Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-04

land at SIPS per acre; my father gave
me S400 at different payments; re-
ceived 240 acres Of land with my wife,
rated at 81 400; the balance 1 made
mostly by cattle. When 1 bought a
farm generally paid cash down; I have
only signed one mortgage IN my life,
and that only lasted one year. The
financial school 1 was brought up In
said, if you only own ten acres be sure
and keep it clear Of incumbrance. L
have only varied from this once, and
that was in buying $50 acres of a
stranger payments One-half down and
One-haf In twelve months.
I am often asked what my land is
worth. Land joining my farm sells
at from SIS to $50 per acre, when it
sells, likely as good land as mine-all
made the same day, at any rate. My
land is all well adapted to cattle rais-
ing, and generally well watered. My
farm is in Eastern Illinois, Edgar
county, two miles west Of the Paris
and Danville railroad, and four miles
north of the Decatur and Indianapolis
railroad.
have a new house to build this
year, which bothers me very much at
present. dwelling for my own use
The house will contain 100000 bricks,
$4,000 feet Of lumber, 81, 200 or $500
worth of stone trimmings, with slate
roof. JAMES GAINES.
Ridge Farm" Ill.
Raising steers that viii weigh two
thousand eight hundred and nine
pounds head, fairly on the scales,
selling weight, by the score, and others
a little lighter by the thousand, is a
business which farmers In all the cot
ton States should enquire into.
We happen to know that the climate
is very favorable to blue grass all the
way from Nashville to Augusta, Ga.
In Greene county, Georgia, we have
seen blue grass grown from the seed
brought from Kentucky over sixty
years ago sown, and the ground never
reseeded, yet the grass never failed to
make firm turf, and superior grazing.
1t is a grass that requires a plenty Of
lime in the soil; and the ground should
not be destitute of other elements of
fertility. Blue grass comes as natural
" into the writer's farm near Nash
vile as it does into any land in Ken
lucky or Illinois. 1t abounds In the
limestone lands of Western New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Missouri. Pastures are improved,
and yield more grazing in the course Of
a year to have orchard grass, oatgrass,
red top and several of the fescues as
well as the two leading species of blue
grass, (pOa cO11 Pressa and poa prateH-
SIS, growing socially on each square
foot Of earth.
In months when a part of these
grasses are dormant others grow and
afford a good bite for stock. To pro-
duce large, fat and probable steers
and heifers, coming early to maturity,
one should give a good deal of atten-
ton to his pastures and meadows. It
is absurd to suppose that a farmer can
excel IN the art Of beef-making by bad
management. Mr.. Gaines was born
and raised a cattle man from the be-
ginning" He did not make his re-
markably fine bluegrass soil; but it
viii pay any man in Tennessee,
Georgia or Alabama, to develop rich
land by natural forces as Nature made
this prairie Ridge Farm" Her meth
DDS are not past finding out, nor be-
yond perfect imitation Man conquers
Nature by studying and obeying her
laws. Steam has tremendous power;
but it is surrounded by strong iron
and becomes the Obedient servant, the
great worker and artist of human rea-
son. All agricultural force is equally
obedient to science.
Mr.. Mech, of England, has a little
pony engine Of six horse power, which
both irrigates and manures at one oper-
alton, ten acres Of grass or grain in a
day. The engine that prints the UNION
AND AMERICAN can do as much. The
only trouble is that our best reason is
not applied to agriculture. 1t is more
natural to look on, and wonder at the
success Of such men as Mech, Gaines,
Alexander and Sullivant. Many of us
have depended too much on that broken
seed called negro, to improve our farms
our farm stock, and other property
Illinois and New York shook off the
African incubus at an early day. The
road to independence and wealth is now
clear, smooth and solid for the South
ern people, if they viii only use it, and
not look back ike Lots wife on the
dead past. The African may clog oul
progress but he cannot check materi'
ally the progress Of other parts of the
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