Year: 1872

| NO. LXX.


We have letters before us from b. \


Higley,,O of Windham, Ohio, and Gilber


Hurd, of West Springfield, Erie county


Pa, both inquiring about dairying, sheel


raising and grass crops. We shall answer


the two together, as the drift of their ques'


tions are the same.


We have Railways maintained that this
was good section for grass culture and
stock raising. We have some friends who


differ with US on this subject, but we think
experience will bear US out in our theories.
We have seen just as fine grass land in East


Tennessee as can be found anywhere.


Now we do not pretend to say that all our


lands will produce good grass, but we do


maintain that there are very few counties


where the land can not be made to bear


abundant hay crops. There is some science


in farming. Every farmer knows that


land can be made by little effort to bear


crops that at first experiment seem to do


poorly We do not see any reason why we


should not have just as fine meadows in


East Tennessee as there are in NOrthwes-


tern Virginia, just east of us, or in Central


Kentucky, just north of Us. We have the


word of successful, practical farmers that


v,
the result of their efforts to proue it. 1t is
within the recollection of residents of
Southwestern Virginia that croallers de-,
clared grass could not be grown in that Sec
ton. The summers were too long and hot,
they said, butnOW acres upon acres of the
finest grass lands can be found in that sec
ton and to talk there now about it not
being a good grass country would be to
show yourself fool. How was the change
brought about? Simply by effort and
perseverance. Land that did not do we'll
at first was prepared so as to take kindly
to the new seed.


Farmers found after long experience
that raising corn and hogs and tobacco
wore out their lands and did not pay them.
They very sensibly made up their minds
that it would be better for the soil and bet
ter for them to raise grass and stock. They
therefore went to work and prepared their
lands for grass and persevered, and the re-
suit is fine grass country. The same re-
suit has followed similar efforts in East
Tennessee. We have farmers here that
make more money from their hay crop
than from any other. Their cattle are
the best in the country and their profits
the largest. We say, therefore, that eXpe-
rience and common sense both show that
this is a good grass country.


AS to stock raising we give the same an
sWer. We can raise good grass and as our
climate is mild we can, of course, raise
stock cheaper than in the North. There
are but few months when the stock need
to be stabbed and fed. The summer season
is longer than in the North but it does not
seem to be harder on cattle. They are not
troubled as much with flies here dS ill the
North. This may seem incredible, but we
have the word of Northern farmers for
the statement. An Ohio farmer said to us
that he never found it necessary here to
Use fY-EetS for his horses. His cattle, he
said, were not troubled half so much with
flies here as they were in Northern Ohio.
He says the cool nights give them better
rest and we found him enthusiastic gener-
ally on the stock raising subject.


In ordinary season, cattle go into the
meadows here in March or the first of
April and can be kept in them until No
vember. Even during the remaining
months they can find some grazing and in
some seasons do very we'll without stable
feed until well into December.


We have some large fiocks of sheep in
East Tennessee, now under care of North
ern men and they are encouraged by their



As to the Dairy business, we see no reason
why it should not pay. Our towns and
cities are not large enough to make it pro-
titablG for selling milk, but we can see no
reason why cheese-making will not prove
as profitable here as in New York or Ohio.
We have some parties in the cheese busi
ness and we understand they are succeed
ing. We have seen and tasted their cheese
and we know it is good. We do not un-
derstand why, under proper management,
the cheese sold i'll the South should not be
as well and cheaply made in East Tennes-
see as the North.


East Tennessee supplies portions of the
South with corn, flour, bacon, cattle, horses
es and mules. Georgia looks here for her
freshest and best supplies. We are the
section for portions of the cot
ton belt. Atlanta, Montgomery and other
Gulf State cities furnish our farmers ready
and good markets for all they raise Just
in proportion as the quantity and quality
of what we produce increases, just so fast
will the consumption and profits increase.
on such advantageous ground we
see every reason to encourage our people to
their productions and improve
the quality of their market commodities.