The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-05-27


pers and magazines indulge in, will
do her no good. To say the South
is rich in agricultural wealth, is an
unfair statement and will do harm
to persons who would come here on
the face of such q statement; be-
cause to the observing eye, the con-
verse is true. The land of the
South has never been rich in natur-
al soil like that of the North and
West. The body of the land could
never have been rich and fertile, but
she has had a natural soil, which by
proper cultivation, in rotation of
crops, in rest, and in fertilization,
could have lasted always. The SUBJ
soil of the great body of land in the
South is clay and where this is the
condition, the soil can be brought
back to its original status. The in
stitution of slavery was at war with
every principal of a true cultivation
and perpetuation of the soil. The
great forests of the South were her
only natural fertilizer. When these
were destroyed, slavery raised corn,
tobacco and cotton, and in these an
uals there were no rests to the soil
or additions to the fertility of the
land. Writers on agricultural pros
poets in the South, can afford to tell
the truth,because what she lacks in
her present condition, is made up in
the price of land and cheap exter-
nalities of life. There is but a small
quantity of the land but what will
grow clover the with the best sys-
tenn of Northern farming, the great
body ofland can and will be brought
up, and when that is done, the hills
of the South will not alone be the
home of the sedge-grass, but Of the
English or Kentucky blue grass.
A large body of the land will not
support blue grass because of it's
exhausted condition. 1t is true the
long summers Of the South and
their tendency to thoughts make
us think blue grass cannot find a
home here. But all this can be
changed. The old fields need some
shade which can be afforded in the
planting of the walnut, the wild
cherry and a few other forest trees,
which will yield the protection
needed to shield the blue grass.
The high altitude of large portion
of the South is favorable to the
growing of blue grass. Many of
the old fields which have been
thrown out or given up to sedge
grass, can be fertilized and re-
claimed by clover and wheat. A
system of cultivation which adds to
and retains the soil is the one to be
followed and clover and wheat Is
that one. Corn, oats, tobacco, cot.
ton and millet, are enemies to the
soil. These take up, and give back
nothing, not even rest and unless
you can add to the land the ingre.
dents which make the grain and
the stalk, the soil will soon be ex.
hausted and the result is starvation
to the land and to owner. what i
needed in this country is an intel
ligcnt, experienced farm labor. The
first and great question should be
how can bring up my land the
best? instead of the question, what
can plant that will give me the
most from these exhaustive lands
The trouble has been how to make
the most out of poor land, without
taking thought as how the lane
can be improved and kept up. 1t
may be that thorough cultivation
as with corn, may be essential t,
destroy the weeds and wild grasses
but would try every other wa!
first. Such as blowing in under, O
cutting with the mower, to proven
seed ripening; in both cases thes,
weeds can be made into fertilizers
Your fields, when in grass, may be
come exhausted if pastured closely
These may have to be taken out o
blue grass, into wheat and clover
for a few years, then back to blu
grass. With these advanced exper
fences in raising up poor land mel
can afford to come South and bu,
the cheap land.