Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-05
.AGRKCULTURkL FACTS 70 BE
Studied.

SAOD4A1Ds
At the United States census of 1850, the
cash value of the farms in Tennessee was
returned st S271, 35S,9s5. In 1870 Give
years after the close of the war;, these
farms were returned as worth in our de-
preciated papsr currency S2lS,743, TAI.
Surprising the currency of 1870 to be equal
to that of 1860, the depreciation in the face
of high prices for all imported goods and
home manufactures, Is So, 6l5,23e. Why
should Tennessee farms, the spinal
column of its wealth, strength and industry
60 down in value, while labor and capital in
other forms go up? VIII it be said that
the fault is with the farmers because OF
their lack of skin in agriculture? Had they
not as much skin in 1870 as in 1S6OY
Certainly they had. Did emancipation
cause this fall in real estate? Unquestion-
ably this had depressing effect on the val
ne Of cotton and other large plantations;
but In counties where there were only q few
slaves, and farms were generally small, it is
difficult to see how the change Of our labor
system elsewhere should depress the mar
ket price OF land as has been witnessed. Do
not the facts that, when laboring man In
Tennessee wcrks at the business of making
iron he Is paid dollar and fifty cents
day for his services and only fifty nts a
day when filling land aud raising corn,
have the effect TO depress the value of corn
land not less than that OF corn labor? Ii
corn was worth 150 bushei instead of
so cents or under, farms would rise at
once in price, ard farm labor also.
Unless we diversity our farm products
more, We shall soon be where South Caro-
lima is, as shown by an exchange:
q "South Carolina was to be led from
worse than Egyptian slavery to promised
land; and it literally has its Moses, that be-
ing the name of the Governor OF the State.
But let us see what THO Moses says of the
promised land. In his message 20 the Leg
islature he says: She face Of the emf
grant is turned away from our Safe; and
capital, which sets labor in motion and Gre
ates the manufactures which contribute TO
the comfort and elevation of man, shrinks
back from us as IL the seals of pestilenee
were broken and the walls emptied out upon
this beautiful land of ours. Hence nearly
three-fourths of our vast territorial area,
containing not less than thirty-six tho1sand
square miles, lie fsllow to day. This is
not all. The valuation Of the State de-
creased 81 per cent from 1850 TO 1870, en-
from $S46, 1886, 754 to $l6S, 500, 06l. During
the same period its acres of improved laud
diminished nearly one fourth, and their val
ne from $139, 652, sos to $44,678, 764. ln
1868, the State debt was 81 ,407,9 8, and
this was increased In 1871 to $29, 15S,914.
The local taxes In 1860 were $3.50 ,OS6,
and in 1870 they were $2,767, 676."
If we permit our agriculture in Tennes-
see to 60 down hill from year to year, as it
is now doing, it is simply question of
time when we shall reach as low a condi-
ton as South Carolina, or any other State
can possibly find. Something wise and ef-
fectual must be done to arrest
this downward course Of farm
industry, or our agriculture is q failure.
Corn and cotton culture are oyerdone in
blIs DbdLCs lnbICdO VI CSLGO GAA AAAA-
lion acres under the pillow, and no more i'm
proved LARD of any kind, we should have
only three million under tillage, and twelve
million in the best grasses adapted to our
different soils and climates. We have the
surface, fertility, temperature and annual
fall of rain to raise easily and naturally al
most any amount of grass for pastures and
meadows. Why paY high taxes from year
to year on twenty -four million aces ofland,
and poorly cultivate one fourth fit, and that
in staples which return beegarly fifty
cents a day for the labor performed?
This approaches the folly of throwing away
hard work to wear out Tennessee soil and
make it the best land in all the South to
emigrate from into some! newer country.
Grass culture and stock-growing: sheep and
dairy -husbandry will naturally recuperate
our old fields, increase the value of and de-
mand for farm labor, and the annual income
from our lands and estates. Good farm
stock sells higher in England this year
than 1t has at any time in twenty centuries.
1t cannot be raised there on land worth five
or six hundred dollars an acre rs cheaply
we can raise it and send it to Englard by
rail and steamships. Our labor must be-
come more commercial to suit very COM
mercial age.
THE TRICKS OF DISHONEST