Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-02-14
FLOODED Stork-NO. 3.

In my last article, insisted that our
farmers should quit, absolutely and
entirely the practice of eXhausting
our fields aud consequently the wealth
of the country, 10y sending off South or
East our surplus corn, hay and oats and
insisted that these things should be con-
verted into sheep, hogs, mules, horses, cat
tie, butter and cheese. In this way there
can be returned to our fields in the form
of manure what is taken from them i'll the
crops. BY no other system can our fields
be kept up. Any other leads to deteriora-
ton, exhaustion and poverty. Look at
our worn fields, red with exhaustion, and
deeply cut with gullies, and you behold
the result. Where are the grain and grass
producing qualities, that once distinguish
ed these red hills, and reioiced the heart of
the early settler Part of them, by shall
low cultivation has been washed down in
to the streams, and is gone forever, and a
part has been carried, in the form of hay,
corn and oats, to the Southern markets.
How long, oh how long before our farmers
will learn wisdom
But few people Oh this continent are
blessed with higher natural advantages
than we have. Ours is emphatically q
grass region, or probably more correctly,
a hay region. We challange the world to
beat us in clover timothy and red
top do well. Orchard grass makes a
grass will grow wherever there is rich soil
and a little shade, and especially on the
north side of our hills. 1t requires a rich
soil-indeed everything valuable does
and it should be sOwn after thorough prep
aration of the soil, just as other grasses
are sown. No halfway, slip-shod work
will do for blue grass, any more than for
clover or timothy. 1t may be, and indeed
is probable, that orchard grass is the great
grass for pasture for our region.
Be that a. ii may, it is certain that all
our hills, a well as our valleys and bot
TOMS when MANFRED, will produce splen-
did crops of hay. With the most misera-
BILE preparation, as rule, of our meade u.s.
thousands of bales of hay are sent to South
ern markets. With good farming, the
amount of surplus hay produced might
be augmented five times over
Now, look at our position. We are a
grass or hay region. We are on the Ue1y
borders of the cotton region, where hay
cannot be produced with much success.
We hold the key to this vast region. 1t
must hereafter, as heretofore receive its
supplies of beef, pork, mutton, butter,
mules and horses from us, and
from the region north of us. We are
the nearest, and therefore can reach
the market first, and the cheapest
And here our farmers can find a market
for all their fine stock for all time to come.
TeeulnS anu IdltenlnB cattle pays IN u
double sense. By it you get market for
your hay, corn and straw at home. BY It
you double the value of the flesh already
on your steer, by making it fat and ten
der, and you also add much to the old
flesh. There is your direct profit, The
indirect comes in the form of large sup
ply of manure, which is gold to the good
farmer, and which will make the worn
fields rejoice with plentiful crops for next
years feeding. Some Pennsylvanians
came into our county few months since
and purchased land. The first thing they
did was to erect stalls and sheds and fill
the stalls with stock for fattening. They
had to purchase steers, corn, hay and
straw for this purpose but they were not
deferred. They have sold a part of their
steers and made money on them But
while they make fair profit directly, their
great profit, and this was their obectl
consists in a huge pile of manure ready
for the fields. Those men will coin gold
and have herds of fine cattle, and will
grow rich, while their neighbors will look
on with amazement. Welcome, welcome,
ye noble pioneers Would that we could
count them by hundreds and by thou
sands Il.