Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-11-17
THE VALLEY OF EAST TENNESSEE
As seen by IA Tribune Correspondent.

MT. IL. r.. COTTON al OCCdSlODhl cor
respondent of the Tribune wrote let
ter from Kingston, from which we
make the following extract:
The great East Tennessee Valley in
special areas surpasses Middle Ten
nessee, yet in the aggregate il is infe-
rior in soil and in the status as to i'm.
provement in culture, yields, and
stock. In its topography it is "a series
of ridges and valleys; of these, the
valleys are very fertile and nearly ali
! in cultivation, the hillsides so greatly
! in their primitive woods that one can
hardly say what may be made from
! them, their luXuriant growth of tim
ber clearly indicating that a day will
come when they can be used. The
soils of East Tennessee comprise every
character, from the rich alluvial down
to the sandy barren, but its chief soils
are derived from the decomposition of
magnetism limestones, and have no
superior for wheat. Corn is the uni
versal crop on the rich lowlands, and
wheat or other small grains on higher
grounds. Coming from the Cumber-
land Mountains, the valleys begin
with a rock formation of sub. carbon
! ferrous limestone, which TO my uu-
scientific readers | may remark is a
rock very rich in fossils, hence con tain
ing some phosphoric acid; then we
! have, alternating, the dolomites or
magnetism limestones, and the series
of limestones common to the Nash
Vile Basin of Blue Grass lands, to
near the North Carolina line, when
we come upon vast ridges OF sandstone,
known as the POtsdam, and then pass
gradually through the micaceous and
talcose states to the gneiss on the hign
peaks of the Unaka Mountains.
The ridges through this course are
chiefly of red clay dirt, interspersed
with flint called ebert. This Is de-
rived from the decomposition of a
sandy limestone, and wherever cult
waited these ridges have proved to be
good wheat lands, and whel a loca-
ton carefully selected have no supe-
rior for the growth of apples, pears,
and peaches, and some varieties of
grapes. 1t is loose, open soil, never
suffering from drouth, and on south
west hillsides crops are never liable to
be injured by frost. Some of the ridges
have sandstone rocks and can not be
of marked fertility, while on one, over
summit and sides just out the decom>
posing points of the same limestones
] WnlCu udNt Ihduc liiC blhC vi mss
of Kentucky famous, and where that
unrivaled food for stock has been sown
or is allowed to grow, these peculiar
knobs become simply elevated mead
ows. The soil on these knobs is of a
dark chocolate color where cultivated,
and in the woods approaches black,
from the great quantity of vegetable
matter it contains. At every point
where in woods the East Tennessee
ridges afford excellent pasture lands
in Summer, and they, as well as the
Cumberland table lands, might be-
come the great source of supply OF
fine merinO wool, but for the fact that
one dog is valued more than a dozen
sheep. OF course this feeling is not
universal, but the class who think
thus and who have a half-doZen half
starved ours around their novels is en-
tirely too large for any Legislature to
dare take the matter in severe hand.
WHAT KEEPS EAST TENNESSEE UNDER.
The great need of East Tennessee is
a money crop. Cotton is raised to a
small extent, and its growth might be
greatly extended, as many acres are as
suited to grow 1t as where thousands Of
bales are produced in Georgia with
warming fertilizers. Tobacco might
also be grown with profit, as has been
demonstrated by several experimental
fields. There is a lack of energy
among the people and strong dis
position to let we'll enough alone,
which keeps them from trying new
ideas, yet there is probably no equal
area in the South in which many I'M
proved agricultural impliments are
used as in the valleys bordering on the
East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia
Railroad. The misfortune il that
with abundance Of the best iron and
coal and finest of timber trees, much
the greater part of the farm imple-
ments, even to Wagons, come from the
North West. Again, there is no part
of the South OF Il same area as East
Tennessee which possesses such va
riety of soils and iue possibility of
producing so great a range of crops.
There is belt of land from four to
ten miles wide, running for 100 miles
within less than five miles of the East
Tennessee, Virginia aud Georgia Rail-
road, that has not in all New. York its
superior for dairy farming, and from
the depots on this road the butter could
be sold for 80 cents per pound and over,
cash, Shipment sOutni yet tnere IS not
a single regular dairy in the region.
The most reliable fruit lands in the
world are the ridges to which | allud-
ed, and l have Heen pears grown on
one of them, near Kingston, Roane
County, rivaling the CALIFORNIA; in size
and beauty, and far surprising them
in flavor, yet in the fruit markets OF
Chattanooga the demand is supplied
by California. With the change OF
crop system being adopted by the cot
ton planters of Georgia, every year
will lessen the demand there for Ten
nessee corn, and hence these people
must seek out new crops, unless capi-
tai should furnish them in vast man
ufacturing establishments . home
market. Upon the whole. It may be
said that, In soil, and climate, and
mineral resources, East Tennessee
offers to the immigrant more advaut-
ages than any other part OF the South.
RAILROADS, STEAMBOATS,, AND WHAT
Is SOLD.
At present transportation is afforded
by only one railroad which, entering
the State ut Bristol. Va, there com
L x,.unIoa,Bncx Nib EnKf,lh f,IInuya tha