Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-24
FARmlNG IN EAST TENNESSEE.

We clip the following from the Knoxville
Press and Messenger Of the 2lst inst. 1t
is from the pen of its special CORE spondent
writing from Polk county, which is favored
BY Providence with immense deposits of
copper: 81
GI found vast zeal Of exhausted land, as
| have found everywhere else in my travels
over East Tennessee. The soil on the two
rivers mentioned is naturally productive,
but candor compels me to say that it has
been badly abused. 1t has been ''run in
cornn for nearly century, and, Of course,
it has had to give way under this iniudi-
cious treatment. The uplands, for the
most part, have already succumbed, and,
In consequence, it will require years of
faithful toll and of persevering industry to
bring them upto their normal condition.
There is but small per cent OF the land in
grass and clover, and but lite effort mad9
to inconomiZe manure. Under tbese cir
cumstances we need not wonder that the
lands are 50 completely exhausted. Can
the farmers pay their taxes and meet their
ordinary expenses with such an exhausted
condition of their land? Certainly not.
And 1t is for this very reason that so many
of them are trying to sell aud to move to a
new country. Thus far, in my travels and
investigations, find one half of the farms
of East Tennessee for sale. Folly two
thirds are for sale in Polk county. There
would be perfect exodus from East Ten
nessee If the owners Of real estate could find
purchasers.
This is q terrible condition of things, and
ought to be checked by some means. Ii the
population going out had their places sup
piled by others coming in, 1t would be all
right, but did you know that there hiss been
q falling off Of immigration of at least TWEEN
ty-five per cent. in the last eighteen months?
Il is verify 30. Only al occasional straggler
drops into our midst, and he gets here by
chance, since we are making no efforts TO in
duce immigration. Other Ststes, and even
Territories, are outstripping Us in this matter
and will continue to do so as long as we
fold our arms snd wait for something TO
"turn up." ae1- au.1--a
The above treats Of very serious mat
ter, yet not one Tennesseean In ten thou
sand appears so to regard 1t. Why should
any farmer in Europe or the Northern States
desire to settle on our worn out landsY
All know that there is more fresh, virgin
soil outside of Tennessee than within its
limits, which can be bought at government
price, or 81 .25 an acre, and in many places
for less. Our old plantations with the
cream and much of the timber gone, cannot
attract immigrants like rich new lands;
and these draw of, steadily and largely,
our most industrious and enterprisiDg pop
ulation. This annual loss of industry and
capital is greatly to be regretted, and never
has been studied IS it ought to bs. To assume
that fair compensation is attainable BY
immigrants from abroad, is mistake,
which in the end, is likely to prove very dis.
astrorls. Common sense tells us that bird
in hand is better than two in the bush
That bad. system of farming which impair:
the earth's natural, fruitfulness all over Ten
nessee and the South, (to say nothing o!
other Stases), should be discontinued at
once, and forever. Its tendency is to die
fuse population-leaying the minimum
NUMBER to cultivate each impoverished
square mile of cd fields, however extensive
the depleted territory. Cities built up on
land-killipg agriculture have q precariou!
foundation, that must give way with the
soil and rural labor that support them. The
land holders and business men Of cite
should be the last to depopulate the farm
ing and planting districts that supply then
with good paying customers. On the con
trary, every particle Of manure that can b
made or saved in cities ant
villages, sholld BE- sold K
farmers as low as possible and in form q
concentrated as wheat, cotton and meat, K
bear transportation back to every fiel(
that exports either food or clothing for NAL
That trade and commerce which take stspl
crops from titled ground, and make no sd
equate restitution, are, for all practical pur
poses, both thieves and robbers. Th
eaith's natural fertility is the gift of God +
our common humanity. 1t belongs exclu
sively to no one generation; nor can az
generation have moral right to make on
acre less fruitful Tor the next tina
it found it. Man has r'gh
to do good, not evil in the world
How absurd to assume that any communit
living partly in city and partly in the SUI
rounding country, has g right to injure the
posterity by impoyerishing the land tha
| will feed and elothe them. What is this br
the often assumed right to do wrongP 1t
this assumption that ruins SC much OF OF
productive lator. Noimmigration can cuI
! this moral sore on the public conscience
1t is a sin that God Furnishes severely, an
always will punish as it deserves. Choler
and yellow fever are two forms OF this cha
tisement. Many others might be named.