[35] 



The native sheep of every country are a correct expression 

 -of what the food and climate of that country will produce. 

 Their constitutions are moulded 'to suit their environments. 

 'Crossed upon improved breeds the hardiness of constitution 

 is united to the desirable qualities of thoroughbreds. In 

 any attempt, therefore, at sheep raising in these mountains 

 this idea should not be lost sight of, and the very best foun- 

 dation for a flock is the native ewes, crossed on some of 

 the improved breeds. 



The valley of East Tennessee consists of a great wide 

 trough, bounded by parallel mountain sides, that on the east 

 being the great Unaka mountains, those on the west making 

 up the eastern escarpment of the mountainous coal field of 

 Tennessee. This included trough or valley trends obliquely 

 northeast and southwest, which is the general direction of 

 the great Appalachian chain, and of the Atlantic coast. 

 Measured on the northern boundary of the State, and 

 obliquely to its course, this trough is one hundred miles 

 wide, and in the southern fifty miles, and is one hundred 

 and eighty miles long. One of the remarkable peculiarities 

 of this valley is that its surface is longitudinally fluted by 

 parallel minor valleys and ridges. In this it differs from 

 all other parts of the State. This feature gives a certain 

 direction to its rivers, and more especially to its smaller 

 streams. This trough or great valley is, in the main, the 

 agricultural region of East Tennessee. The principal stream 

 is the Tennessee, the tributaries of which, on the east, are 

 the Watauga, the French Broad, the Little Tennessee and 

 the Hiwassee; on the west the Clinch and the Sequatchie. 

 This valley has a climate more equable and pleasant than 

 that of any other part of North America east of the Rocky 

 mountains. It lies between parallels 35 and 364' north, 

 and its mean altitude is one thousand feet above the sea 

 level. The prevailing winds are from the southwest and 

 west, and they bring a constant and bountiful supply of rain 

 from the Gulf of Mexico. 



