The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1902-08-22
TENNESSEE FARMS
Great Increase in the Value of Guilt
waited Lands.

William r. Merriam, director
, OF the census, has issued another
, bulletin that is of material interest,"
, to all Iennesseans and relates t6
! the agriculture of the State. The
: farms of Tennessee, June l, 1901.
numbered 224, 623, and we're val.
ued at 1866, $50, $50. Of this
amount $63, 1876, $50, or 23.S per
cent. represents the value OF
buildings, and $500, 013, 100, or
1862 per cent, the value of the
land and improvements other than
buildings. On the same date, the
value of the farm implements and
machinery was SIS, 232, $40, and
of all live stock, $6O,81S,6O5
These values, added to that of the
farms, makes the total value of the
farm property of the State $34I,-
202,O25.
The total value of the farm pro-
ducts for 1899, was 500, 1866, 44O,
of which amount $35, 421, 1913, or
33.4 per cent, represented the
value of the animal products, such
as that which may have been de-
rived from domestic animals, poul-
try and bees, including animals
sold and animals slaughtered on
farms. The value of crops, in
GLIDING forest productions cut or
produced on farms, was 66.6 per
cent, $40, 745,242. The total val
ne of farm products for 1899 is
approximately twice as much as
that for 1899.
DIVISIONS OF STATE.
According to this report, the
total land area of Tennessee is A.
$50 square miles, or 26,720,0O0
acres, of which 2O,342, O5S acres,
or 1911 per cent, is included in
farms, The descriptions of the
sub divisions Of the State are inter-
esting, and may, perhaps, contain
information that is not generally
possessed.
Tennessee is divided into three
sectiOns-east, middle and west. |
East Tennessee extends from the
bordering mountains of the Appa-
lachian system to the crest of the
Cumberland plateau, and contains
some of the highest ridges of the
mountain system, and a valley re-
gion of about 100 miles in width,
the valley being broken by many
minor elevations and depressions.
The middle section is formed bv
extensions of the Cumberland pla-
teau at the north and south, reach
ing as far west as the northern
course of the Tennessee river.
This extension, known as the High
land Rim, incloses a depression
5, $50 square miles in area, resem-
bling the bed of drained lake and
called the central basin. ~
The western division extends
from th9AWest Tennessee river to
the Mississippi. 3 The eastern part
of this section cGntafnts rid yes and
bluffs, and the western is composor~
of the alluyial bottom lands of the
Mississippi, interspersed with
lakes and swamps.
The soil in the west is sandy,
mellow, and generally fertile,
while the black loans of the Miss
ssippi bottom lands are the richest
n the State. The greatest diver.
3ity of soil is found in East Ten
only the valleys and river
bottoms having high fertility \
Che soil of the Cumberland pfGs | !
eau is sandy, porous, and not very
productive, but the rich limestone :
oils of the central basin produce
.bundantly.
INCREASE IN FARM AREA.
The total number of farms re-
'orted in 1900 was over three 9
ines as great as in 1850 and 28.8 =
er cent. greater than in 1890. :,
he total acreage has not increased t,
apidly, the gain since 1850 being O
ut ~ per cent, and In the last c.
ecade but 90 per cent. These
Ranges have resulted in a contin- Ct