Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-10-12


to market to sell the CROP and bring the money to
her lord aud MASTER" Nay, the reliques of that
rude state have not entirely disappeared yet for
even in some Of the States Of Chrstendom the spec
taele of woman and an OK pHlling the pillow to-
gether is still rot uncommon.
But though much has been done by you, much re-
mains to be done, and as long as this is the case we
should not content ourselves with the drawing of
Contrasts But rather survey ground ahead. grid
ourselves up for further progress, and push on TO
fresh conquests ss
No State in the Union Is superior TO yours in the
agricultural advantages which nature has given it.
To develop these Is the main object Of this gather
ing together Of the farmers of the State-the pur-
pose and aim Of your Agricultural Bureau. With
soils fine any IN the world, and geographically
situated between parallels the most favorable for
variety and excellence of production, Tennessee
offers to her husbandmen double set of climates
the climates due difference of latitude, and the eli
mates due difference Of elevation. SO that the far
ners Of this State may find diversity OF climate-Of
soft and gentle climate by going up or down the
mountain well as by traversing the State from
North 10 South.
The agricultural meteorolog1st when he comes to
| contemplate the geography Of your State, will not
only admire the beautiful relief which your noun
tans, hills and valleys give to the landscape, but he
| will recognize among your mountains, sites with
climates Tor the finest vineyards your plateaus
he will all the conditions that are requisite for
| good sheep-walks and the most pre6tabe wool
growing as for fruits, no country In the world
| that lies between the parallels of SO deg 30 min
and 30 deg can, account of your rare adran-
tages of climate in altitude surpass your State for
abundance of yield. beauty of form or richness OF
| favor. Your hills, and knobs and mountains af.
ford every variety of sHbciimate and site that the
most tastidious fruisgrower can desire. Your very
distance kom the seaboard gives you advantages Of
Climate which they, In the same latitude near
/ the sea, may sigh for in vain i
LIDO not know how d is now or how il may have
been In other parts of the State, but, when was
boy, the peach crop in Williamson county generally
failed every other year-only with Mr.. Brown our
| nelghbor, who lived in the knobs it never failed
Mr. Brown was plain man, but Mr.. Brown was a
philosopher. He built his house on a knoll in the
valley but his orchard be planted oq the knob, and
IN the years of failure with his neglbors he would
have most abundant crop. whiehhe sent to town by
the wagon load and sold for from Sl00 to $500.
Your Bureau will no doubt furnish you with
statistics and information upon this subject whchwill
enable the fruitgrowers of Tennessee at distant
day. to put her her true place, which il in the
very front ranks of the frutgrowing States of this
Union. a-
Tennessee possesses also superior advantages as a
grazing State Her soil and climate likewise
admirably adapted to the cultivation of the flax,
hemp, and tobacco. Cotton is one OF her staples /;
and fOrwheat and corn, she cannot he surpassed.
Tennessee wheat ust%beginning be known in the
markets abroad, and il has at once been classed
among the finest of the land. Like Ahe south side"
wheat Of Virginia the flour from it stands transpor-
tatiOn on the longest sea voyages and like that il
commands the highest price in distant markets.
Besides all This your rivers afford inexhaustible
sources of water power with the most choice mill
seats, and excellent manufacturing facilities Your
mountains are filed with iron and coal and copper,
and marbles and minerals each of superior quality
some world renowned, and all very accessible.
With such beuhdless and various sources Of in
Giyidual prosperity call forth the energies and
the enterprise of the people, and TO reward their
labor the difficulty with them is what to choose !;
for in wilderness of undeFeloped wealth ike this
where mining and milling, and grazing, and farming
and planting all profitable, there il danger of
instability in the industrial pursuits of men, think
have myself observed something like signs of this
instability, at least in Williamson, however it may
be in other parts of the State can recoieCt when
next To Indian corn tobacco was the staple there,
and when Ohio flour was sold in the groceries of
Franklin to the farmers of 6he county After that
tobacco gave way TO cotton; tlnen many farmers
gave up cotton, took to grazing and afterwards 10
cotton again. and now lam told wheat is coming into
favor Something is due 30 the influence of turnpkes
and railroads, but recc0llectI have seen in no
part of the world people that can changsAher in
duStry with such facility the people of Tennes-
see have done
But this is not ALL There IA a work to be done
more difficult still 1t concerns not only the western
tier of counties of this State, but also :he river
counties of all Che States below. do not know that
il comes within the province of the Tennessee Blu
reau of AgricuIare to look aflsf it or in any way
to take cogniZance of it, bat it touches agriculture
and concerns the common prosperity of several
States most deeply and therefore, seeing represen-
tatives from those States here, venture allude
it 1t is the restraining Of the floods of the Mis-
sissppi, and the bringing of that river under the
control Of man, at least a certain extent diff
cult task and Hereulean, admit but in my judg-
mcnt it by no means comes within the category of
thing impossible. sH
The difficulties that have occurred and the mis-
-
that river were f0reseen and pointed out TO the
friends of the at the time the swamp land
bill, as it is called, was under consideration in Con-
gTess.
Unless the lcvee system was properly planned, II
was not difficult TO torsee that without answering
thor purpose at home the levecs of State would
in spite of commissioners, be found operating Sc
rOusy to the injury of the people of another State
and such has been the case. ...
Last winter, the citizens of Shelby Upton, Lau-
derlale kDyer, and ObiOn counties in this State,
came up to Washington with their Hsemoria setting
forth that in consequence of the leyees in Arkansas
the waters of the Mississippi had been thrown over
upon them, overlooking and damaging plantations
in Tennessee that had always been before above high
water mark.
Many planter in Mississippi and Louisiana have
been drowned out in consequence of insuffcency Of
entertainments, and AL know that plantations
there suffered incalcusble amount of damage by
reason of the resulting overflow.
would think Of calling in numbers of doctors, and |
of requiring each one to ''go ahead and physic |
away on his own hook, without regard to the (
course Of treatment the others might be pursuing /
And yet would be almost "a reasonable to expect
patient treated t. recover, it to expect the
Mississippi river to be controlled and its floods re-
strained by several independent corps of engineers
each aching ION his own heck l don't care how |
able, and sklful and accomplished they may be,
but without q common lead without concurrent &C.
nd ptVn he piv and with
ton which necessarily requires the commissioners
Of each system district 20 treat their part of the
river without regard to what those above or below
OF on the opposite side may be doing, or may intend
TO do,you will find all the science in the world of
but little avail fear it isnot in the power of your
engineers, as capable az | know some of them 10
De-but being so controlled fear it is not in their
power to control the Mississippi with any reasOna-
Die expenditure Of money.
Your levees one side of the river may be never |
20 wisely placed and judciously constructed, yet
single mistake on the opposite side or for some dis
anCe abOys or helow, or tho placing of another
without regard to yauFs, may prove fatal to You
md your engineers can't help it.
Running water has its laws; and according to
hose laws must the improvements on both sides of
hat river above and below, be carried on else dis
appointment and failure will be surd to overtake
-ou in your attempts to control the Mississippi.
The riparian interests of this stream have be-
ONE vast and valuable, and though there was a
ime when cut-ofis might be made and the river
ampcred with in various ways, without regard to
he caying Of banks or overflow, with comparative
mpunity; and though vast sums have been expenG-
d upon improvements Of various sorts upon that {
liver, the question begins to present itself to
he minds of retiecting men, Upon the whole, |
you'd it not have been better had these improve |
lcnts never been made :" 1t may be question
whether it would not cost much less and be far 4
lore easy for the photographic Engineer TO take |
hat river, were it now it was fifty years ago,
nj subject it discipline, than it will cost for him
take in the condition in which it actually is, and
ring il under pr0HeP restraint
That river gives expression to a majestic and
mighty flow of waters. We all know, and in its an
rr it is terrible. But vast the powers of man.
nd wonderful the resources of modern science. In
oke these, give them sway, and they will, doubt
Of master that misksy river for you.
Pardon me for dwelling so long, and for speaking
earnestly and plainly upon this subject ! feel |
especial interest in the Mississippi river, and all
nat concerns the people who live by its waters. In
lie days of my youth, drank Of its fountains. Ny ,
lends are among them. In later years / studied u
habits, and believe them TO be such the science
the dav can control ! was an early and an
lrnest advocate Of the swamp land bill. thought
lc riparian Estates would contribute in the most
gnal manner to the general welfare and believe
still. Wherefore l could not say less, but will
Dt say more.
BuJ suppose the Mississippi river to be in leading
rings and the State 10 have been brought TO the :
ohpst stat of Agricultural imprOycmput that IL ia q