Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-12
THE CITY.
DAVIDSON COUNTY FARMERS,
CLUB.
Report of the Committee on Labor
The Best Grazing Grasses.
Adjourned Session.

The Club held an adjourned meeting al
their Club rooms on Saturday morning,
Feb. II, Vice President A. T. Obenchain
in the chair, and DR.. Foster, Secretary pro
tenn
As the Secretary was absent, the Score
tary pro TEN. read, as the minutes of last
meeting, the report published in the
UNION AND AMERICAN mot including the
lengthy discussions) which minutes were
approved.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR.
At the meeting held on Feb. 4, the
following resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That committee of five be
appointed to report, at the next meeting,
as to the most certain plan of securing la
borers competent for the service of the
country.
Col. johnson, from the committee, pre-
sented the following:
''The late revolution in our labor system
suggests with force the inquiry proposed
in the question under consideration, IN
the answer to which mono are more inter
ested than the farmers of Tennessee. For
the present, your committee can merely
suggest, that the adoption of system
would, in our Judgment, materially serve
the interest of both employers and en-
ployees The formation of that system
covers so much ground, and is OF such
vast importance to ell concerned, that, for
the present, we decline further than to
suggest, LIST, that all laudable and reason
able efforts should be made by your hon
orable body to dignity and honor labor,
and expuDge and wipe ont from the his
tory of Tennessee the foul and suicidal in
sinuation that to labor with ones hands
is suggestive of inferiority in intellect or po-
sition. Then we would suggest that, in
our judgment, employers of laborers, and
employees, will derive mutual benefit by
the presentation by the latter Of evidence
of facility and efficiency, and by the farmer
providing on his premises comfortable
homes for the families of his employees,
and paying them liberal wages, always
giving preference to those whose whole
families will Join in active employment to
secure an honest independence, and by
every means discourage the false idea that
freedom means the right to be idle.
''These steps being frat taken to render
available the labor we have, then let Us,
by all means, encourage, from all parts Of
the world, the immigration of honest and
intelligent, industrious people, whom We
may reasonably hope can and will learn to
love and defend our country and assist in
developing its resources"
Col. Johnson, in presenting the above
report, stated that the little time the COM
mittee had devoted to this subject did not
authorize the committee to present a de-
tailed report.
Gen. jackson objected to certain por-
tons of the report, and in accordance with
his suggestion, the words foul and
given in the original report are stricken
out
On motion of DR.. Foster, the report of
the committee was received, and the com
mittee continued as a standing committee.
Mr.. Obenchain stated that lie had been
reported in the UNION AND AMERICAN as
having recommended the sowing Of blue
grass with timothy. This, he stated, was
what he did not approve.
TNoTE.-At the meeting referred TO,
while Mr.. Obenchain was speaking, the re-
porter was engaged in copying a report.
A prominent member of the Club, who
appeared to be listening attentively to Mr..
Oberchain's remarks, told the reporter
that Mr.. Obenchain favored a mixture as
above stated Supposyng of course that
the member of the Club was right, his
statement was believed to be correct. -
REPoRTER.
REGULAR DISCUSSION.
The club then proceeded to the discus
sion of what were the best grazing grasses
for this section.
Mr.. Tanning stated that, in his opinion,
the only very valuable grass for middle
Tennessee was bluegrass. Ia his opinion
no other grass could come in competition
with it.
Mr.. Anderson said he was bluegrass
man.
General Eweu said he had no positive
opinion, but would like the advice of the
club.
Mr.. Tanning argued in favor of blue
grass.
DR.. Williams made some remarks, but
did not express any positive opinion as to
any particular grass.
Col. johnson said that bluegrass was
very SLOW to take hold.
Mr.. Mark Cockrill addressed the club,
taking the ground that the orchard grass
was much the best.
Mr. Obencha!n said he had had very
little experience in blue grass, but be
knew something about some of the other
grasses. He knew something about or
chard grass as a grazing grass and as q
grass for hay. He thought it well, how
ever, to SOW woodlands with blue grass,
which afforded fine pasture. II orchard
grass was sown with blue grass the blue
grass would eventually root it out. Or
chard grass should be sOwn with clover,
unless 1t was intended TO have permanent
pasture or a permanent meadow. We
know that we have reported the gentleman
correctly this time
Mr.. flaming asked Mr.. Obenchain how
be would get G stand Of clover when the
ground was too poor to hold it ?
Mr.. Obench8in replied that with gypsum
and guano there was no difficulty in get
ting a good stand of clover. 1t had been
done in the Piedmont region in Virginia,
and the land in Middle Tennessee had a
| much better subsOil than the Piedmont
| country.
Mr.. Tanning said that one great Difficult
| ty in our grass land was the deficiency Of
subsoil The hard pan wOUld be reached
very soon: and if the ground be plowed a
foot deep or two feet deep for the grass il
| would be better. 1t was true that the
| sooner the seed touched the hard ground,
the quicker it would grow, but as soon a!
the hot sun came out, the grass woul(
dwindle and would not gTOw-neithe
grass, nor corn, nor cotton, or any seeC
| ont of the earth. If you break your grounC
for grass pasture, pillow it ten or twelve, OF
twenty -four, or even thirty-six inches
| deep, and then tramp the surface anC
make it sufficiently compact to hold tn,
seed and give it a start, and let the subsOi
be porous. Then, in my judgment, yOr
have the whole secret Of success in having
good grass.
DIR. Eos ter addressed the club in favor c
orchard grass. He mentioned severe
reasons why he preferred orchard grass
among others that it would stand drowth
He thought not less than a bushel and
half or two bushels should be sown; an
mentioned the case Of a certain ger
tleman who had orchard grass, and bi
fields were much better covered with gras
than those of his neighbors in his imme
diate vicinity.
Gen. Harding addressed the club 9
some length, and in the course Of his re
marks said he thought people should b
instructed where blue grass would grow
and where it would not. Blue grass va
confined to a very limited extent of couI