Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-09-12

d quantity instead of quality. The r
{, gion around Clarksville is singular
q favored In the peculiar composition
d the soil and In the inscrutable agen,
: of climate for the production of tn
: crop. Under judicious culture an
q correct management the farmers ma
: grow quality of tobacco that can /
!, grown in no other place in the Missi.
/. sippi Valley. In raising an inferiC
: article they are thrown in eompetitio
{ with the farmers of Indiana, Illinoi
, and Missouri, who can produce a lo'
grade much cheaper, because the soil
in those States will yield a create
! number of pounds per acre. Mani
festly it would be to the highest an
best interest ofthe farmers to produc
the highest type, and thus avoid compe
tition, and secure better price. Fo
this reason small farmers would d,
well. Indeed, there are but few place
in the South where intelligent farmer
could do better. OF all the crop
grown in this State none requires tn,
exercise of SO much Judgment, skill
and foresight. 1t is impossible for al
unthinking man to manage successful
ly crop Of tobacco. A difference il
the shade of color will often make q
difference of twenty-five per cent. in the
price of the article, and how to pro-
duce this color, exactly when to cut
and how to house, when and how long
to fire. when to bulk and how to prize,
are all questions in its management
that require the incest discrimination
and Judgment. The best managers
will sometimes get two or three times
the price realized by the common, ig-
norant farmer. The chief drawback
to the country has been that farmers
plant out crop too large, and run the
risk ofprocuring additional laborers at
the critical time in its management
1t too often happens that when this
critical time arrives additional help
cannot be procured, and consequently
the value of the wholecrop is impaired
The best tobacco land may be known
by the native growth of blackjack and
scrub hickory with an underground of
hazel and black gum. 1t should be
slightly undulating, with an admixture
of blackish red pebbles, an argillace-
Gus rock with fossil remains silicifed,
but still retaining trace of phosphor-
ic acid. These pebbles, interstratifed
with clay, form an admirable natural
drainage, and make the land much
warmer The best type of tobacco is
thick but fine, heavy of leaf, but small
of stem and fibres. The next best land
for tobacco may be known by the
growth ofpoplar, sugartree, beech, and
white oak, with pawpaw. The tobacco
grown ON this land is more leafy, but
not so rich or fine as that grown on the
blackjack and hickory land. Red oak
land with mulatto subsoil will grow
fancy article of tobacco, but it is al
ways light. The average amount
grown annually in the country is $500
hOgsheads, or about 5,000,000 pounds.
Sometimes the crop reaches 5000 hogs
heads. The average yield per acre is
$50 pounds, though the best soils often
produce 1000, 1,200, and sometimes
more. Though the locality described
is the largest tobaccO-produciing dis
trict in the State, yet the same type Of
tobacco is grown all over the county,
and also in the counties of Stewart
aud Robertson adjoining. These, with
the contiguous counties in Kentucky,
grow what is known as the Clarksville
tobacco.
WHEAT.-There is probably no land
in the State better for wheat than the
best uplands in Montgomery. The
siliceous soils, strongly impregnated
with lime, give strength to the straw
while they also give plumpness to the
berry. Under the best system of till
age the yield often reaches thirty bush
els per acre, and some few far
mers have raised forty. The most
general average is not far from ten
bushels on the lands south of the
Cumberland, and fifteen on the farms
bordering on the Kentucky line. By
judiciOus tillage this could be doubled.
The use Of the drill in the best parts
of the county is increasing the yield.
Reapers are in general use. Nowhere
is there better -four manufactured. In
the northern markets it is eagerly
sought after. The extent to which
this crop is raised may be inferred
from the fact that there are thir-
teen large Touring mills in the
county, that manufacture annually
$4,000 barrels of -four for shipment,
besides the amount consumed at home.
The -four has the valuable property of
retaining large percentage of water
in the baking process, so that barrel
will make a larger number of pounds
of bread than that grown north. Nor
is this property peculiar to the wheat
grown in Montgomery only, but is
characteristic of nearly all the wheat
grown in the State
INDIAN CORN is staple crop, and is
grown upon every farm in the county.
The yield on best uplands is forty
bushels; on bottoms, fifty bushels per
acre.
CLovER.-This plant finds a congo
NAL soil in Montgomery. 1t is grown
in every portion of the county, and is
much used as renovator. The best
farmers have it in regular rotation
with other crops. The following are
the usual rotations practieed: First
year corn, second oats and sometimes
wheat, third and fourth years clover !;
or first year tobacco, second wheat,
and third and fourth clover. The clover
seeds are sown with the oats or
wheat.
HAY-On the alluvial bottoms,
considerable quantities of hay are
made, and the yield from timothy
sometimes reaches as high as three
tons per acre, though rarely. Usual
ly, about one and half and two tons
of hay from this grass are regarded as
satisfactory. Larger returns are OBJ
tanned from German millet and Hun
garian grass Mowers and horse-rakes
are quite commonly used.
POTAToEs.-Sweet and Irish pota-
toes are grown upon every farm. The
yield of the former varies from seven
ty-fve to one hundred bushels. For
several years, owing doubtless to un-
favorable seasons, the Irish potatoe
has not done so well. This vegetable
was largely exported ten years ago, but
more recently, not sufficient quantity
has been raised to meet the home de-
mand. For early varieties, the Early
Rose and Russet are preferred. Some
! farmers still raise the London Lady,
which is very rich, but not soearly nor
so productive as those mentioned.
For market, the late varieties-Peach
Blow and Mountain Sprout-were
once grown very remuneratiyely. We
have known, In extreme cases, 400
bushels of the latter to be produced
upon one acre. The usual average is
100 bushels. Rich uplands are much
better suited to the growth of this veg
etable than bottom lands, though on