Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1875-11-10

Axp TOBACCO.

cast, we como to q vast area OF |
limestone lands, resembling an OBJ
long saucer, with a broad, almost
fiat, rim. This rim is chiefly Of a
variety Of limestone known rs sub
carboniferous, and gives a soil like
that in Missouri around st. Louis.
1t is iuterspersed with small areas
of SOILS and rocks like those of
Western New-York. 1t has an
average elevation of nearly 1000
feet above the sea, and comprises
the great tobacco and peanutgr0w
ing counties of the State, and at
the same time good crops of cotton
are grown, and from tie grains, es-
pecially wheat, large yields are OBJ
tained, II Is probably the best and
most certain region for farming In
Tennessee. The soil varies from
n light red to deep chocolate col
or, and the native tree growth-Of
oaks, hickories, poplars, and wal
nuts-is very luXuriant. 1t cannot
be called first-rate for grass, but
grass sown with clover will do well.
There is no good reason why any
farmer en- this rim with even
moderate industry and economy,
should not OILY do well, but also
make money.
Tennessee raises full 25,000,000
pounds Of tobacco, and more than
three fourths is from these rim
lands. 1t is n heavy leaf with
small stem, which sells readily for
export. From 700 to / 800 pounds
per acre is the range Of yield, but
the average may be set do:n at
$50 pounds. The town of Clarks-
Vile alone shipped, in 1873, IA, 800
hogsheads. 1t is plain that the
grade Of this tobacco my be i'm
proved, but the average price of
the present quality is about 10
cents per pound. Another great
crop of this region is peanuts,
chiefly raised in Humphreys Coun-
ty. The usual product per acre is
40 bushels, and the price seldom
ranges under 81, while it is fire.
quently much higher. 1t is crop
to which attention has been given
since the war, and now runs up to
over 100000 bushels. 1t is plain,
therefore, that with lands yielding
$40 in peanuts, and 800 in tobacco
or $50 in cotton, and at the same
time growing good wheat crops, not
inferior corn, and at least second
rate for grass, that this section is a
desirable one for the farmer; and,
as transportation is easy, it is his
own fault that he does not accumu-
late money. -a.
A BASIN OF BLUE GRASS.
Descending from this rim an
average of about 200 feet we find
the great blue grass region of Ten
nessee, as fine a stock raising sec
tion as any in the world. The soil
is like that around Utica, n. Y,
and southeast TO the upper part of
Orange County. The more south
ern climate makes the blue grass
perpetual and calls for less strict
and shorter shelter for cattle in
Winter, while 1T also permits of
growing cotton as money CROP
When / say this, thousands OF your
readers. will not need further de
scription; they will know that in
this. section they have a soil where
cheese and butter can be made to
perfection and the best of beef fat
| rod. r1na pl- of . fra tof o,N1
climate is all upon which they will
need information. t".
Bounded on the east and south
by the high Cumberland mountains
and protected from the north winds
by the highland rim, this Nash
vile Basin has climate cool in
] Summer beyond what its low ele-
walton above the sea (averaging
only 700 feet would seem to war
rant, while its Winter climate is
sufficiently cool to be invigorat-
ing. AT Lebanon University the
observations of many years, make
the average mean temperature of
the year 80 degrees, while the
highest Summer heat known dur
ing that time was 81 degrees
Springs of cool water are abundant,
but all more or less limestone. The
markets are Nashville, Chatta-
nOoga and the Southern cities.--
Railroads lead to Louisville by one
route, TO Chicago and st. Louis by
another, by a third to St. Louis
alone, again to the cities Of Ala
bama and to New Orleans by the
Nashville and Decatur and South
and North Railroad, and to Chat
tanooga by road leading from Nash
Vile and thence into the heart of
Georgia by the Western and At
lantic. Rates of freight on the
railroads are very cheap, and the
Cumberland river also affords
cheap transportation for thousands
of tons OF produce. This whole
Middle Tennessee region, embrace
ing an area of over $4,000 square
miles, may be said to l,e in every
acre productive of agricultural or
mineral wealth, and continues now
the most generally diffused intelll-
gence of the State. With a good
soib excellent climate, easy trans
portation to market, and cheap
fuel, in immense beds of coal on
its eastern and southern borders,
no one but must admit its present
great advantages and future wealth
and prosperity.
THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU.
Between the limestones OF Mid
die and those OF East Tennessee
rises up vast series OF mountains |
sometimes lining in single peaks
to an elevation of over 5000 feet |
above the sea, then coming down |
to 1900, and laying thus in great |
long plateaus, from 5 to 20 miles !
vide, as level as the Western prai-
ries. This is the Cumberland Ta-
BILE Land, as wonderful freak of I
Natures sublime work as the tree
less plains it so frequently resem-
bles, but, unlike, them, covered |
everywhere With good timber
growth, sometimes wonderfully