The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-23
THE NASHVILLE EXPOSITION

OCP0AOAACA "a GuO 46uu6SSC0 O04VCn-
nial Exposition, and is working assidu
ously to present to visitors the most
elaborate agricultural display ever
seen on the continent, and with every
prospect Of success.
At q meeting of the Centennial Ex-
ecutive Committee the other day, Mr..
Champion, General Counsel for the Ex-
position Association, presented the
necessary papers for the transfer of
the Agricultural. Buildings to the State; /;
so Tennessee's agricultural exhibit will
be distinctively official.
The Agricultural Building is mag
nificent structure, originally intended
to be 500 feet long by 300 feet wide, but
it has been made much larger. It is in
the Renaissance style of architecture,
with a central dome rising to height
Of 100 feet and six minor domes of
taultless proportions, The four en-
frances lead ur der beautiful arches,
embellished by carving and surmounted
by statuary. The manage ment intends
to have the full power and scope OF
electric lighting displayed in this build
ing, and the electrical decorations will
be superb.
The building is beautifully located
on the grounds, and it's classic lines
and fine proportions are seen to advan,
tage from all directions.
Commissioner Allision has recently
issued a geological and county map of
Tennessee that sets forth the resources
of the State in very clear and precise
manner. The opening paragraph may
serve as a text upon which q sermon
might be preached on the infinite pos
sibilities Of the future. Itsays: Ten
nessee needs thrifty and reputable i'm
migrants, because the farmers of the
State have more land than they can
cultivate, and there are more mineral
resources that have not been developed
than those that are now producing
wealth. There Is no room here for the
shiftless or for transients but for farm
ers and others in the North and West,
who have battled with the elements
and inconvenience of newly opened
territory, and who have laid by enough
to purchase homes for themselves, to
be improved and enjoyed by their chill
dren, there is truly no place like Ten
nessee."
And then there is a chapter on eli
mate and precipitation that is truly
amazing, and those who have not
familiarized themselves on those i'm
portant features will hardly credit the
statements, but they are perfectly true
The mean annual temperature, we are
told, is 60 degrees; for the Eastern Di-
vision, So; Middle Division, so, and
Western Division, 81 degrees. Imagine
a climate like that of Northern Italy or
Southern France, Spain or Japan. A
land where a farmer can grow melons
to perfection in summer and rather a
good ice crop in the winter. a land
where every single thing can be pro
duced that can be grown in any other
portion of the continent. That state
ment is not exaggerated in the least ;
the assertion is proved, and the prod
ucts tell their own story. And yet
there are thousands of acres ying that
can be bought for little money, and,
with proper care, made to produce
profitable crops of almost any kind the
1 ~ 6C
have transportation near at hand, and
are situated within easy reach of towns,
where all the necessities of life can
be procured cheaply and with little
trouble.
The exhibit Of the agricultural re-
sources of the State of Tennessee at
the Centennial Exposition, at Nash.
Vile, which opens May and will re-
main open for six months, will give to
the people a most excellent idea OF
what has been produced, but it cannot
even give a hint at the possibilities.
For example, the corn crop has never
failed entirely in Tennessee, and it
rarely suffers damage from insects or
irregularity of rainfall, or from any
other cause. The quality of the corn
grown is unsurpassed, and it attracts
attention wherever exhibited. Tnen,
again, in the matter of wheatrraising
the average number of bushels raised
per acre has been steadily Increasing,
due to a more general use Of fertilizers
and the next four years will witness a
still further increase.
Tennessee forms part of the Northern
limit of the tton-producing area oi
the United States, and for some years