Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-04-20
Our System of Farming.

In this portion Of Middle Tennessee the
chief care of the farmer, fifteen or twenty
years ago was his Cotton crop; and the In
dian corn crop claimed almost the entire
remnant of his time and attention. Corn,
fodder and "shucks" were the sole depen-
dence for rough provender and as the
cured corn blades were seldom moro than
sufficient with the oat crop Cor the horses
of the farm, horned cattle regarded 'shucks'
as godsend. The lands were taxed with
an uninterrupted succession of Cotton and
Corn and Corn and Cotton with an occa-
sional interlopement of wheat to make
"hour bread for the family, and of oats for
for the horses. Something like an ameh-
oration of the soils distress has been work
ing out, along turnpikes and railroads and
in the vicinity of cities; but its progress
has been as slow as the work of geological
formation. Encouraged by a year or two
of success in wheat many of our farmers
made this for year or two latterly their
main dependence for revenue. But in a
majority of cases small crops and large
disappointment have been reaped During
the winter of 1S59-60, Tennessee whose
flour had become celebrated as the Best
in the United States, has imported -four for
home consumption, and wheat for seed
Corn too, has been brought from neighbor-
ing States in great quantities for feeding
and planting purposes. In the general
produce line, the balance of tarde has been
heavily against us. 1t would be doing
our farmers injustice however not to men
ton in this connection that the want of
punctuality in the "early and latter rains"
and other dispensations of the seasons,
may be fairly set up as plea Of extenua-
ton for crop failure in this Instance.
Sometimes when we have cast our eyes
over the broad acres Of corn, and cotton,
and Indifferent wheat and rusty oats, and
have then reviewed the long legged scrub
cattle and sharp, feet-looking hogs in the
wocd-pasture," we have ndered if much
could not be added to the aggregate of
rural felicity and beauty by more varied
system of farming. Having never farmed
extensively, we are of course compelled to
make our own suggestions timidly. But
we would respectfully inquire, without any
design whatever to disparage the "institu-
tions of the South" if the beauty of the
farm and the chances for profit would not
be enhanced by bestowing more attention
on grasses, peas, potatos, ETC., suited to the
purposes of feeding stock; and if it would
not be worth while to kill off the aborigi-
nal race Of horned cattle and hogs which
have grown up around your premises al
most spontaneously ever since your grand
father was a baby, and substitute animals
which though less able perhaps, to live on
wild roots, wild grasses barks of trees, and
acrons, would yield profitable return for
good feeding.
With proper uariety of crops, it seems
to us something might always be found to
feed stock upon ip the winter. AS for the
notion that horned cattle can live on shucks
and dead weeds, through the winter season
in this climate, it is obsolete, also that they
can be we'll kept even with more liberal
feeding than they enjoy. if left to shelter
themselves from snow, and sleet, and cold
rain, and the severe north wind, in the corn
ers of worm fence, or behind such logs as
they may find in the "wood-lots" running
from east to west.
We beg modestly to inquire of our farm
ngfriends, if an increased attention to cat
tie, and to such produce as would keep
them in good case through the winter and
to their protection from the inclemency of
elements, would not relieve much of their
agricultural monotony add much to house
hold comfort, furnish them with manure
for their worn out lands, and eventually be
quite as remunerative as anything to which
their mind and energies could be turned =
Nash. Ne,os.