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nessee rivers ; the rivers through this county run almost parallel, and 

 are about twelve miles apart. At an average distance of about one and 

 one-half miles from Buffalo Eiver, and about four miles apart, creeks 

 arise, which How westward into Tennessee Eiver, affording inexhausti- 

 ble supplies of never-failing water. We have the greatest variety and 

 quantity of timber ; a great many of our oaks and poplars measuring 

 21 feet in circumference, and frequently 60 feet to the lowest limb. The 

 river and creek bottoms— one-fourth of the county — are exceedingly 

 fertile, yielding, when properly cultivated, 50 bushels of corn or 40 

 bushels of wheat per acre, and grow all the grasses in luxuriance with- 

 out any manure. Our climate is all that could be desired : winters mild, 

 summers not too hot, plenty of rain about equally distributed through- 

 out the year, and a good home-market. Still, despite all these ad- 

 vantages, we make a specialty of the pea-nut, which is exhausting our 

 soil, destroying the prosperity of the land-owner, and bringing the 

 renter to bankruptcy. That no community of farmers can prosper by 

 the cultivation of a specialty was first taught me by the present com- 

 missioner, and experience has since verified the truth of his position. 

 To thrive, we must diversify our crops. Acreage of pea-nuts 50 per cent, 

 more than an average, and the crop is promising — to bring us to the imor- 

 house. 



Clawson WHEAT. — San Joaquin, California : "When sowing my wheat 

 in December last, I left a strip of land 10 feet wide and 150 yards long 

 unsown. In February, when the wheat sown in December was about 

 8 inches high, I sowed on the land so reserved 6 pounds of Clawson 

 wheat, received from the Department. We have only had one rain 

 since. Some of the grains never germinated, and when it came up the 

 stools were about 12 inches apart. I never saw any grain stool or 

 tiller out as it did. To-day it stands higher than the wheat on both 

 sides of it, sown in December. The heads will average 6 inches in 

 length. It is now in the "dough,"' but with such large heads the proba- 

 bility is the grain will be more or less shrunken. The ground is very 

 dry now, and rain is not to be expected after this. So far I think very 

 highly of it. 



"French tobacco:^— Gallatin County, Kentucky : The term "French 

 tobacco" is old, having been in use by tobacco-growers in }forthern 

 Kentucky as far back as I can recollect, which is at least forty-five 

 years. Why this term was first applied to that particular blight I can- 

 not state, but time and use have so sanctioned it, that its application is 

 well understood by most tobacco-growers. The causes that produce 

 the blighted tobacco called French are local. There are certain local- 

 ities, in flat, beech-timber lands peculiarly adapted to this kind of 

 growth under any circumstances. The best remedy or preventive is 

 early and prompt cultivation as soon as the plant has shown any signs 

 of growth after being set, but never working or stirring the soil when 

 wet. A very wintry or wet season will produce more or less French 

 tobacco on almost any kind of soil. The little attention or work that 

 can be given under such circumstances is not suflicieut to prevent this 

 kind of growth. A lazy man, on soil not well adapted to the growth 

 of the plant under unfavorable circumstances, will be sure to raise the 

 worthless French tobacco. 



A FLOOD IN Tennessee. — SevierviUe, Sevier County : It commenced 

 raining here on the 23d of February, and poured down all day and night. 

 At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the 24th, Little Pigeon Eiver was 4 feet 

 deep in our streets, our town being on tbe level river bottom between the 



