Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-01-17
FACTS ABOUT EAST a TENNESSEE.
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Important Questions OGicially
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We present as our East Tennessee ar
ticle this week an interesting letter from
our State Commissioner of Immigration
c. w. Charlton-written in reply to inter-
rogations propounded to EX-President
Andrew Johnson now living in his |
old home in upper East Tennessee. Mr..
Charlton has given this subject much at
tention and writes, therefore, with q clear
understanding of the question. Occupy |
ing quite different position politically
from US, and writing from different
standpoint, we all the more cheerfully
give his communication place in the
CHRONICLE to the end that our many
readers in the North can see how this ques-
ton of immigration is considered in East
Tennessee.
S. d. Inghdn1 Ripley, Ohio:
DEAR SIR: Your letter addressed to the
Hon. Andrew Johnson, ex-President of
the United States, has been sent to me by
that distinguished gentleman, with the
earnest request that answer 1T. | trust
YOU will excuse the liberty thus take in
making the contents public. 1 do so for
the reason that my answer may be read by
scores of your contemporaries with the laud-
ible view finducing them to" cast theirlot'
1
of the Knoxville CHRONICLE, a daily
paper of our city which has heavy circu-
iation, not only in this section, but
throughout the Northern States, through
which to submit this answer to your letter.
OF course, it is simply impossible, in SO
short space, to give you perfect idea OF
our section and its numerous advantages.
would infinitely prefer your paying us u
visit, and examine our country at your leis-
ure. / am sure you would be delighted
not only with our soil and climate, but you
would be pleased with our people, fea-
ture which l will more fully allude to fur
Their along in the communication.
1. "IVhat is the average Valuc Of inn
proved land for Stoch-roiSing purposes"
To answer this question intelligibly it is
necessary to he somewhat specific in de-
scrbing our lands. We have four distinct
varieties of land; LIST. The Valley lands
ID The river-bottom lands. Sd. The ridge
lands. 4th. The mountain lands. We
have no prairie lands or extensive plateau
of lands such as abound in your State
Our ridges aud mountains and mountains
run east and west, and these form our val
Ieys.
Our valleys are not very wide, but are
generally productive. They are adapted
70 the growth of the different grasses, pro
duce elegant clover, and reasonable guam
titles of wheat, corn and oats. The farms
in these valleys constitute our best lands
for "stock raising purposes" They arr
we'll watered, which is a weighty consid
Grafton in the raising of stock. such lane
is worth, upon an average, from eighteel
TO twenty dollars per acre. In some local
tiles it may be bought for lower hgnre
Iknow of q body of land, comprising fiv
thousand acres, nearly all tillable, conven
lent to railroad, well watered, heavily tim
bered, finely adapted to blue grass and T.
"small grain'' fair improvements, supe
rior water power, elegant springs and som
minerals, that can be bought for tifteel
dollars per acre. | might also remark tina
il lies in moral community and conven
tent to churches and schools. | know c
another body comprising about three thou
sand acres, very superior land, gently roll
ing, cool spring water, in the heart of on
of the richest valleys in East TENNESSEE
contiguous to railroad churches and scho(
houses, and in an excellent communit!
that can be purchased for twenty-five do
lars per acre, on time. | am thus partlcr
lar in order to give you some definite ide
of our lands, all of which are admirabl
adapted to the business of stock-raising.
Our riverlands are held at pretty hig
rates, say from fifty to one hundred do
lars per acre. This is owing to their u
trinSic Udiuc They are enormously produ
tive. Corn is the great staple upon then
wheat does not do so well. They produC
timothy and clover admirably. The cor
is fed to hogs. But little attention is pal
TO cattle, which must be a great mistak
The ridge lands are not worth, intrins
oally, much. They are only valuable II
their tirnher and as outlets forstock. Ca
tie and sheep fare well upon them duriI
the summer season.
The mountain lands are extensive. TIL
YOU will believe when tell you that v
have four or five different mountains, M
stretching along the entire length of o.
section. They are invaluable TO us. In Il
first place they are full of iron ore and stol
coal. We have enough of either, l a
sure, to supply the world. In the ne
place, they afford an immense area for t
grazing of stock. You can see indicat
in these brief hints the value of the
mountains to us. Wewould not give the
up for the world Year after year they q
demonstrating to us their incalculat
value. New discoveries are constantly |
Ing made in minerals of different kinds.
2. as Stock-raising Sheep consider
profitable ?"
take it that you are particularly sol
Nous to know if sheep hus6dndry is prot
able in East Tennessee. l unhesitatinp
affirm that do not believe there is a s.
tkon on this continent better suited to Il
business than this section. Everything
favorable, not only to the longevity of I
sheep, and to their healthfulness, but
the producing of superior quality
wool. The cost of keeping them Is