Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-12

to come from full and free discussion.
Nothing better deserves our study than
: the true sources of fertility on the
north side of hills, and the true causes
of barrenness on the south side of the
same, SO far as any difference exists.
That there is often marked difference
the writer has noticed inupper Georgia
and South Carolina, in Western North
Carolina, in Tennessee and Kentucky.
As a general fact, there is no doubt in
our mind that unlike rocks and geolog-
ical formations produce a large share
of this diversity Of soils and timber,
aided by whatever difference there may
be in the climates of the two sides of
Southern hills and mountains.
The writer owns farm on the north
side Of Bays Mountain, extending
up its side a little, and run
ming north toward French Broad
river, lying in Knox county near Gap
creek. Close to the base of the noun
tain is a sharp hog-back hill running
east and west, several hundred feet
high and cleared land on both sides.
Renters are glad to cultivate the north
side of this hill In corn, wheat and
other crops, but it is almost impossible |
to get any one to work the south side, |
and the ground Is growing up in |
bushes. The original timber was twice |
as large on the north as on the south |
side of the hill; and the soil, which is
fair red clay, is less inclined to wash,
whether cultivated or not, on the north |
side. This clay produces twice the
quantity of oak, walnut and poplar,
containing IN their trunks, roots, and /
limbs, twice as much Of the salts of
potash, soda, lime, and magnesia as
could be extracted from the naturally
poorer clay on the south side.
This statement leads to the inquiry,
why one sort of clay and subsoil is so
much richer In the mineral elements of
forest trees, and all crops, than anoth-
er? These clays all come from disin-
tegrated rocks, formed In ancient
oceans from the debris of islands and
continents. Prof. Rogers, in a geolog-
ical survey of Virginia and Pennsylva-
MIA, estimated the stratifed rocks of
the Allegheny Mountains, from meas
urements and the careful study of
years, at forty thousand feet in thick
ness, as originally deposited IN ancient
seas. Among these, lime, sand, shale,
and slate are most abundant, and give
character to hills, valleys, rocks and
soils in all this part of our
continent. On one of our fields
limestone is scattered by a gorge
stream from Bays Mountain; this
ground yields good wheat. Above,
where the water never runs, are sand
stone and their debris which make
thin, poor land. This great diversity
of soils results from the difference in
parent rocks, place them where you
viii. But there is some difference IN
the climate on the south and north
sides of a stOnewall, barn, hill, or 2
and how shall we fairly esti-
mate this difference as it affects the /,
fruitfulness and value of land? Re-
peated freezing and thawing either on
the south or north side Of hill can do
no HARM unless the soil is washed t
away. The effect is mechanical like :
that of tillage, fan and winter blowing. a
Shade and dampness on the north side
Of hills promote certain kinds of vege- :
tation, particularly European grass.
Within the las; six weeks we have had
an extra allowance Of rainwater, and i
now We have as the natural conse-
Iuence, an extra growth of grass and
corn for forage purposes. These in.
structive facts tells US to utilize the v
rains that we receive in common years :
IN all sides Of hills far better than we D
are in the habit of doing. In a word :
let us make the south side Of our hills
richer than the north side now is, by D.,
by the use of concentrated y
the growth Of paying crops,
and the thick shading of!the soil from
, scOrching sun. The same minerals
in clay that serve to call into existence v
a large walnut tree, viii do as much j
for clover, timothy, corn, wheat and to.
bacco. How crops grow is well under 2
stood. They are nearly all air and a
mater, but need little of the stuff that
makes ashes when grain, cotton
and forest trees are burnt. If the soil
acks the earthly salts Of potash, lime,
ETC., so indispensable to form paying
crops, the farmer must learn TO supply
the deficiency in the most economical
way. 1t is at this point that geology,
chemistry, physiology and elimatOlogy
come to his aid, if he has tn sense to
5reat these friends as plain, unexacting
friends ought to be treated. Climate
creates nothing, whether hot or cold,
vet or dry, shade or sunshine. All
LAY, sand, gravel and common stones
,ome from rocks; and every farmer
should learn the chemical composition
# the rocks which give character to
ais soil and subsoiI down to solid
strata below, for thousands of feet.
Our friend McClung should recog. q
lize the facts that there are often on
he north side of hills five times more
zone material In cubic foot of subsoil
han in subsoil on the south side; and
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