Litchfield enquirer., 1873-12-04


 Virginia it must be remembered that cap ital vas principally represented by labor, while land was of small account. Aero after acre was rendered sterile by con tinual process of abandonment for virgin soil, and no pains was ever taken to re store to the land any compensation for the drain upon ir. Here, land is capital It is hard to get and high priced, and the most scrupulous care is taken that 1t shall not deteriorate Instead Of being det- riment, the general testimony goes to prove that the raising of tobacco has to a naturally rather lax class of cultiva- tors, so far as the economies of agricnl- ture are concerned. It has taught farm CTS the value of manure, for one thing A man with 8 tobacco patch, each acre of it craving and demanding manure which if bought costs from S100 to S150, will be extremely careful of any waste of this val uable commodity on his own premises It tends to make him fertile in expedi- ents for it's manufacture and saving. Then the requirments of the culture en- courage understanding, thus restoring to use otherwise wet and unprofitable land; while the patience and care of treatment
 
 successful result, teach a lesson of the benefits of thoroughness in cul3ure that must extend its application to other crops than tobacco. The only question of the beneficial theory IS: whether, in some in- stances, the farmer: possessing only limi- ted ground suitable for the culture of the plant. has not concentrated his manure upon it, year after year, thus robbing the rest of his land of it's share of the barn yard restorative The s.saai custom nt.y- evo-, is that of system of rotation, whic4S faithfully pursued. can hardly prove oth- erwise than the salvation of many a farm that without the high stimulation and cul- ture demanded by tobacco growing would be going the sure road to ultimate steriity. '1 A PERIOD or PROSPERITY.
 The interval between 1860 and 1870, with the exception of 1865, poor sea-. son, was a period of unparalleled pros perity among our valley cultivators of to- bacco. Fancy prices were realized for their crops; land rapidly increased in val ue, and what seemed wealth in the mod est estimation of the farmer was speedily accumulated. The mortgage on the farm, which had heretofore been paid of ill such seanty installments, vanished like a fog before the sunsl inc; the old barns were pulled down and replaced by new; new houses were built and filled with spic-span furniture, the daughters con doled themselves with the citified luxury of pianos, and, in many a house, we doubt not, the furniture is worth to day more than the farm itself before the gol- den era of tobacco set in. Here, in west ern Massachusetts, the crop has become of such preponderance that more than 5000 acres of the best land are devoted to 1t, the product of which exceeds by far the value of that of all the market gar dens of the state, and is nearly equal to that of all its dairies. In Connecticut, the story is the same, the interest being heavier there than here, ii anything. So profitable has the culture of the weed proved that in many localities the usual farm crops have, to great extent, bean abandoned. Pat, with his two or three acres, has put every inch of it to tobacco, and bought the Irish necessities of cab bage and potatoes; and the owners of farms have been content to buy in the market their corn and beef and vegeta- bles, and, indeed, nearly everything that the farmer customarily produces for home consumption, relying on his speciality as upon bank that could by no possibility fail. This feeling of prosperous security has induced in many, probably, habits tending toward the extravagant, and 8 propensity to discount the future. Count ing on 8 ready income as sure with each succeeding year, the money has been spent in one way or another as fast as it has been received. It has been put into improvements and luxuries, and any re- maining surplus with that universal hank erlng for high rates of interest, has been invested in fancy stocks and railroad bonds, so many of which are just now re- vealing such a poverty of substantial val ue as to make investors weep tears of una vailing regret. ,-..
 A TURN IN THE TTDE.
 In 1870, however, the tide of prosperity began to turn. This years crop. owing to various causes, was extremely poor. The season was hot and wet, and there was considerable pole-rot, while it lacked the essentials of quality, and came through the sweating process badly. Many reputation was ruined by this un- lucky years growth of tobacco, and the high repute of Connecticut seed-leaf, gem orally, was much damaged by it. Pros- porous cigar-makers. whose manufac- lures had become highly esteemed in the market, suddenly found their wares un- salable and their business destroyed, and the speculator, who at first bought large ly of the crop. were heavy losers. Indeed, it was the packers who were mainly bit- ten by this years tobacco. Nearly all of them, at the present time, hold more or less of it, while the prospects of ever rid ding themselves of their costly invest ment, except at great sacrifice, are of the poorest. Although the main portion of this years crop passed outof the hands of the farmers, scattered here and there are those who refused to part with their tobacco at rates lower than those re- ceiyed in previous years, but cased it to await their chances of an improved mar ket. Many g man who was at first 25 cents through for his crop and wouldn't take it, later still, 15 cents, and, only six months since, 10 cents, now looks back in rueful way on the loss incurred through his grasping spirit, as he thinks of the paltry 5 or cents that his TO tobacco is worth, to-day. The yield of '71 was very good, and sold quite readily ct fair prices, though few of the more wealthy growers of speculative turn held on to theirs with the idea of doing better. But the crop of s72 has proved an elephant to both packers and growers. There was 8 large quantity raised, Massachusetts alone producing probably over nine millions of pounds It dld not sweat well, and con siderahle amount was damaged by pole rot, and. instead of yielding large pro portion of wrappers, as is usually the case, probably two-thirds of it went into sec londs and filters. This brought it into immediate, eompetition with similar goods largely raised in the West. Consequent ly, the buyers could not offer the high prices of the year before, save for excep- tional lots, and the farmers, 10th to lose their large profits, have cased their to- bacco in many instances, hoping to do Setter. The proportion of tho 1872 crop in the hands of the farmers Is estimated at about one-half, varying according to locality. Taking it right around home, West Springfield has cased about one half, amounting to some 125 or more casea. AuaNnm Rhosa farraara arc of au