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young men named Cunningham came from the south branch of the 

 Potomac, in Virginia, to Strode's creek, in Bourbon county, Ken- 

 tucky. They had studied and practiced the blue-grass system on 

 the Poioraac. They jointly purchased two hundred acres of land 

 on Strode's creek, and sowed the whole tract in timothy and blue- 

 grass. In a few years their whole tract was covered with a luxuri- 

 ant coat of grass. They had brought with them the seed, on a 

 pack horse, all the way from Virginia. Their farm soon attracted 

 the attention of their neighbors who began to visit, and learn how 

 to manage grass. In 1835 I, too, went to see the Cunninghams 

 and many other farmers in the blue-grass region, in order to learn 

 the system. I devoted many weeks to the study of the system . 

 going with the best farmers over their farms and seeing their man- 

 agement, asking many questions and writing down their answers* 

 Then, the Cunninghams, like many others, had grown to be wealthy 

 on the profits of the blue-grass. One of them, Hobert, then had 

 two thousand acres in blue-grass and Isaac had three thousand. 

 Nearly all the farmers I visited owed the luxury of their blue-grass 

 to the direct instruction of the Cunninghams. To me it was a feast 

 to travel over and view the fine sod of grass on the first two hun- 

 dred acres which had caused the whole blue -grass region to become 

 so beautiful, prosperous and wealthy. 



While learning the blue-grass system, I saw in every neighbor- 

 hood that those who had studied the system closest had the best 

 pastures invariably. You can see in all that region of blue-grass 

 some farms where all the lots look like some of ours in Tennessee, 

 which are gnawed all the year round by calves, sheep and geese. 

 This is because the owner does not think enough about its manage- 

 ment. He does all the work and incurs all the expense necessary 

 to make the richest pastures, and then wastes it all by bad and 

 thoughtless management. But there are some farmers in almost 

 every county in Tennessee who well understand the Kentucky sys- 

 tem. Those who intend to sow grass may learn the system from 

 them. What a scene of comfort, beauty, luxury and wealth, will 

 this whole Middle Tennessee present, when it shall be covered with 

 the richest blue-grass ! Such will be the future of this fine country." 



"Blue-grass will always pay a good profit. Every acre set in it 

 will pay its taxes and a good profit besides. We now till too much 

 land. We ought to till less and make more grass. Let not an 



