush plains in various places. ”