The Southern farm gazette., 1908-05-09

Baltimore and Washington I.ynchburp ~,
vile 10 Nashville, Tenn. and then via Ashex,,,o
and Raleigh 10 Norfolk, Va Passing throuyh "a
many sections OF the country with many diverse
interests in the sprng-time. was interested in
seeing what the farmers were doing
Maryland Truckcr>.-From Baltimore to Wash
ington is section OF land rolling and hilly with
a soil naturally poor and thin But on tho noro
sandy lands there Is a good deal of trucking car
ried on. and the farmers were busy getting city
manure from the cars alongside the track m,
they seemed TO be depending on this en,tre,v
and a very expensive dependence 4; ts I did No,
single feld Of crimson clover In tha. section
and the only humus- making material uscd seerns
TO be the city manure. II is evident that truck
farmers need 10 learn a good crop rotation a.
much As farmers In other lines
Virginia Wheatacid. and shorthorn Cattle
Getting south Of Washington and into the Pied
mont country OF Virginia the eye vas rca;cd In
noting the broad green fields OF whea, In cul-
peper and Orange Counties. and after passing
L*ncabnrg westward the hills OF Bedford show
signs OF improvement; In small grains aud grass
Prom Roanoke tn Bristol. the line between
Virginia and Tennessee. pass through the
famous blue grass section OF Southwcx; Virginia
and the cattle a thousand hills all showed
some indications of Short Horn blood On tho
fertile valley lands Of this section the eye is sol
dom pained BY the appearance of bare land from
las; years crops and the only bare land was tha,
being prepared and planted 10 corn.
.iimp~c~ Of East Tcnn-~.r~.-Down tho valley
OF the Holsion and Tennessee to Knoxville the
hill-siaes we're green with the growing wheat.
saw little clover which should do veil on ;hc.r
limestone soils hut the dark coSce~co soil
Nkn4
ever 1t wam in preparation for the corn crop much
os which already planted. Ia fact. tho arst
corn sa~ above ground WAS near Knoxville
From Knoxville TO Nashville the road passes over
mountain ranges and up on the backbone OF the
country known the 'tBarrcna" And barren IL
certainly n. hopclcssy barren. because tho rocky
foundation comes continually 10 the surface and
is only occasionally covered with thin soil. And
vet here and there little valieya into which
the soii from The rocky bills has washed and the
soil is fertile and productive and tho grass was
anc. but By the time reached Nashville 80
In the southern extension of the famous
blue grass o! Kentucky ard around Nashville are
the pala;lal homes OF tho s,ocktnen and horse
breeders and blae grass ~ tho leading feature In
The landscape. II looked like n land OF and
pleaiy. what has made IL so@ Grass and cattle
And grass and cattle. csen II no, blue grass. will
transform aimoa, any part o. tho South into a
similar land OF homes and plenty.
b~rmuda grass wsti do for tho South nil tha;
blue grass does here. II the farmers could once
realize It's value or course II 10 not wanted In q
cotton field any than blue grass Ia wanted in
a wheat aed Hut every farm In tho South might
Aar" n permanent pasture OF Bermuda
Western North Carolina.-Through the noun
,ains from Ashevtie eastward the forcm, show ed
the tender half grown foliage 80 pleasing In early
spring. but by the time reached Old Fort IL
~As ereen, tha, we ~era getting into = warmer
climate for the foliage the trees was grown.