Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-08

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mountain-x From this place the driver
usually indicates, by blasts On his bugie,
the number OF passengers on board. A
little northeast Of the observatory, and
some hfty yards down moderate decliv-
ity, il, the spring that has made the place
famous. A large building, some thirty
feet long, with an upper and lower story,
| well supplied with seats, has been erected
over This spring. The spring shoots out
| from perpendicular sandstone bluff, in
tiny stream, not larger than good sized
| piDe.stem, and loses itself, after running
1 short distance, in the porous, sandy
soil that is found on the side
| and on the crests of the mountain.
Though small, the stream never fall
tiers. The dry weather scarcely diminishes
| its volume nor the wettest seasons in
crease il. Perennially it flows life
| giving, tiny stream, supplying an abund
ance of water to all invalids, yet like sll
! precious things, not lavish in its supply.
Here visitors may descend either by the
inclined road from the observatory or BY
flight of over hundred steps from the
main road ab3ve Either way gives plenty
| of exercise, and the exercise necessary to
| obtain it may be valuable auxiliary to
the curative properties of the water.
PROPERTIES OF THE WATER
There has never been quantitive
analysis of this spring made, but it is
| chalybeate with trace of iodine and
some other mineral ingredients. The
present PROJECTORS desiga having care
full analysis made, and though it cannot
| add to the virtues of the water, it may
serve to crafty rational curiosity and
indicate the character of the diseases
| for which it should be used.
We have said that this spring lies a little
northeast of the observatory. About
the same distance, in northwesterly di.
rection, breaks out from the side of the |
mountain, beautiful stream of free
stone water A basin has been cut out
of solid rock to receive this, and the wa
| ter is 80 clear and transparent that but
| for the tiny waves that are constantly
playing over the diminutive basin, one
! could scarcely believe that any water was
present Visitors TO the springs merely
for the scenery and the pure mountain
air, vastly prefer this water. Indeed its
sweetness and freedom from any lime
stone taste would make it acceptable any
where. A brick springhouse encloses
this; three walls only being required, the
back wall being q solid perpendicular
sandstone, from which the water issues
as though it had been struck by the rcd
of Moses in the wilderness.
FRUIT GROWING,
There is one other chalybeate spring,
at Dan, distant half mile from B3ersheba
in westerly direction. Mr. K ,gers, toe
owner of this spring, is engaged in fruit
culture, and has place beautifully i'm,
proved and orramented with evergreens
of various kinds and rare and beautiful
exotics interspersed between. We OBJ
serve here the Mahoais, snunusual shrub,
with holly-like leaves and blue berries;
the Psulonia inlpenGlis, which bears
q besutiful lilac blossom, very fragrant
and grows with great rapidity. We also
ssw beautiful purple and white fringes,
and many Towering shrubs, forming al
together q collection both rare, BEAUTIFUL
and valuable. Mr.. Rogers has in boaring
fifty varieties of peArs, all of which do
well. The trees, when we saw them,
were well nigh breaking down with fruit.
He hiss also great variety of apples, all
o. which yield bounifully. His vine
yard consists OF five acres, and
though lot In fell bearing, gives
promise of remunerstiye yield. He
has many kinds of cherries that keep him
supplied with this fruit for two months.
He thinks the mountain soil and climate
| are especially suited to the improved va
rieties of the cherry. Dir. Rogers is an
Englishman by birth, and thinks nothing
equal to his cherries has ever been raised
in England. He sells then out a. four
dollars per bushel, and is unable to meet
the demand at that price.
Our observations of the orchards of
Mr.. Rogers fully convinced US that those
mountains will be exceedingly valuable
in few years IS a fruit growing region.
Fruit never fails, and the porous nature
of the soil iEsuripg good drainage all
the while, makes all fruit trees healthy
and long lived.
We also saw gOoseberries, currants, Aee-
tarines, plums and various other kinds OF
fruit growing ia great perfection. Toe
mountain sod is sspdy, and easily cult
waited. 1t grows well Irish potatoes,
fruits of sll kinds, and some of the grasses,
clover especially; but makes poor yield
of the cereals. Land is cheap and album
dant in the neighborhood of Beershebl,
and can be bought unim proved for three
dollars per acre.
By many, the mountain lands are
thought to be well adapted to sheep hus-
bandry. Wild grasses grow luxuriantly
snd supply large amount OF grazing to
stock of al kinds.
A MAGNIFICENT NATURAL PANORAMA.
Back of Mr. Rogers house, on the
way to the chalybeate spring, just before
reaching q turn in the path that descends
rapidly to the fountain, fine view may
| be hsd in the direction Of McMinnvile,
which varies from that sesn from the OBJ
servatory by having full view OF Middle
Ridge, bold promontory that juts out
into the valley, and at right angles to the
nd yes sesn from the observatory. The
view here is much wilder and more pic.
turesque than from the Hotel. To the
northwest extends a succ ession of peaks
| glowing in wild confusion when we view
il in the evening sun, with the brilliant
coloFing of chain of gems. Deep
gorges and dells, painted in colors dipt in
heaven, added glorious splendor to the
| scene. We would advise al sojourners
at the springs to visit the little suRuer
house back of Mr.. Rogers residence an
hour before sunset on clear
day. We have never seen any
thing approaching the beauty of this
landscape seen at such an hour. And as
the sun descends, and as the deEkpese
crawls up the mountain sides, deep
silence seems to brood over the earth.
There before you stand the mountain
peaks glowing with associated beauty,
and tinged with the ligh: Of departing
/ day. "deathless and sublime. Darkness
in the valley deepens until all objects
BECOME undistinguishable. A strange,
unearthiy cQlemnity pervades the atmos-
phere. Your thoughts run back to the
time when those mouutaine were up
heaved, when earth rocked, and WILD bill
lows rushed with the fury of hundred
aVaIanches down those deep valleys. The
soul wrought up by sad reflections, in
unison with the scene, enjoys glorious
exaltasion, and feels the halloYipg and
divine influences of the hour and the sur