Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-23

MULBERRY VILLAGE
on the same stream has stirring popu- |
lation and several mercantile establish
ments. 1t has also good school. The
country around is very fine for farming
purposes. Among the most noted schools
in the county is that situated at
OAK HILL,
under the management and control OF
Profs Himebaugh and Randolph. They
have from 100 to $50 students, and give
instruction in every branch of learning
usually taught in our colleges. There
are, also, Boone Hill, in the western part
of the county, Millville, Swanesville,
Pleasant Plains, Camargo, and Pleasant
Village, all post towns and thriving little
villages.
THE CLIMATE
of Lincoln county is mild and salubrious.
An ice season rarely ever occurs, and the
summer heat never reaches 100 degrees
Fahrenheit. Epidemics seldom visit the
county. The average elevation being
about 500 feet above the level of the sea,
the air is comparatively free from MAS
matte influences. The average temper
| allure for winter is about 40 degrees;
spring, 81 degrees; summer, rs degrees;
autumn, 81 degrees; The average Tor
the year is 60 degrees. The greatest
range for any one month does not exceed
40 degrees. The geological situation of
the county is about equally divided be-
tween the sllicious group of the lower
carboniferous formation and the Nash
| vile group of the lower Silurian. On
1 Is In larro
quantities of black ehale, which is so i'm
pregnsted with petroleum or bitumen
that it will sustain for months fire
when kindled on it. This black shale is
also rich in copperas, alum and sulphuret
of iron. 1t easily disintegrates upon ex-
| pOsure, and is valueless except for the
manufacture of alum and copperas.
Many of the limestone rocks are but sg
gregations of fossil remains in state Of
cohesion. Much hidden wealth remains
to be developed in this county, but the
| great wealth of Lincoln county consists
in her
LAMBS.
These, with the exception of strip
lying on the Alabama line, about eight
miles wide, and containing about one
third of the county, are very fertile.
This strip OF table land is exceedingly
| level, so much so that it is not well
drained. The subsoil is pale yellowish
clay, porous, and incapable of retaining
moisture, except in swamps, where the
clay is blush, and therefore scarcely sus-
ceptible of improvement. No limestone
rock is seen on this table-land, and the
wild growth indicates poverty. Much of
it is, however, well timbered. Oak, hick-
DRY, chestnut and white poplar are the
principal grOwths. OF these the chest
nut is most valuable. Great quantities of
il are split into rails each year, and sent
to the upper part of the county for fenc-
ing purposes. A good chestnut fence is
| said to last forty years with but little re-
| pair. The rails, delivered in FayCtte-
| vile sell for three dollars per hundred,
and there is growing demand for them
| from the more fertile sections OF the
| county. This land can be bought for a
small price ranging from three to ten
dollars per acre. 1t is sparsely settled,
and is regarded as of but little value, cX-
| Cept for fruit trees and the timber. The
remainder of the county is of the most
fertile character. Spacious valleys, al
ternating with gently slOping mammilla-
| ~ prOtUberances, whose symmetry OF
| form is often so perfect as to suggest
| their artificial creation, are the leading
features of this portion of Zoe county.
Many of these knobs, near Elk river are
appraised alluvium, as is shown by the
| pebbles, and other alluvial indications.
| Upon some of them the loose limestone
| lies in such abundance as to preclude the
| possibility of culture. Upon these, how
ever, blue grass grows with great luxuFi-
ance, and the sunny slopes will furnish
ample grazing during the entire winter
for sheep aud COWS. The timber consists
of linn, buckeye, hickory, poplar, box
elder, black walnut, wild cherry, black
| locust, chestnut, beech and elm. An
enterprising citizen near Fayetteville
| planted denuded rocky glade in black
locust a few years ago, and has now
splendid grove and good fencing posts,
| where The rocks were so numerous es TO
make the land untillable. He thinks it is
1 more valuable TO him even than his
rich bottom lands; for in addition 10 The
value of the wood, he has good stand
of bluegrass upon it, upon which sub
| sisls large flock OF goats during the
entire year.
The valleys Of Elk river and Can
creek will average probably mile IN
width, and the latter is probably fifteen
miles in length. This quality of land
ranges in price from fifty dollars 10
eighty according to improvements.
We visited noted bottom,
| known as the Henry bottom, on Elk
river, that sweeps nearly the whole hOri-
zon and is of marvellous fertility. Some
fifty acres of if we're seeded to timothy,
the remainder, consisting of several hun
bred acres, was covered with The curse of
the South, cotton. We are glad to OBJ
serve a growing disposition among the
people of Lincoln to abandon the cult
walton of this staple and go into
STOCK RAISING.
Much fine stock is being brought into
| the country. We were shown a short
horn bull that the owner paid six hundred
dollars for. A half dozen fine stations,
many of them thorough. bred, were
| Brought to our notice. Nature marks
this county as pTeeminen,ly suited 10
rearing stock. All the grasses known to
the latitude grow well, and corn is raised
with but little labor. The county
is well wateTed-spriDgs breaking
out upon the sides of the hills
in countless numbers, and water
| may be had from wells by digging
short distance. Ga one of the highest
cminenccs we observed spring of free
stone water. The water on the table
lands is soft, but most of the springs
north of Elk river are limestone. Another
branch of industry will doubtless assume
great proportions in 8 few years. We al
lude TO
GRAPE CULTURE.
The admirable drainage and broken sur
face of the country around Fayetteville,
together with the abundance of wild grape
vines, show a peculiar fitness in the soil
for the grape. Nor would the planting
of the vine be altogether an experiment. |
A gentleman living in Fayetteville, of for
cign descent, planted few years since |
one hundred and ten vines. They were
Of the Concord, Catawba, Delaware and |
HerbcmOnt's MadeITa-the last nativCOf |
Georgia. Nine out of len bore well, and |
the third year after planting them he made /
one hundred and ten gallons of wine, |
which he is retailing at six dollars per gal |
Ion. And this from quarter of an acre. |