Agricultural Tour No.4, Tonawanda, article, transcribed (Genesee Farmer and Gardener's Journal, 1837-06-17).pdf
Dublin Core
Title
Agricultural Tour No.4, Tonawanda, article, transcribed (Genesee Farmer and Gardener's Journal, 1837-06-17).pdf
Description
AI Summary:
This installment of the New York Farmer casts Tonawanda as a rising transport and agricultural hub: its dammed creek feeds the Erie Canal, a new rail line will soon slash the three‑hour boat ride to Buffalo to under one hour, and the deep water anchorage—despite Niagara’s rapids—promises to be a shipbuilding site alongside Black Rock and Whitehaven. The limestone‑rich soils yield 25–30 bushels of wheat per acre for decades without manure (not to mention peas and hay), although local farming still awaits the productivity boost that regular clover sowing and better drainage could bring. Vast stands of oak, walnut, maple and elm fuel Grand Island sawmills, and the Niagara River corridor—from Black Rock through the whirlpool to the glittering expanse of Lake Ontario—offers a succession of truly unrivalled scenic views. With steam power, canal extensions and railroads on the way, the author predicts that Tonawanda is poised to blossom into one of New York’s most prosperous and picturesque regions.
AI Transcription:
From the New York Farmer.
Agricultural Tour. — No. 4.
Tonawanda is a small stream flowing into the River Niagara about twelve miles above the Falls. It is dammed at its mouth and is used for several miles as part of the Erie Canal. A considerable village is growing up at the mouth of the river, nearly opposite to Whitehaven on Grand Island; and the timber from Grand Island, destined for the New York and Boston shipyards is here admitted into the Grand Canal. The railroad between Buffalo and Niagara Falls passes through the village; and in future, passengers in the Canal packets will probably disembark here and take the cars to Buffalo by which means a distance, which by water occupies about three hours, will be passed over in less than an hour, three quarters of an hour, will ordinarily be deemed sufficient; a great and most valuable gain to travelers. The river Niagara, at the entrance of the Tonawanda into it, presents deep water and a secure anchorage for large vessels, which may be employed in navigating the lakes; but the difficulty of reaching the Lake again; a strong current and some difficult rapids, excepting under peculiarly favorable winds or very strong power of steam, may be thought to present strong obstacles to its use and improvement as a port of shipment. These, however, will be easily overcome by steam power; and availing of the ship canal at Black Rock. This and Whitehaven, being in the immediate vicinity, offer a most favorable situation for the building of vessels. The village is destined to extraordinary prosperity from its advantageous situation and the great improvements now in progress. The land in the vicinity of Tonawanda is of an excellent description. As far as the backwater of the creek extends, a distance of three or four miles, this circumstance is prejudicial; the cultivation in some places being necessarily hindered, and the general healthiness of the country has been supposed to be affected. The latter circumstance, however, is becoming obviated by clearance and cultivation. But when the land is not so affected the soil is eminently favorable to wheat, oats, potatoes, and grass. Indian corn is sometimes cultivated with success but it cannot be considered a safe crop. The soil is improved by cultivation. The whole country is of calcareous formation: loam resting upon limestone and intermixed with limestone gravel, which in the form of a carbonate is seen intermixed abundantly with the soil in small grains. These, being brought to the air by the plough, become decomposed; and the soil in this way acquires constantly increased blackness and fertility. Peas are a favorite and very productive crop. On visiting one of the best farms in the neighborhood of the creek, the farmer informed me that his crop of wheat usually averaged from twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre; of peas thirty bushels; of grass one and a half to two tons per acre. He uses no manure for his land excepting that he has spread some on his grass land; and he showed me a field which with the exception of three intermediate years, had been in wheat 13 years without a diminution of the crop. I have perfect confidence in the honor of the gentleman who made these statements, but possibly there may be some little unintentional overstatement; as it almost always happens, where crops are not matter of exact measurement, but of estimate or conjecture merely, there is a tendency to oversate. A crop of wheat certainly, without very careful cultivation, averaging from twenty-five to thirty bushels is quite large. The aftermath in the fields was short; and by no means a fair test of what the land is capable of being made to do. The farming in most parts of this country was inferior and slovenly; and the regular introduction of clover, with all the grain crops and the ploughing it in, would produce a most favorable and extraordinary change in their condition. Speculation however, is so rife, other means of procuring money seem to promise so much quicker returns; and labor is indeed so difficult to be procured, and withal so expensive and troublesome, that mere cultivation, it is to be feared, will continue to be regarded as a secondary interest. The passage of the canal through this country, and the multitude of canal boats which seem to pass and repass in an almost uninterrupted succession, afford a ready and cash market for all the produce of their farms. Their wants even then are but imperfectly supplied. The growth of the country here is in many places magnificent—oak, black walnut, maple, whitewood and elm of the largest description. Most of the wood, which is cut here, is sent to Buffalo, or sold at the Steam Saw Mill on Grand Island. Much of that which is suitable for timber is sawed at the same establishment for this purpose.
The ride from Black Rock to the Niagara Falls, by the side of the Niagara River, is extremely beautiful; the expanse of water, the several fine islands skirted with rich foliage to the waters edge, and the excitement of an approach to the Falls, which it is not easy to suppress, though you may have visited them repeatedly, render this jaunt exceedingly interesting and delightful. The ride for some miles below the Falls towards Lake Ontario increases in picturesque effect; and presents many points of view embracing the Falls themselves, the wonderful passage of this torrent through its walls of natural masonry, which it would seem, must have occupied centuries, not to erect, but to excavate and widen, the compression of the torrent before it branches into the whirlpool, where owing to the narrowness of the passage, and the velocity with which it is forced onward, the central ridge of waters like the roof of a barn is elevated at least ten feet above the edge of the waters at the shore; the whirlpool itself, and afterwards the whole course of the river until it enters into Lake Ontario, which is seen distinctly from the high grounds, and lastly the magnificent and glittering expanse of the Lake itself, present a succession of views unrivalled and enchanting.
The land on the shores of the Niagara River from Tonawanda to a distance of three miles below the Falls as far as my ride extended, is similar to what I have already described, excepting that in some places the clayey portions predominate much more here than in others. A good deal of this land has been a long time cleared and the stumps removed. It is much of it of a very fine character for wheat. A highly intelligent gentleman of the village at the Falls, who accompanied me, showed me a field which with the exception of one year had been for thirty years in succession in wheat, without manure and without any apparent diminution of its fertility. Twenty to twenty-five bushels of wheat are considered an average yield; thirty are often obtained. The first ploughing is generally shallow; afterwards deeper ploughing improves the soil. Plaster and clover have not yet been tried. Improvements are in progress and a spirit of enterprise awakened, united with intelligence, from which the best effects will result; and which must soon put a different aspect on the whole face of this splendid country; for which in respect to picturesque scenery, nature has lavished her gifts in prodigal and almost unrivalled profusion.
Opposite Tonawanda, and lying along in the riv-
This installment of the New York Farmer casts Tonawanda as a rising transport and agricultural hub: its dammed creek feeds the Erie Canal, a new rail line will soon slash the three‑hour boat ride to Buffalo to under one hour, and the deep water anchorage—despite Niagara’s rapids—promises to be a shipbuilding site alongside Black Rock and Whitehaven. The limestone‑rich soils yield 25–30 bushels of wheat per acre for decades without manure (not to mention peas and hay), although local farming still awaits the productivity boost that regular clover sowing and better drainage could bring. Vast stands of oak, walnut, maple and elm fuel Grand Island sawmills, and the Niagara River corridor—from Black Rock through the whirlpool to the glittering expanse of Lake Ontario—offers a succession of truly unrivalled scenic views. With steam power, canal extensions and railroads on the way, the author predicts that Tonawanda is poised to blossom into one of New York’s most prosperous and picturesque regions.
AI Transcription:
From the New York Farmer.
Agricultural Tour. — No. 4.
Tonawanda is a small stream flowing into the River Niagara about twelve miles above the Falls. It is dammed at its mouth and is used for several miles as part of the Erie Canal. A considerable village is growing up at the mouth of the river, nearly opposite to Whitehaven on Grand Island; and the timber from Grand Island, destined for the New York and Boston shipyards is here admitted into the Grand Canal. The railroad between Buffalo and Niagara Falls passes through the village; and in future, passengers in the Canal packets will probably disembark here and take the cars to Buffalo by which means a distance, which by water occupies about three hours, will be passed over in less than an hour, three quarters of an hour, will ordinarily be deemed sufficient; a great and most valuable gain to travelers. The river Niagara, at the entrance of the Tonawanda into it, presents deep water and a secure anchorage for large vessels, which may be employed in navigating the lakes; but the difficulty of reaching the Lake again; a strong current and some difficult rapids, excepting under peculiarly favorable winds or very strong power of steam, may be thought to present strong obstacles to its use and improvement as a port of shipment. These, however, will be easily overcome by steam power; and availing of the ship canal at Black Rock. This and Whitehaven, being in the immediate vicinity, offer a most favorable situation for the building of vessels. The village is destined to extraordinary prosperity from its advantageous situation and the great improvements now in progress. The land in the vicinity of Tonawanda is of an excellent description. As far as the backwater of the creek extends, a distance of three or four miles, this circumstance is prejudicial; the cultivation in some places being necessarily hindered, and the general healthiness of the country has been supposed to be affected. The latter circumstance, however, is becoming obviated by clearance and cultivation. But when the land is not so affected the soil is eminently favorable to wheat, oats, potatoes, and grass. Indian corn is sometimes cultivated with success but it cannot be considered a safe crop. The soil is improved by cultivation. The whole country is of calcareous formation: loam resting upon limestone and intermixed with limestone gravel, which in the form of a carbonate is seen intermixed abundantly with the soil in small grains. These, being brought to the air by the plough, become decomposed; and the soil in this way acquires constantly increased blackness and fertility. Peas are a favorite and very productive crop. On visiting one of the best farms in the neighborhood of the creek, the farmer informed me that his crop of wheat usually averaged from twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre; of peas thirty bushels; of grass one and a half to two tons per acre. He uses no manure for his land excepting that he has spread some on his grass land; and he showed me a field which with the exception of three intermediate years, had been in wheat 13 years without a diminution of the crop. I have perfect confidence in the honor of the gentleman who made these statements, but possibly there may be some little unintentional overstatement; as it almost always happens, where crops are not matter of exact measurement, but of estimate or conjecture merely, there is a tendency to oversate. A crop of wheat certainly, without very careful cultivation, averaging from twenty-five to thirty bushels is quite large. The aftermath in the fields was short; and by no means a fair test of what the land is capable of being made to do. The farming in most parts of this country was inferior and slovenly; and the regular introduction of clover, with all the grain crops and the ploughing it in, would produce a most favorable and extraordinary change in their condition. Speculation however, is so rife, other means of procuring money seem to promise so much quicker returns; and labor is indeed so difficult to be procured, and withal so expensive and troublesome, that mere cultivation, it is to be feared, will continue to be regarded as a secondary interest. The passage of the canal through this country, and the multitude of canal boats which seem to pass and repass in an almost uninterrupted succession, afford a ready and cash market for all the produce of their farms. Their wants even then are but imperfectly supplied. The growth of the country here is in many places magnificent—oak, black walnut, maple, whitewood and elm of the largest description. Most of the wood, which is cut here, is sent to Buffalo, or sold at the Steam Saw Mill on Grand Island. Much of that which is suitable for timber is sawed at the same establishment for this purpose.
The ride from Black Rock to the Niagara Falls, by the side of the Niagara River, is extremely beautiful; the expanse of water, the several fine islands skirted with rich foliage to the waters edge, and the excitement of an approach to the Falls, which it is not easy to suppress, though you may have visited them repeatedly, render this jaunt exceedingly interesting and delightful. The ride for some miles below the Falls towards Lake Ontario increases in picturesque effect; and presents many points of view embracing the Falls themselves, the wonderful passage of this torrent through its walls of natural masonry, which it would seem, must have occupied centuries, not to erect, but to excavate and widen, the compression of the torrent before it branches into the whirlpool, where owing to the narrowness of the passage, and the velocity with which it is forced onward, the central ridge of waters like the roof of a barn is elevated at least ten feet above the edge of the waters at the shore; the whirlpool itself, and afterwards the whole course of the river until it enters into Lake Ontario, which is seen distinctly from the high grounds, and lastly the magnificent and glittering expanse of the Lake itself, present a succession of views unrivalled and enchanting.
The land on the shores of the Niagara River from Tonawanda to a distance of three miles below the Falls as far as my ride extended, is similar to what I have already described, excepting that in some places the clayey portions predominate much more here than in others. A good deal of this land has been a long time cleared and the stumps removed. It is much of it of a very fine character for wheat. A highly intelligent gentleman of the village at the Falls, who accompanied me, showed me a field which with the exception of one year had been for thirty years in succession in wheat, without manure and without any apparent diminution of its fertility. Twenty to twenty-five bushels of wheat are considered an average yield; thirty are often obtained. The first ploughing is generally shallow; afterwards deeper ploughing improves the soil. Plaster and clover have not yet been tried. Improvements are in progress and a spirit of enterprise awakened, united with intelligence, from which the best effects will result; and which must soon put a different aspect on the whole face of this splendid country; for which in respect to picturesque scenery, nature has lavished her gifts in prodigal and almost unrivalled profusion.
Opposite Tonawanda, and lying along in the riv-
Date
1837-06-17
Collection
Citation
“Agricultural Tour No.4, Tonawanda, article, transcribed (Genesee Farmer and Gardener's Journal, 1837-06-17).pdf,” North Tonawanda History, accessed June 22, 2025, https://www.nthistory.com/items/show/4042.