Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-04-15
TOBACCO RAISING.

TOBACCO RAISING.
1t has been the prevailing opinion
of tobacco growers that, in conse
quence of the high prices of the nee
sssaries Of life and the decentralization
and instability Of labor, they cannot
raise the weed" with profit, for less
than ten dollars per hundred pounds
for good, bad and Indifferent. This
estimate may, or may not, be a ~
enable onc But in consequence Of
the supply being equal to, If no. in
excess Of the demand, the price Of
tobacco has come down considerably
Fellow the standard above mentioned;
yet the preparations for the crop Of
this year, as far as we have learned,
are not on u reduced scale. And when
the planter Is reminded that the price
Of tobacco cannot go up until the de-
mand is in excess Of the supply, he
answers that IL IL the only crop he
can rely upon to bring him money,
and that he must raise it or quit farm
ing.
This Is strange logic, in the face Of
the fact, that beef and mutton are
cash articles at exorbitant prices,
and that wool and hides-the ne
cessary incidents Of raising of the
sheep and cattle-are always in de-
mand at paying prices. In the face
of the fact that pork and bacon are
too high for the humble means of the
mechanic and ~day-laborer, which fact
proves, conclusively, that the hog
crop may be greatly enlarged without
reducing its value below II fair remun-
Grafton for the cost. Hay, too, is a
,sh article, and its purchase, from
the north and west, is II heavy drain
upon the purses Of those who have to
take it, such as it is, because the bet
ter article that can be raised ut home,
Is not produced at all.
If the several crop, here mention
ed, were industriously cultivated
together with many others of less
Importance, and the production of
tobacco relatively reduced, the farm
er would find himself, not only
more prosperous, but far more
comfortable in every respect. 1t is
not 50 much what u man earns as
what he saves, that makes him rich,
and could the price of tobacco he I'M
changeably fixed at ten dollars n
hundred, without regard to quality
or quantity, the neglect of every
other crop, resulting from undivided
attention to that single staple, would
impoverish this section-its soil and
its people-because the necessaries of
life, enhanced in price, 10y multiplied
consumers, forced to purchase at ANY
price, would exceed in cost, the
amount received for tobacco. This
Is the experience of the South with
c%Ntton, hut the experiment would he
more disastrous here than there, for
the reason that cotton is more a ne
cesSity than tobacco, and has fewer
available substitutes, coming within
the means, and meeting the absolute
wants Of the civilized world.
The thriitiest people are those who
engage in the greatest diversity of
pursuits, and Agriculture, (which
furnishes subsistence for all who do
not live upon the bauntics of II tropi
cal soil, is, Of all other vacations, mo t
neglected and least understood by
those who make it their business.
Every section devoted to II single
staple necessaril y becomes poor, be-
cause It's dependence upon others for
food and clothing makes ii the vic
tim of high prices, for inferior COM
modities. Aud we think il our to-.
hlcco growers would examine, close
ly, the theory, that one hundred
thousand hugsheads Of tobacco, with
the production of the ncceSsaries of
life, will he worth more, i'm money
md comfort, 'than two hundred thous-
and, without such necessaries, they
will become convinced of their error.
and devote less time and labor to the
cultivation of tobacco and more to
the crops we have named, and there
by make this region, with its genial
climate, the garden spot of South.
THE civil war in France, l. still
raging, and every act of that tickle
and trarfG'ly demornIi2ed people goes
To show why they were So easily
conquered by Prussia, and also their
total unfitncss for self government.
Freedom is II boon to those only who
can appreciate il, and have the wis
dom To draw the line between liberty
and RIGHTEOUSNESS and the llrmnes,
ana patriotism to guard that line
against the assaults Of those enemies
OF free government the passions and
Vices of the masses, We admire
many traits In French character. hut
can MOI believe that amy other than "A
strong government can ensure pros.
rrriiN /" 1.-THE country and suppress r.
AnlpIt nf raN,lptt,n tl,,