Year: 1873

Ine products OF the SOIL IN East 1enneS~
see are various. There is, perhaps, no ter
ritory of the same area in the Union that
justly boasts of a greater variety of pro-
duets. Ourpeople, with the proper energy
and enterprise, could come as near living
Independent of other localities as almost
any section of the globe. We propose in
this article TO aliude briefly to what our
soil will produce.


CEREALS.


OF grain, we produce Indian corn wheat,
oats, rye and barley. OF these, Indian
corn is the principal. From the first set
Element of this country, the people turned
their attention towards raising corn, and
for many years it was almost the only
grain that was produced to any great eX-
tent. Rich soil, after being cleared for Cul-
tivation, has been planted with corn year
. after year in succession, until great deal
of our best land was literally worn out by
running it in corn. OF late years, how
ever, the people have discovered their folly
in this respect, and have turned their at
tention towards producing something else
and improving the soil Still we produce
more bushels of corn by far than anything
else. Our rich river bottoms-the valleys
of the Tennessee, Holston, Clinch, ,Powell's,
French Broad, Emory, Pigeon, Hiwassee,
and other riyersAare peculiarly adapted to
raising corn. Thousands of bushels are
produced and are shipped down these riv-
ers, or over the East Tennessee, Virginia
and Georgia railroad always finding a
ready market in the South. East Tennes-
see does great deal towards supplying the
Southern markets with corn. A great
% deal of corn is produced on our uplands
also, particularly in New Market and
Sweetwater valleys-two large and exceed
ingly fertile bodies of land. Indeed, there
iS no locality in East Tennessee where
corn is not produced.


After corn, wheat Is our most important
cereal. 1t is not regarded as a crop alto
gether certain here, under our IMPERFECT
system of cultivation, yet we always pro-
duce enough for home consumption, as
well as large quantities for market, 1t is
well known that the wheat produced in
East Tennessee is generally of very SUI
perior quality, and produces flour worth
more in the market than that from any
other wheat. Especially is this so with
the wheat raised in Washington, Greene
and surrounding counties. Under our sys-
tenn of cultivation, which-as we have be-
fore observed-is very imperfect and care
less, we get very small yield, averaging,
perhaps, not more than ten bushels to the
acre. Under q high state of cultivation,
thirty bushels can be raised on an acre,
though this is rare case. For our wheat
we always find ready market.


In former days large proportion of our
improved land was sown in oats every year.
The yield was very large, but, as it was
found that oats were. to some extent, inju-
rious to the soil, their cultivation has been
partially abandoned. yet there is a large
breadth sewn every year, and the crop is
one of good profit. Most Of our farmers
sow oats for the purpose of sowing clover
with them, thinking they can get better
stand in that way. Some of our plain
country farmers have an idea that a horse
can hardly live without oats, hence they
insist on having their barns well filled with
oats in the sheaf.


Our soil produces rye very well, but the
demand for that grain has never been very
large here, and it has never been cultivated
TO any considerable extent for that reason.
If 1t were necessary, it could be raised in
any quantity.


Although barley can be produced to n
large extent, it has never been cultivated,
except in a few instances, simply because
the demand for other grain was greater,
andnot for the reason that the soil will not
produce it in abundance.


Buckwheat has been cultivated through
out East Tennessee, and found to WELD
largely, yet it falls within the class of grain
neglected in great degree by our farmers.
The above, we believe, includes the vari-
Gus qualities of grain which are produced
in East Tennessee. We will next speak of
the fruits.


PRICE OF LANDS.


The question is often asked If these
lands are for sale at reasonable prices? In
reply we can state that farms are adver-
tised for sale in nearly every county in
East Tennessee.


The prices of valley farms, which are
composed of bottom and upland. average
at about SO per acre. This includes build
ings and all other improvements The
price of individual farms will depend up
on the locality as it regards contiguity to
town or railroad station, the proportion
Of bottom To upland, and the value OF inn
provements. There are tracts of from 100
acres or less to those of many hundreds of
this class of land that can be bought.


The price of mountain and mineral
lands average at less than So per acre, as
near as can be estimated.
Grazing lands on the mountains, furnish
ing good pasturage for cattle and sheep
several months in the year cuu be bough.