Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-10-02

rom the National Granger.

From the National Granger.
This important staple is fast being
housed, and in ten days more we will
find the great bulk of the crop in the
barns. Enough can be seen from our,
extensive acquaintance with the tobac-
co belt, aud the letters and exchanges
coming forward each week, to allow
Us to form very reliable and accu-
rate estimate of the extent and con-
dition of the tobacco yield through
out the West.
Iu the early part Of the planting
season, preparations were everywhere
made for planting an extra large area
in tobacco. Much land was hastily
and poorly prepared, and many plants
were stuck" amidst clods aud grass,
the farmer hoping, in due season, to
clear the plant and give it proper
start. Unfortunately very wet sea-
son prevented the proper working of
this poorly prepared land. and caused
crab grass to grow more luxriantly
than the tobacco plants. This neces-
sarily produced great unevenness in
the crop, with narrow, tapering leaf
consisting of more than the requisite
proportion of stem, filed with an UNI
due amount of what farmers call sap.
When this tobacco had completed
its one hundred days on the hill, and
was taken to the barns, it proved very
light in subsistence and hard to cure
into anything like a desirable color
This was one cause of the falling of
in the estimated yield.
Again, the freshets during May and
June so washed and oyerfowed the
bottom lands, creek fats and "sink-
hollows," so as to destroy a very large
amount of recently set tobacco which
could not be replanted in time to max
crop. The same excessive water
falls caused much tobacco to french,
AMI also to grow "spindling" to such
au extent that it never recovered Its
normal condition. and now comes to
the house light and chaffy in quality
and undesirable for any class OF work
These are other causes why the esti-
mates of the early spring cannot now
be taken into the calculation regard.
ing the crop without the closest scru-
tiny.
Now, after balacing all the plus and
minus points points presented by oul
correspondents, We have come to this
conclusion: The Western crop Of
1875, as compared with the crop o.
1873 will be in weight, about 50 pei
cent, and In quality, between 70 and
so per cent. Of course good handling
and care from now till the samples are
drawn, will much improve the appear.
ance and merchandise value of the
staple, and it behooves the farmer tC
do all in mis- power to put the crop II
the best possible trim by sorting vel
and keeping each grade distinctly tC
itself when offered on the breaks
otherwise the inferior price willattach
to much superior tobacco, for the to.
bacco trade is composed of the most
skillful merchants in the land, anC
know well all the weak points in hand
ling and selling the staple.
The markets of the world can easily
take and consume at even very higf
prices, every pound of tobacco raised
this year, and for several years to come
provided it comes upon the boards in
a good marketable condition, but if i
comes forward "butchered" and poor.
ly handled, it will clog the market.
aud depress the trade, greatly to the
loss of both the manufacturer aud pro-
Queer. We therefore say to our farm
ing friends that there is more need Of
good handling" this season than there
has been in any preceding year. Blu,
don't be afraid of decline in prices
much below what now rule for good
shipping leaf and manufacturing grades
for the trade are forced to have it, and
are willing to pay good remuneratiye
prices. Everywhere prices are stiffen-
ing, and the trade becoming more
| cheerful.