Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-23

management, by which they produce
the famous blue grass. And that excel
lent system must be understood and put
into practice, in order to make the best
grass, which any country is capable of
producing. have given that system a
thorough trial here in Smith county, and
so have many others, in Smith and other
counties of Middle Tennessee. We
all learned the system from the farmers of
the blue grass region of Kentucky. We
were Ignorant and knew not how to
rake grass, till we learned the sys-
TEN of management from them. We
| put ourselves to the trouble of learn
ing that system, we have conducted our
| practice by it, and have made as
| good grass as can be made in the famous
blue grass region. We have learned from
experience, that the quantity and quality
of grass, are always in proportion to our
| good management, in accordance with
the nature of the grass; and that we can
make as dense sod with as wide and as
long blades, as eau be made in Kentucky,
with the same management. Give our
lands fair treatment according to the
Kentucky system, and we can make as
good grass as can be made there or any
where.
But if Tennessee is naturally a blue
grass country, why is not the whole sur
face covered with fine grass like Ken
tucky2 Is it because farmers believe
that grass will not grow here's Not so.
They all know that blue grass will pros
per here. They see it growing in every
neighoorhood. Every man knows some
lots which are luxuriant, and profitable
to their owners. / will give a case in
point. l know rocky lot of about six
acres, which / myself sowed in 1885.
During last year QS70) it afforded a
profit to the present owners of full ten
dollars per acre. The owner has no grass
on the balance of his tract, and does not
intend to SOW any. He has lived during
his whole life in sight of rich pastures
of blue grass, and knows that his whole
tract would produce as good grass as
those pastures. Yet he will not SOW
grass. The reader will say that this
farmer, with six rocky acres of blue
grass, is q singular man. But he is not
very singular. Because hundreds of far
mers here know as well as he does the
value of blue grass, and have as good
grass lands as he, and yet they do not
sow grass. Doubtless many readers of
the UNION AND AMERICAN own good lands
for blue grass. They know, too, that
blue grass pasture is very profitable; still
they do not make the pastures. Why
why-why9 Will every reader who has
no blue grass answer Yes, many of
them have answered me hundreds of
times. One is not ready just now. An
other cannot spare the money to buy
grass seed. They are all going to SOW
when they get ready. know some farm
ers who have been for thirty years re-
solved to sow grass before long, and the |
time has not yet come for them to begin. |
Again comes up the seemingly NEEDLE |
some question, Why9 Why does not |
every farmer cover his land with dense |
sod of blue grass2 Twill give the true
answer. Our farmers have as much in
telligence as farmers anywhere; but they
do not SOaO grass because they do not
understand nell, the system of man.
dgement. They have not studied it in |
good earnest. Therefore, they do not know |
how little labor and expense are necessary
to get stand of grass. Their own rea-
soning teaches them wrongly, that the !
making of grass is big and costly |
job; therefore, they slowly undertake it. |
II they knew how little labor and expense
will set large tract in grass, they would |
not delay. If they will decide in their |
ewn minds that they do not understand
the system of making grass, and will ap-
ply to those who do understand it, then |
they will all learn that they are able, and
have time enough to set their lands in |
grass. Then they will do it speedily.
They must learn first how to get stand. |
Then they must learn how to manage, so
as to make dense and profitable sod. 1t |
requires much more thinking than ex- |
pense and labor to make good grass. |
Those farmers who have well studied the |
Blue Grass sytem, and have themselves |
covered their own lands with rich pas |
lures, can and will freely instruct all who |
may apply to them, to learn the system. |
If our farmers here win do as the Ken
tuckians did, they will all soon have
grass.
l will tell you how they learned the
Blue Grass system. Some seventy years |
ago, two young men named Cunningham, |
came from the south branch of the Po-
tomac in Virginia, to Strode's Creek, in
Bourbon county, Kentucky. They had
studied and practiced the Blue Grass sys.
TEN on the Potomac. They brought with
them on q packed horse, Timothy and
Blue Grass seed. They jointly purchased
two hundred acres of land on Strode's
Creek, and sowed the whole tract in Tim
othy and Blue Grass. In few years their
little tract was covered with luxuriant
coat of grass, which attracted the attention
of their neighbors who began to visit the
10 learn how to manage
grass. They all believed that they did
not know how TO make good grass, and
therefore they went to the Cunninghams
to learn. And they did learn to make as
good grass as the Cunninghams could
make. Strode's Creek soon became famous
for its luxurient grass, and farmers went
from all parts of the more famous blue
grass region and learned the system from
the Cunninghams. In 1885 ], too, went
to see the Cunninghams, and many other
farmers in the bluegrass region, in order
to learn the system. l devoted many
weeks to the study of the system-going
with the best farmers over their farms
seeing all their management; asking many
questions, and writing down their answers.
Then the Cunninghams, like many others,
had grown to be wealthy on the pro-
fits of bluegrass. One of them,
Robert, then had two thousand acres
n blue grass, and Isaac had three I
thousand acres. Nearly all the farm
RS which l visited owed the luxury
If their grass to the direct instruction
If the Cunninghams. To me it was
east to travel over and view the fine sod
If grass on the first 200 acres which
lad caused the whole blue grass region
o become so beautiful, prosperous and
wealthy.
While learning the blue grass system, l 8
sw in every neighborhood that those e
armers who studied the system closest
Invariably had the richest pastures. /
aw plainly that those farmers who will
lot study the system well, will never
make the best pastures. You can see I
many farm in that blue grass region
where all the lots look like some of ours
q Tennessee, which are gnawed all the
-aor rouDd nv caluaa shaen and oaaca ~