Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-14
BEDFORD COUNTY.
Address of Col. kiIIebreW-HOw his
Suggestions were Heceiyed-Or
EanIZRtiOn OF a Farmers, Climb.


To the Editors the Union and Ameri can:
On Saturday, the Sth inst. We were ia
vored with an address from your Agricul-
cultural Editor, Col Kllebrew. To say
that we were pleased with it would be to
express the universal sentiment of the
intelligent audience that listened to him
for about an hour. His manner is good,
earnest logical and pointed; he never
fails 10 attract his audience, and to hold
them by the array Of truths he has so
symmetrioally grouped together. One OF
the great excellencies of his address, Sat
urday, consists in the fact that he made
no attempt TO teach our people how to
farm; that, as he very wisely concluded,
must be left to their own practical wis
dom, which would lead them to study
carefully the nature of the soil, the char
setter of the climate and, with the other
surroundings, they must for thCmse, ives
determine which crops were best adapted
to their farms, and which culture would
best preserve their soil and, at the same
time, give them az amount OF products
that would TemuneTate them for their
labOrs. While he avoided the details in
cident TO the successful cultivation Of
farm, he discussed at some length some
of the general principles that underlie all
farming. His argument upon fertilizers
was unaCsWerab.e; many of cur farmers
have been investigating this subject very
carefully of late, and q large amount Of
manure tia. has heretofore been permitted
to 20 to waste is now garLered aud returned
to cur Impoverished soil. The speaker
gave it as his opinion that clover was
now the cheapest and most SPEEDY re-
nOvatOr of our tired soil. Ia this
be is right. He had many hearers
whose experience accorGs fully with the
views of Col. KiIlebrew. This county
has for many years sOwn large breadth
of clover, and believe il it claimed shat
tie first red clover sOWn il Middle Ten
ncssee was sown here, and adjoining cur
Fair grounds This spring tie clover
sown greatly exceeds any other year. We
hope the Colonel will continue to urge
this important branch of farming every
where he goes, for our wealth in the
future depends upon grasses and not on
com or cotton. His appeal to the farm
eTs Of the State 10 maintain with g firm
grasp the true dignity of their profession,
was to the pcint and should be needed by
them. On this branch of labor all others
rest, and Without the tillers of the soil
all things must decay and go to ruin.
This beirg so, how long Will the farmers
continue 10 occupy q subOrdiBate position
in the battle of life. TIER counsels
should be heard and needed, ard will be
when they qualify themselves for such
life, and uphold what we all admit is one
Of the most independent and honorable
calliDgs in the world. Let the sons Of
farmers be educated and then they will
intelligently perform their various duties,
and young men of real talent will cult
Va'e the soil and not crowd what is known
as the learned professions and often
drag out miserable existence. This IS .
great mistake and one too often fallen
into, and not seen until The day is past
to apply the remedy. We hope Col. XII
Hebrew will visit this county again ard
give us another address Our farmers
| have at last walked NJ. We have a ye}y
large number of bloOded cattle, sheep
and hogs in this county, five or six field
greater than at any previous date, and the
S'cry is still they come" We have al
ways had very large number Of fine
horses, especially saddle stock, and this
stock is greatly on the increase. Oar
mules are Of the very best grades Ia
fact, every department of agriculture has
had new life infused into it, and the ten
dencies are onward and upward.
After Col. Killebrew's most excellent
address our farmers organized 8 Farmers
| Club and Institute, some forty persons
Joining on Saturday. That number will
be quadrupled at their next meeting. TIE
Club elected the following officers fol-
three months:
Col. Lotan Shoffner, President.
DR.. Thos. Lpscomb, Vice President.
s. F. Cunningham, Recording Sec'y.
Thomas c. Allison, Treasurer.
We arctic have fair this fall, and you
will be very heartily welcomed here a
that time. BEDFORD.