_Journey to Geneva—Schenectady—Question Asking—Stage
Driver—Valley of Mohawk—Agricultural Duties— Utica—Attention
to Females—Marcellus—Skeneatiles—Cayuga Bridge—Dinner
Party—Dumfries-shire Farmer—Sheep Husbandry—Condition of
Animals—Farms—Geneva._
We left Albany in the morning, and breakfasted at Schenectady, which
contains about 5000 inhabitants, and from its situation on the Mohawk,
the union of the Erie Canal, and railway from Albany and Saratoga, it is
likely to rise in importance. From Schenectady we proceeded, by stage,
along the valley of the Mohawk, on the north side of the river, to
Utica, where we arrived about two in the morning, the state of the roads
being bad.
The temperature was unpleasantly warm throughout the day, and the stage
crowded with passengers, who were generally agreeable companions. One of
them, a gentleman in dress and manners, while conversing with my friend,
enquired what country he came from, and immediately apologized for so
doing. It is but justice to the people of America to say, this was the
first question put to either my friend or me evincing curiosity, and
considering conversation had been previously continued for hours, it was
not altogether inexcusable. Travellers from a foreign land generally ply
with questions the natives they come in contact with, and thereby lay
themselves open to questions in return.
The driver who carried us to Utica behaved improperly towards my friend,
regarding his luggage. He was a saucy fellow, and spouted what he
perhaps considered wit, and others insolence, with every person who
spoke to him. In fact, he was the only insolent driver I met with in the
United States, this class of men being generally civil and accommodating
to their passengers. He treated all travellers alike, and when told by
an American he had taken four hours to drive fifteen miles, answered it
was just an hour less than he intended to have taken. The drivers
receive no gratuity from passengers, and can only be acted on by
civility.
The state of the weather and stage-coach conveyance prevented our
enjoying the scenery of the valley of the Mohawk as I expected; and
after passing Little Falls, I exchanged places with a friend on the box
seat. The object appearing, when the sun was approaching the horizon,
was the German flats in the neighbourhood of the Herkeimer. But the
shortness of twilight soon shut the landscape from my sight, and the
brilliancy of the fire-fly alone remained to attract attention.
I again passed through this part of the valley of the Mohawk, in the end
of October following, when the weather was fine, in a canal packet,
which afforded a better opportunity of seeing the scenery than
travelling by stages, as on the former occasion. There is no part of
America which I visited so interesting as this valley, which happily
combines the beauties of nature with the comforts of man. The Mohawk is
a moderate sized stream, according to the conceptions of a Briton, and
wends its way gently through a valley, bounded by verdant hills, adorned
with an infinite variety of vegetable productions. The road and canal in
many places approach the verge of the river, where the scenery assumes
the boldest character, and the different objects around Little Falls
have few equals in any part of the world. The bottom of the valley
affords evidence of successful cultivation, and its beautiful sloping
sides are thickly covered with cattle and sheep browsing on the herbage.
The country around the Herkeimer, near which the West Canada creek joins
the Mohawk, as seen from the canal, is truly fertile, and the
inhabitants of the valley apparently wealthy and happy.
In New England States, I observed a few plants of a class known to
British farmers as wild mustard, chadlock, &c. &c., and which appears to
me _raphanus raphanustrum_, but not in such numbers as to injure the
crops.
On entering the State of New York, the _raphanus_ was common, and
methought I could distinguish the wild turnip from the stage-windows.
Between Schenectady and Little Falls, these weeds, in one or two
instances, were choking the crops. The wheat crops throughout the valley
of the Mohawk were good; the Indian corn had suffered severely from
frost and the overflowing of the river, which had, a few weeks before,
attained a most unusual height, and imparted a disagreeable appearance
to much of the land, which was little elevated above the river.
Utica is situated on the Erie canal, and is a handsome, thriving place,
containing about 10,000 inhabitants, and became a city in 1832. We
again, after a few hours’ rest, proceeded on our journey, and reached
Auburn, where we stopped for the night.
At Manlius we dined with a large party of travellers, who arrived by
different stages, and afforded several marked instances of cooing, which
the newly-married people of this country seem to indulge in. During this
day’s travelling, and on other occasions, the behaviour of such people
appeared, to our British notions, verging on indelicacy, and completely
at variance with the general opinion of English writers, who suppose
that the females of the United States are treated with neglect. Judging
from what, of this nature, came under my notice in different parts of
the country, I was led to think the American husbands attentive in the
highest degree, and some of the ladies absolutely spoiled by too much
attention. In almost every hotel chairs at the head of public tables are
reserved for ladies, and they invariably occupy the principal seats in
stage-coaches.
This day (21st June) the weather was warm, the thermometer in the stage,
which is open on each side to the free admission of air, indicating 82
degrees at five P.M. Fortunately, myself and two friends were the only
passengers after dinner, and we enjoyed a rapid drive through a fine
country; there being no regularity with regard to time, the speed of the
stages is often in the inverse ratio of the number of passengers. The
prospect from the village of Onondaga-hill, which has two churches, is
beautiful and extensive, embracing Onondaga lake and the villages of
Syracuse and Salina. Beyond Onondaga-hill is Marcellus, which reminded
me of the villages of New England, and is the prettiest place seen to
the west of Albany. A farther drive of six miles brought us to
Skeneatiles, situated at the foot of the lake bearing the same name,
which, unruffled by the wind, and gilded by the rays of the setting sun,
was sleeping in bright tranquillity. Skeneatiles is more beautiful than
Marcellus—contains about 1200 inhabitants, and every thing in the
village and neighbourhood indicates wealth and prosperity. At seven in
the evening we reached Auburn, the seat of a state-prison, where the
system of prison discipline, so justly celebrated, was first introduced.
Early next morning, the 22d June, we pursued our journey, passing over
Cayuga lake by a remarkable wooden bridge, upwards of a mile in length.
The lake is here very shallow. The bridge rests on posts, and was in a
dangerous state for want of repairs. A new bridge was being formed,
adjoining the old one, and seemingly of improved construction. Seneca
falls and Waterloo are thriving villages, through which we passed, and
reached Geneva in time for dinner. We stopped at the Franklin hotel,
kept by Mr Mann, a most obliging individual, and where we found a large
party, consisting chiefly of travellers. The table was well stored with
brandy, which, with exception of water, was the only liquid; and my
friend, who is well known for sobriety of character, drank more of it
than all the rest of the company put together.
Having letters to several people in Geneva, induced me to remain some
time. Next day we attended divine worship at a Dutch reform church, and
every thing which came under notice at Geneva, showed the Sabbath to be
observed with propriety. Monday, the 24th June, proved wet, and so cold,
that fires in the public rooms of the hotel were courted for their
warmth. The rain ceasing about noon, we walked after dinner round the
north end of the lake, to visit a farmer from Dumfries-shire, Scotland.
Mr J—— possesses strong natural parts, and is an instance of what
energetic and persevering industry is capable of accomplishing in this
country. On his first arrival he was very poor, and often employed
himself in carrying wheat for hire. One year he raised by his own labour
900 bushels of wheat, with only the assistance of a small boy in
harrowing, while he himself was engaged in sowing. His farm is now his
own property; and this season he has sixty acres in wheat, equal to any
crop of similar extent I ever examined. His system is to sow clover
amongst wheat, which affords good pasturage in autumn, and is fed off in
the following spring; the land is ploughed in the end of June, and after
an imperfect fallowing, sown with wheat in autumn. The Dutch farmers in
the neighbourhood also sow clover with the wheat crop, which in spring
is ploughed down for manure, without being fed off. This shows how much
nature does for the farmer,—one year providing manure, and in the next a
wheat crop. Skill might improve the system followed, but the period of
introducing advanced agriculture into the United States has not yet
arrived. Mr J—— applies fifty heaped Winchester bushels of lime to an
acre, which costs nine cents, or 4½d sterling, per bushel. Gypsum costs
fifteen cents per bushel, and is only used for clover and Indian corn.
This being the season of applying it to the latter, people were carrying
it in baskets, and putting a pinch on each hill or cluster of plants.
Half a bushel is sufficient for an acre, and imparts an improved
appearance to the crop in four days, except on black soft land, where it
has little effect.
Mr J—— feeds labourers on the best of fare, and finds no want of them at
any time. His wheat crop is cut with the cradle scythe at $1 a-day and
found, that is boarded—and two binders follow the cradler at 62½ cents.
Wheat is cradled at $1½ per acre, and grass at $⅝, labourers finding
themselves—and the work well done in both cases. Americans, Dutch,
English, Irish, and Scotch, he finds work equally well. All his crop,
including hay, is housed, and he considers a dollar per bushel a good
price for wheat.
A good many sheep were shown us, a mixture of Saxon and Merino blood,
which are not anointed with any kind of liquor or salve, and never
stricken with fly. They are kept in courts during winter, fed on hay,
and lamb betwixt 20th April and 20th May. Mr J——’s flock was in better
condition than any yet seen, though poor, and the lambs were
starvelings, compared with those reared in the cultivated parts of my
native district. He says his sheep seldom die, having only lost two out
of five hundred in the course of two years, and the mortality amongst
lambs was not much greater. The price of his ewes, when the lambs are
weaned, is $3, and that of two-year old wedders, $2 and $2½. Fleeces
weigh 3½lb., and his wool at present is worth 60 cents per lb.
We examined a large collection of wool belonging to Mr R——, which was of
fine quality. He told us one of his yearling wedders, weighing 29lb.
yielded 2lb. 9oz. of wool; and the small size of this sheep induced him
to think an acre of ground would yield as much fine wool as coarse. But
the data furnished by this animal are not satisfactory, as its wool and
carcass, in all probability, bore a different proportion in the
preceding autumn; since which, the latter may have decreased, and the
former increased. The carcass of a live wedder, weighing 29lb., must
have consisted only of bone and sinew; and the weight of wool, compared
with that of the sheep, may be held as evidence of wretched condition,
and not of superiority of wool-growing.
Mr J——’s cows were beautiful animals, and very fat. For some days past a
great improvement in the condition of cattle had been observed, arising,
perhaps, from better pastures, and the advance of the season. There was
also an obvious change in the inhabitants, having seen more corpulent
men since leaving Schenectady than in all our previous wanderings in
America.
Mr Stuart, in his “Three Years’ Residence in America,” remarks, there
are few lean animals; but observation leads me to a different
conclusion—cows, sheep, and pigs, taken collectively, being apparently
the leanest and most neglected creatures I ever saw in any country. The
condition of the horse is greatly superior to that of other animals, yet
many are met with on the Erie canal equal in wretchedness to the most
overwrought animal in Britain. Combining the price of the animal and of
food, the daily expense of a horse is much higher in Britain than in the
United States, while the wages of his driver are proportionally lower;
hence a poor, weak, lame horse may be an object of profit in the one
country long after he ceases to be so in the other, and the fatness of
the American horses is not owing to abundance of food in the country, or
humanity in the people.
We examined a farm within three quarters of a mile of Geneva, belonging
to Mr W——, consisting of 280 acres, 200 of which were cleared, fenced,
and subdivided, with good dwelling-house, two servants’ houses, suitable
offices, and a large productive orchard, for which he asked $35, or L.7,
5s. 10d. sterling per acre. The public burdens affecting the property
were eighteen days’ labour of a man yearly for road-making, and $2 for
school-tax. There is a flour-mill on an outlet of the lake, propelled by
an endless screw lying horizontally in the stream, which, for want of
fall, is unsuitable for any common machinery. A steam flour-mill had
been set a-going in the village a few days before our arrival.
Geneva is situated on the west side of lake Seneca, near its northern
extremity, commanding a view of the lake, which is the most beautiful
sheet of water in America. There is a college, four churches, a bank,
and other public buildings. The chief part of the village consists of a
square, and a street of neat villas running parallel to the lake, on
which a steam-boat plies daily to the extremity, distant thirty-five
miles.