Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-05-06
'WHATA NEW ENGLAND EDITOR THINKS
OF EAST TENNESSEE.
a Good Farming Oountry..-The city OF
Knoxville

hnONv1IIe.
Mr.. $. Fletcher, one of the editors of
the Ne,0 England Farmer, published at
Boston, has been in East Tennessee for
some days and writes to his paper as fol-
lows of our section and city:
From Dalton, which is near the northern
boundary of Georgia, to Knoxville, the
whole country appears to be well cultiva-
ted, and wheat the leading product. The
valley" of East Tennessee, up which we
are now travelling, is walled in by the
Blue Ridge on the northeast and by the
Cumberlands on the southwest; bu. the
" Yalleyn is by no means a plain or a
prairie. Sharp Iridges of hills run parallel
with the course of the outside mountains,
and are so numerous thatfew of thestreams
have any chance to form extensive bottoms,
intervales or swamps. Even the noble
Tennessee river winds its way among hills
chat come down to low-water mark, or is
confined by perpendicular limestone cliffs.
Exceptions, however, occasionally occur,
and rich bottom lands, from one-fourth to
four miles in width are seen, which rival
the far-famed Connecticut valley. But
East Tennessee is, on the whole, far more
hilly and broken than 1 anticipated. Cleve-
land and a few other towns have a compar-
atively level site, but, like Knoxville. on
its " seven hills, u most villages and cities
are perched on elevations.
ing country / lever saw " said young man
in the cars who was brought up in Texas.
" Why, wheat was all headed out when
left home" But l looked on vegetation
more than q month in advance of that at
my northern home; On soil more fertile
than that to which have been familiar,
and on hill.sides less rough, and precipitous
than those i helped to cultivate in my
boyhood Thus different are our stand
points, and thus different the impressions
received by different individuals from
view of the same objects. Yes, East Ten
,nessee is New England set down in mild
,er climate. True, the soil has the red tinge
common to the southern country, but here
are mountains, hills, swift streams, great
variety of trees and rocks, and plenty of
grasses and clovers, including the Ken
lucky Blue grass, which makes beautiful
lawns as well as rich pastures. Having be-
come pretty thoroughly homesick during
my winters sojourn in the comparatively
level and grassess cotton country, all due
allowance may be made for my expressions
of admiration for these blue mountains,
green hills, orchards in blossom, noble
wheat fields, and fat cattle and horses.
THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE.
OF our growing, healthful and attractive
city with its clean streets and beautiful
surroundings he says:
Gay street. approached from the south by
a new bridge over the Tennessee, recently
completed at a cost of S1S0,000, and from
the depot buildings on the north, is now
the main street of the city, and has
many fine stores, warehouses, &c. Among
them, the wholesale dry goods establish
ment of Cowan, MCClung & Co. struck
nae as out of proportion to the size and busi-
nes9 of the place. ] suppose the city has q
population of only about ten thousand, and
yet here is a firm that do a business OF
about two million dollars year. They
import many goods directly from Europe.
1 was shown over the establishment by
Mr.. Perez Dickinson, one of its founders,
n native of Amherst Mass, who has been
in the business here forty years. Theil
building is some 10 by so feet, and its five
floors are crowded by piles of goods, from
q lady's hat to Fairbanks largest scales.
Two creeks of sufficient size to furnish
water power enter the Tennessee within
the limits of the city corporation. The last
mile of these streams is succession OF falls
and rapids over limestone ledges, and here
are rolling mills, nail, furniture, and othel
factories, flour mills, potteries, saw mills
tanneries, &C., which have done and are
still doing much to justify the remark o
the editor of Memphis paper, who recent
ly visited this city, and said Yankee
houses, precisely such as one sees on every
hillside in Connecticut, adorn the loft!
heights in and around Knoxville. Yankee
Yankee agricultural implements wieldej
10y Yankee hands, and barns built b,
Yankee muscles, and fences perfected b.
Yankee toll, and saw mills and factOrie
reared and managed by Yankee money an!
Yankee enterprise, have revolutionized
enriched, and made East Tennessee at thi
hour the most prosperous and attractiv
district 1 have seen from Montreal I
Mobile
THE TENNESSEE UNIVERSITY AND AGRI
CULTURAL COLLEGE.
On one of the "seven hills u of Knox
vile, stand the buildings of the Tennesse
University. The entire eminence
owned by the corporation, and is one {
the finest sites for college ] ever saw. Th
grounds are neatly laid out, with broa
bluegrass lawn, trees, and passage ways
all of which are kept in good order Th
entire property of the old East Tennessee
University, valued at Sl500O0, was ottere
to the State as the foundation of the agr
cultural and industrial institution to b
established by the fund nearly S4OO00O,-
created by the sale of public lands appro
priated to Tennessee by Congress. IN
offer was accepted by the Legislature, an
the University is now the Industrial Co
lege of the State. Including larr9 PR
paratory class, the number of students
over three hundred. They all wear a gra