Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-11
WHEAT AND GRASS.

The season of the year has arrived when
those who intend sowing either wheat or
grass-seed, or both, should get their ground
in order for seeding. A. this writing the
earth in the vicinity of Nashville is too dry
for blowing with comfort and profit; but
there is 3 fair prospect of rain, soon. Every
farmer should know and ponder the fact
that wheat and the best European grasses
originated on the same continent with the
white man; and that this race or species of
the genus homo canpot prosper in large
industrial way, without paying much at
tentiou to the culture of both cereal and
heritage grasses. They give him at once
both his bread and his meat. By applying
for several generations in the South the
major part Of our agricultural labor 10
planting cotton, American corn and
tobacco, we have sadly neglected
to improve our wheat culture.
and to large extent, forgotten the Euro
pean value set upon Superior pastures and
meadows SIS sources Of profit to the intelli-
gent farmer. Without the public being
aware of the fact, this is really great mis-
fortune. 1t 50 misapdies our farm indus
try as to render over half the surface of our
farms little batter than either wild land, or
impovisbed old fields, from neither of which
is any income derived TO pay taxes and sup
port family. The consumption of fertil-
ity by exclusive tillage, and the steadily
growing poverty of the owners of the soil,
as its fruitfulness diminished, lead the cd
sagacious, Romans to appreciate the value
ofgrass to form rich turf, much manure,
and plenty of wool, meat, milk, butter and
cheese, working stock, and a
high standard of home comfort.
Seeing all this, and having no new lanes
near by to fee to when the old homestead
was exhausted, sound public opinion de-
clared that che is public benefsctor who
makes two blades of grass to grow where
one grew BEFORE" Out of over twenty
nine million acres Of land in Tennessee, not
more than two million are well and pIofits
bly, cultivated. Only one fifth is pretended
to be "improyed;" and it is a fair question
for discussion, whether we cannot by grass
culture, stock raising, dairy an sheep hus
bandry, obtain an income from at least hall
of the tweDty.four million acres Of unim
proved land which is mostly owned in the
State. There are grasses that have held
the soil one hundred years in Tennessee
Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia
Blue grass is of this character; and it
within the knowledge of the writer tina
blue grass seed scattered near creeks il
Georgia, where farmers fron North Caro-
lima and Tennessee camped a. night Wit
their wagons IN the las. century, is stil
growing as finely as anywhere in PenDsyl
vania, Oao or Kentucky. a. that earl
day, Augusta, Savannah and ChsrlestOl
were their PLACES to purchase supplies an
sell farm produce, and English hay Wa
carried 10 feed horses, mules or oxe
on the rOa1. These little blue grss
HSON
from fifty to one hundred years
and still keep green, and hold the ground
These facts are suggestive aud instructive
We have millions of acres of land in Tea
nessee that should be seeded to the be'
grasses at once. There are thousands {
plantations in Middle and West Tennesse
on which Bermuda grass should be place
in the foreground for summer grazing, an
perhaps for moving on rich, bottoms.
has produced more pounds Of good bay
Mississippi than any other grass. Any on
can possess a firstrate orchard grass psstur
by ploEing good land well, barro ing
smooth, sowing a bushel and pe,k
seed to the acre, and covering 1t with bus
drawn by one or two horses. We alwal
SOW grass seed both ways, and on groun