Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-01-15
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
Greasy Cove. Cumberland County.
, 40. NCII.

The following letter has been handed us
for publication:
Greasy Cove is small valley; situated
a little south of straight line from Nash
vile to Knoxville about l2O miles from
the former and 20 miles from the latter
place.
This valley is about 400 feet below the
table lands of Cumberland Mountain. On
Two sides of the Cove, however, the noun
tains are much higher than the surround
ing country, being 600 to 800 feet above the
table lands. lhe Cove contains nearly
1000 acres of land, and is about miles
long by y wide. The soil is exceedingly
fertile, producing large crops of corn, pota-
toes, rye, oats, hay, wheat, &c. II is what
is termed limestone soil, and is, therefore,
very lasting. There are portions of this
land that have been cultivated-or rather
cropped; /. e, have been plowed and planted
every year for sixty years. This kind Of
farming is, of course, very exhaustive to
the soil, and although there is continual
Draft on the land in this way, there is
nothing returned to it in the way of ma
nure-a artificially-and this style of farm
ing has been going on ever since the coun-
try has been settled. The present rich
GcSs OF the soil is accounted for in this
way:
The sides of the mountains around the
Cove being covered with limestone, which
was tes and washes down, supply the Cove
with a material manure, thus enabling
the soil to sustain this heavy cropping
from year to year without the addition of
any other fertilizer. Here we have the
advantage over most other countries of a
good soil that is ineXhaustibl9, This is
tn he first essential of farmirSg country.
The next thing to good soil for farming
country is pure water. This we have in
abundance. Cove Creek runs almost the
eEiro length of the Cove. Then there are
many smaller streams flowing into the
the creek with great quantity of springs
oozing out from the mountain, and making
towards the creek-and il would be rgr
thing to fud a hundred acres of land in
Greasy Cove without good spring on il;
aud there are usually two, three or four
on ahundred acres. Cove Creek is large
enough to run both grst and saw mill
the greater part of the year, and a grist
mill alone all the time.
The climate of this section is peculiar
Viii lie we are able to produce the crops of
the North almost, if not quite equal to the
Nor tn, we are also able to grow the
products of the South. Winter apples Irish
potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, hay, pea
nuts &C., grow here side 10y side, of the
finest quality.
1t is generally thought by those Of the
Northern States, that it is impossible to
cultivate the tame grasses to any extent as
far South as Tennessee, but this is entirely
an erroneous idea. Greasy Cove will pro-
duce as much hay per acre as Western
New York, which is conceded by all to be
equal to any part of the North for grass
One meadow in the Cove, of % acres,
has averaged for four years past, II ton of
hay to the acre each year, while some
acres cut two and half and three TONS
This meadow was seeded 33 years ago; is
pasturcd every winter, and it lay in COM
mons two years during the war.
h,v alD, nt,l J%x,. III =. IL
for hay, while bluegrass makes excellent
pasture This latter grass seems TO be per-
fectly natural to the limestone soil of this
country whenever it has a chance to spring
up, without sowing seed.
Orchard grass has not yet been culti-
waited to any great extent, but is Il success
as far as has been tried.
Fruits of all kinds do exceedingly well.
The trees live to great age and attain an
.astonishingly large growth.
Wild grasses grow in profuson, es-
pecially on the sides of the hills around
the Cove, and it is no rare thing to see
grape vine reaching from the top of
hickory or poplar tree hundred feet 10
the ground.
Among our forest trees are the poplar,
sycamore, ash, pine, gum, beach, maple,
oak, chestnut, cherry, walnut and hickory.
OF these poplar grows the largest.
The chestnut and oak are next in size;
tiic loiScHI vi lllSSS tNCtSu - lttJ iii cir
conference.
There are many curiosites in the Cove
and on the surrounding hills, in the way
of caves, water falls, bluffs, rocks, De.
On this rs well as other accounts this
would make 4 good resort for semi-inva-
lids, as there is plenty of sight seeing and
no sameness or mOnotOny. One can cX-
plore every day for a whole month and
oach Cay find something new under the
sun ~ and, indeed, this has been tried as
AN invalid resort number of times, with
.beneiicui results i'm every case.
This climate is especially healing to all
throat and lung diseases, not excepting
that inclined to consumption.
There about forty families living in the
Cove, and, all being desirOus of more
dense population, those owning large
farms are willing TO part with portion of
their lands at from - to Slj per acre TO
induce Northern immigration.
Hoping you may conclude TO come and
cAainine this country for yourself,
am yours respectfully,
Il. \. STRATTON.
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