In the Maneys' time and today, agriculture has played
a central role in the economy and culture of Middle Tennessee.
Fertile, Productive Farmland
The diverse geology of Middle Tennessee resulted in a variety of agriculture, from subsistence farming on the rough terrain of the Cumberland Plateau to the plantations founded on the rich, productive farmland of the Central Basin.
The Central Basin of Middle Tennessee was called the "Garden" by early settlers and later historians for its rich farmland. Cotton was predominate crop during the Antebellum era, and later tobacco, hay and corn were grown here. All of these crops continue to be cultivated in the Central Basin. The area slash became a key livestock center, from dairy cattle to the world renowned Tennessee Walking Horse.
The general progression of agriculture in the region was settlement and subsistence farming from 1780 to 1850, expansion of the market economy from 1850 to 1900 and rural reform and agriculture from 1900 to 1945.
Farming for Consumption and Sale
During the Maneys' time, corn was largely grown for use by the landowner and his slaves or employees and was only sold if the harvest exceeded these needs. Cotton and tobacco were usually raised wholly for sale, while livestock was raised for income as well as consumption.
The Maneys' wealth enabled them to employ a Scottish gardener, nicknamed Mac, to care for the grounds and what is believed to have been the kitchen and vegetable gardens.
The Impact of the Civil War
Agriculture, like the rest of the Southern economy, was greatly damaged by the Civil War. The war destroyed much of Middle Tennessee's railroad system, ruined the existing agricultural economy and slowed efforts by the government to expand it.
The presence of troops and the damage of battles were not the only reasons for the blow to agriculture. Many of the men who owned and farmed the lands left to fight in the war and many did not return, or returned to find their farms in shambles. The end of slavery also removed the cheap labor which this agricultural economy depended.
Key crops such as tobacco, cotton, wheat and livestock hides remained in high demand after the war and were used to promote Tennessee resources during the 1870s and 1880s. In addition, the rebuilding of the railroads following the war also promoted increased agriculture production and the introduction of new crops across the state.
Gardens for All Reasons
It is very likely that the Maneys maintained an herb garden to grow herbs with medicinal, aromatic, insect repellent, culinary, dye and other uses.
It was less common to isolate herbs into a separate garden as they often are today. Rather, herbs would have been grown with vegetables as part of a larger kitchen garden. It is possible the Dr. Maney kept a separate medicinal herb garden for his medical practice.
The Heritage Herb Society has created an herb garden at Oaklands to help visitors better understand the cultivation and use of herbs in daily life. The garden is located behind the house near the original location of the kitchen and root cellar.
Foliage for Fashion
Trees and plants and their leaves and seeds were used to produce dyes during the Civil War when commercial goods were limited. Willow and walnut were mixed with copperas to produce black dye. Southern women made copperas during the war by soaking rusting iron in vinegar.
For Confederate troops the problem of resupplying new or replacement clothing became critical. The blockade had deprived the South of imported cloth. Homespun uniforms dyed with the oily nut of the white walnut mixed with copperas to an earth-colored tan or "butternut," rapidly replaced the imported gray cloth worn by the Confederate soldier in the early years of the war.
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