Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-16
fcoMMUEICATEDl
uArrRpan Tn CAIR0-

nois Central railroad from a point near
I Cairo to this end recOnn0issances were
made and perhaps other action taken.
l The distance is probably one hundred
and forty miles, through country con-
/ tinuously but sparsely settled, finely
! timbered, with no rock, easily worked
earth, in which there would be no heavy
! grading, and with no difficulty OF rail-
/ road construction greater than the fre-
auent recurrence of trestline and hridg
/ ing, for both Of which the finest timber
can anywhere be obtained close at hand.
This road almost directly connecting the
north with the south, on whichever line
/ Of reconnaissance built, would run al
most its length through perhaps the
| largest continuous body Of fertile land IN
4 Tennessee-tmough the country which
could be made most prolific Of selling
products-through the region which, de-
spite its many claims to habitation and
/ culture, has the least Of either ana
which lying apart from any line OF trade
and without accessibility, Is an lgn0td
| terra save to those who live in or by
( casual chance are led to 1t.
The route from Memphis to Cairo is
now either by the Mississippi river OF
I bv the Memphis and Ohio and the Mo-
! bile and Ohio railroads to Columbus,
! Ky, and thence to Cairo by aferriage t?)
/ Of say two hours, giving much annoy
ance and perhaps uncertain connection.
/ A glance at the map will show thatfrom
/ New Orleans much travel whose natural
! direction points through Memphis, is
needs diverted by way of Corinth and
/ Grand Junction on its tOrtnOus way TO
/ the common point, Columbus. The map
j will also show a line Of railrosd from
I New Orleans to Memphis, and one from
/ Cairo northward, seemingly one and the
same natural line Of road, with but the
/ little gap from Memphis TO Cairo, an un-
seemly span between.
The people along this gap are mostly
/ large landhoIders-were well of in ne
groes and comforts--are quiet, kind, nos
pitable, honest, religious, industrious edu-
I Gated and intelligent, and if they seem
/ too slow to grasp at enterprise, mueh is
! to he allowed for in the recollection that
/ they have heretofore prOspered by honest,
/ imperceptible accumulation, away from
/ trade and speculation, and unwont to
/ look for Profit save in hard work, good
/ luck - good seasons aud high prices, but
/ their sound reasoning is undOubted when
4 facts y ~ know are such are laid before
{ them and 50 their liberality, when sat
| isfied it is not mis- Directed. And 1t IS out
/ to be feared that while the progress OF
! inevitable fate is only retarded by their
/ lack Of quickuess to see their interests,
/ those interests may thereby be lost or
1 irretrievably damaged.
The climate Of this region, ever pleas
ant and healthy, neither too cold for
| comfort nor so warm as to ennervate,
ranges from the saving Of ice to the
1 blooming Of maguOlas, and its qualities
! Of soil and clay" Of land have range al
most as great. Good water is abundant
Ily found in streams and springs, or Ia
! wells from thirty TO sixty feet deep, dug
/ wherever convenience may demand. In
! almost every yicinage can be obtained
land covered throughout the year with
native grass and cane, level yet easily
susceptible Of dTainRge-land almost per
fecily self drained, and nigh az hllls
[ with corresponding grades OF sou. Ia
the woods are deer, turkeys squirrels
rabbits, coons, 'pOssums, quail anu nu-
F.. Tnerous game birds, with Occacionai sea.
sons Of clouds of ducks, geese and pi-
| geOns. The forests, too, pientuuuy
abound with the iinest poplar, walnut
| cypress, oak, hickory, gum, ELM sFsss-
fras, mulberry, maple and locust. Trans
planted pine and cedar show here lux
I uriaBas of growth and beauty unknown
I in lands T. Which they are native, aud
/ blosomlng vines and sLlall trees are too
/ many TO name. The forests tao gre
plenteous with shickory-nuts and seGly-
barks, white and black walnuts, chest
nuts. haZel-nuts, acOrns,- blackber-
ries. raspberries, red and black haws
persimmons, mulberries and paw-paws-
with superior wild honey, with musca-
dimes and different varieties Of wild
! grapes, which peed only the removal OF
/ er0Wding foliage, tOAl axe chem seli-falseu
and easily ggtheTed-a luseioHs fEtit
either to eat or for wine-and there are,
too, enough patches Of trailing deWherry
aud wild strawberry to show them na-
tive.
I While care and attention will give
here results as satisfactory as elsewhere
in the fully proven rearing Of horses
/ mules, cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and all
! pouitsy, it is remarked that the best lots
of horses, mdies and o2ttse, are those
/ which are left, summer ana Nlhte4i Ih-
! disturbed and unattended, on the naive
cane, rather than those restricted 70 the
uncertain care and small feed OF thrift
less owners.
The soil and climate have been found
well aiapted to the culture Of corn, cot
ton, ts6aoas, sorghum and imphee,
wheat, rye, oats, beans, peas, pmdars or
gUber peas, clover, herdsgrass or red-Dopl
timothy, Bermuda grass, millet and
Hungarian grass, pumpkins ana
squashes; to apples, pears, peaches,
uuinoes, plums, grapes, scuppernongs,
raspberries, blaGkberries, currants, straw
berries; to Irish ana sweet potatoes,
beets, carrots, paTsnips, turnips, salsafy,
rad1ishes. cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauti-
flower, lettuce, celery, asparagus, onions,
artichOkes, French or burr and Jerusa-
lem or potato tomato, egg plant, Okra
or gumbo, go6Fds, hops, pepper, water
melon, muskmelOn, cSataleup, cucum-
her, cashaw; all these products the
writer has raised and seen raised to that
narfectioD that leads him to believe that
when they or any Of them fail,
the fault Is 81 culture or neglect,
and not a want OF EdaFtability Of
soil or climate, and though, per-
baps the cultivation Of neither has
attained here the success boasted OF IN
single instances elsewhere, and though
each season may not produce all III their
here usual perfection, instances are rare II
any, in which judicious culture Of either
has failed TO return a paying result; ana
here Too we are free from hedevastatiOns
of storms and floods, the hordes Of in
sects, the blight of drought and unex-
pected frost, from the excessive rains ana
untold disasters, which, in each cycle OF
wears, do so much to reduce the aggre-
gate of production in each region of eX-
cessive special success. From many IN
dicatiOns and from observation, we are
almost led to assume, that additional to
tho above products, there can be protita-
bly Faised here, hemp, flax, barley, buck
wheat. biae grass, Spanish chestnuts, nj
berts, almonds, ginger, Icorice, and per-
haps even the pomegranate, oliyeand hgi
the Cachemere goat and assimulant ami
mails and products.
1t has been customary in panegyries on
lands, u assemble as in one spot the
varying excelieueies Of distant points (;
such is not our purpose, for 1t is believed
that in the region referred to, there is no
noint which within five miles will not
give eli the advantages claimed as gen.
eral.
Unwilling, for reasons with which We
now have nought to 10, to sell his ne
groes and accustomed TO look OF large
tracts of land, even though unused, as a
eOS7iug necessity to their rapid increase,
easv. comfortable, hOspitable, growing
nominaIly rfch IN multiplying negroes,
in slowly gathered lands and in comforts
almost self-accumulating the habitant
lOf this region has had neither the spur
of necessity nor yet the habit OF looking
to actual dollars ana Genus luI lue lu-
crease of his fortune or the qualification
fof his wants, and thus alike free from
the incentive Of want and the lure Of
gain-all unused to Iostle in speculative
wrangle-paralyzed by now seeming ad-
versiiy-what wonder if from hereditary
habit he fails to meet at once the de-
mands of the changed destinies that
surround hiai, and to guard, while yet
he may, against the necessities which
eisewise sooner or later will Overtake
him; or that having been SC long wont
TO look on lands, however idle, as nam
ifestation of prosperity, he cannot so
readily recognize that they are now but
the means, and now first become the
means by which he must insure that
prosperity, before too late if ever.
Yet, so it is. Productive lands must
he divided when theories so plausible,
and arguments so speeious, can be
brought TO affirm or contradict any de-
sired position, it is needless to recite the
proofs Of a fact so patent-so surely
though slowly Illustrating itself-so well
sustained by the evidences Of incontrO-
vertible histOry--so beneficial TO our
brother man, that to doubt seems sacri-
A ,F ho va-l