Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-26
FARM ECONOMY h ITALY AND
NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA.
Hon. Thomas L. Clingman describes
IN the North Ca DINA State AgrieuItu-
taray Journal two ways of dealing with
manure: one, as practiced near Rome,
Italy, and the other In Buncombe
county, n. c., which VIII repay pe1usal:
1 have observed two modes of using
manures which are very unlike in
themselves, and are followed by very
different results. When, driving out of
Rome one day In an open carriage, the
driver paused for a few moments at the
outer edge Of the city. Immediately
opposite me on the left side there were
two women with white aprons on a
piazza, and in front Of a house adioin-
ing this, several men were at work
Suddenly, the younger of the two
women came running 10 the carriage,
as 1 supposed probably to speak to the
driver before he started again. She,
however, got down on her knees, ex-
tended her apron forward on the
ground and with her hands rapidly
drew into 1t, fresh and clear as it
was, pile of manure Just
dropped. AS soon as she had scraped
in every particle Of it, she gathered up
the edges of the apron and started back
with the load. l heard a laugh among
the men, and on looking towards them,
l saw one of them had a bucket and
shovel in his hand, and had started to
secure the manure. The time he lost
IN getting hold of his utensils enabled
the woman, who was already equipped,
to carry off the prize, and the laugh
was wholly at his expense.
l had a momentary feeling of sur
prise, but on reflection, said ''this will
pay" 1t would not, perhaps, require
more than ten minutes of labor to re-
store the hands and the apron to a
condition Of cleanliness, while the ar
ticle secured might be a dinner worth
of vegetables for severaIipersons.
Such was the Italian mode. And
next consider the other or Buncombe
mode. An intelligent citizen of that
famous county lived in the beautiful
SwannOah Valley, and a clear noun
tain stream, called Bee Tree, ran Just
in front of his house. As the surface
of the stream was almost level with
the surface of ground, my fellOw-citi-
zen being a gentleman Of good intellect
and considerable reading, saw on re-
Election that he could with little trouble
utilize its waters. He constructed his
stable Just as near to it as possible,
and then cut a slight ditch to the
stream, and with the aid of a hastily
made gate Of boards he could at viii,
let the water into his stable. When,
therefore, his stable became rather full
Of manure, he had only to turn his
horses on the pasture for a day, raise
his little gate, and In few minutes the
stream of water carried everything away
and left his stable much cleaner than
it would have been if he had used a
mattock and spade. His neighbors all
admired his ingenuity in having been
able to plan such a labor-saYing opera
ton. Indeed this operation brings to
the mind Of the classic reader one Of
the most famous achievements Of the
great Hercules.
Which of these two methods is most
advantageous to a country Italy is
certainly the most beautiful region that
l have yet beheld, but this is not entire
ly due to its natural features, wonder
full as they are. Old Buncombe and its
surroundings possess a beauty marvel
GUS to the human eye, but Italy has
had certain adventurous aids that place
Il far IN advance.
Everywhere farm economy, tillage,
and husbandry Are IN a transition
state. Probably more water is used
for purposes of irrigation in Italy than
in any other part of Europe, and the
droppings of quadrupeds and bipeds
are at least worth saving. But the
science Of agriculture Is as young in
the land where the historical wolf
sucked Romulus and Remus as in the
mountains of North Carolina and
Tennessee. Nor does gathering street
fertilizers into a clean apron with fe-
male hands show any remarkable ad-
vance on the rural industry of the prim-
tive woman.
U