Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-01-29
TOBACCO.

On our first page will be found All
elaborate practical essay Oh the cul-
ture and management of tobacco,
which we republish from a compila-
ton made by the Tobacco Associa-
ton OF st. Louis. We took some
pains to procure the pamphlet, which
was kindly sent us by Messrs. j. NJ.
Booth Il Sons, tobacco commission
merchants of that place, and we shall
continue to print articles from it for
the next four Or five weeks. We think
it a matter of considerable impor-
lance that the farmers of Lafayette
county, who have a soil and climate
in every way adapted to its growth,
should in the future turn their atten-
ton more to this valuable crop than
they have done in the past. The de-
mand for manufacturing and shipping
leaf is large and constantly increas-
ing, and a very considerable demand
is sprlnging up for cutting leaf, from
which to manufacture fine cut chew
ing tobacco. 1t is said that Kentucky
planters, who have turned their az
tention to this grade of tobacco, have
realized handsome profits, supplying
not only AL American, but anEuropeam
demand. The soil and climate of our
state is believed to be as we'll adapted
to its cultivation as the most favored
portions of Kentucky, where its
growth has attained such perfection.
We ask the farmers of Lafayette
county why not raise tobacco? Near
ly all the tobacco grown in this coun-
try is raised in Virginia, Maryland,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Missouri, states in our latitude aud
with u climate. 1t ia conceded
that u tobacco is unexcelled for
purposes, especially for
bright natural leaf plug. Our farm
ers have been taught by a little ex-
perience the folly OF going largely
into special crops, and the wisdom of
the policy of & diversified industry.
In old times it was all hemp ;
the war it has been all wheat, and iu
cutting down the acres on these crops
the farmers scarcely know what to
The grasshopper inva-
sion taught the value Of roots, buck
" heat. peas, beans, millet and other
lohg neglected, and how easy
it is to raise them. Now let tobacco
be added to the list. Every indus
trious farmer i'll the county can raise
three acres of tobacco, and a great
many can cultivate much more, so
that the average would not be less
than five acres. were every farm to
have a tobacco crop. Two thousand
would give a total of ten thou.
sand acres, and at one thousand
pounds to the acre, not an extravagaut
estimate, this would make a yield of
10. 0 900 lbs, which at &c per h.,
low price, would bring into the
5000, 900 per annum. OF
course this is on paper, and may not
be fully realized ; bu; it is no fancy
and is entirely in the bounds of
accomplishment were all our farmers
to turn their attention to this impor-
taut subject. With diversified crops,
a proper appreciation of the value of
grass and stock, and the general cul-
of tobacco, our glorious old
county can be brought out of her
present depressed condition, and be
made II of the most prosperous in
the state. A strong argument in
tavor OF the growth of tobacco is
that d small crop Of it can be raised
with light hands, aud attended to
when no other work can well be done.
We we're recently assured by a farm
er friend that he has in this way, for
some years, on a small piece of land,
made from two hundred and fiftv to
three hundred dollars a year. We
are satisfied that if the experiment is
fairly tried, that every farmer
WHO tries it will soon double his crop,
until it comes to be one of the staples
of the county. We have written to
our congressman to procure us as
much seed as possible from the De-
of Agriculture, and have
no doubt that our seedsmen will be
able TO supply the demand not thus
met. We hope that the county
grange will take the matter in hand.
and recommend it, more strongly
than we can perhaps, through the
subordinate oranges.