CHAPTER X.

_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.