The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-10-23
Farm Lands of Tennessee.

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their excellencies will prove an at
tractive subject for a letter, there
fore | will devote this one to them.
In the first place, the climate is
perhaps the most genial and better
adapted for diversified farming and
stock breeding of any in the middle
states of our continent. Neither
the cold nor heat, to which the sec
tion is subject, are ever excessive,
and though the changes in tempera-
ture are often sudden, they are
never so sudden as to jeopardize the
interests of the thrifty farmer
AS rule, the lst of May begins
the actual summer, and from that
time until the 10th Of October,
frost is rarely ever felt. The spring
is usually favorable to farming prep
aratiOns, while the winters bring
with them none of the disasters so
common to other less favored re-
gions.
Fhe soil is of two kinds-light,
gravelly with clay substrata in the
rolling sections, and rich, alluvial
along the creek bottoms. Lime
stone formations prevail, and are
considered the prime causes which
produce uniform fertility. The
thinner qualities of soil, having
clay for their substrata, not only
hold moisture, but any srtifcial
fertilizers that may be put upon
them. AS to those along the creek
bottoms and valleys, rich is scarcely
the word to denote their productive
ness.
All kinds of small grain and corn
grow to perfection and of a quality
unsurpassed anywhere in America.
By judicious draining and plaster
applications, specially when assist
ed by liberal contributions of barn
yard manure, the poorest lands in
the belt will produce from twenty to
thirty bushels of wheat, and a cor
responding amount of the other ce
reals. While resting the land, good
yields of timothy and other hay
grasses can be raised, and every
where blue grass will grow perfectly.
1t is useless to make statements
as to possible productiveness of the
soil because every farmer who
reads this knows that, with such a
climate and soil, the farmer holds
his own success in his own hands.
AS grazing country and one
adapted by nature to stock breed
ing, too much cannot be said.
Bluegrass is indigenous, and as the
soil is heavily impregnated with
lime, all animals grazed upon it
grow strong, have grand bony for
nations, and substance never
equaled except under similar con-
ditions.
This assertion will be rebuffed by
Kentuckians, yet the fact is incOn
trovertible that with such records
as were made by Black Sophia, Nor
giana, Sarah Bladen, Ann Chase,
Muggins, Arizona, Aranza, Bran
BILE, Luke Blackburn, Geo. Kinney,
Glidelia, Kennesaw, and a host of
other race-horses, no state can out
rank stock bred in this country.
Since the first importations of
ShOrthOrns, Durham, Jersey and
Holsteln cattle; Merino, Cots void,
and Southdown sheep; Berkshires,
Suffolks. and other varieties Of
swine, the results of their owners
show so fatteringly that L am in
clined to think that Middle Tennes-
see has no superior home for either
or all of them.
The war retarded the farming in
dustries of the state, while it lasted,
and with it's termination left the
majority of her farmers so impoyer-
ished that they were, for years, un-
able to do anything; but fortunately
many of them managed, by hard
work and strict economy, to hold on
to their lands until foreign capital
began to come to their res
cue. They profited by the expert
ences of the past, and at once joined
the progressive band, and as a con-
sequence, Tennessee is rapidly be-
coming richer than she ever was.
There is, however, much to be done.
We need more farmers that know
how 10 TO cultivate and enrich our
soil, and bring with them some cap
ital and fine stock. There is plenty
of room for large number of such
settlers, and when they come, they
will never have cause to regret the
move.
Fruit can be grown here in end
less quantities and Of the very best
varieties, but to do so, the grower
must understand the business, and
come prepared to wait until nature
will have assisted his efforts. Once
the orchards begin to produce,
hundreds of canneries will spring
up, and millions of dollars pour
into the state to buy the luscious
and toothsome articles.
Tennessee has always been known
for the enormous quantities of ores
hidden in the mountains, and since
the few mines and furnaces were es-
tablished, that are now being
worked, northern capital has been
creeping into her territory. What
the future of their developments
may be, figures can scarcely esti
mate.
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dance on almost every stream in the
state, therefore there is no limit to
what her manufacturing interests
will grow to; but one thing is GER
tain, that when her population be-
comes sufficiently numerous to de-
velop her mining and manufactu
ring capabilities, then the farm
lands will be taxed to their utmost
to supply them what they will need.
The counties referred to in my
previous sketches are in the center
of these rich and varied interests,
hence their advantages over nearly
any other portion of the state, and
by the position, beauty of landscape
and fertility of soil, they will be the
first to be bought up, therefore let
not prospectors lose any time in
making up their minds lest the
| Golden ODDOrtunitV NAV he lost to