The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-03-07
CORN. on TOBACCO:

ally, to An article in the GAINESVILLE
on tobacco, the statements IN
which SO completely co-incided with our
own observations that we fully endorsed
them, The substance of the article was
10 the effect that few people in the Ohio
tobacco growing region ever made any
thing either in producing or handling |
this crop. AS TO him who cultivates
tobacco: 1t is conceded that no other
crop is so exhausting on the soil. When
ground Is freshly cleared, the cultivation
of one, two or even three crops of tobacco
on j, does it but little harm. 1t serves
to take the wildness out of the ground
and put it in filth for other
crops, while the roots are rottng and the
wild weeds are being subdued. In new
ground it can be cultivated almost en-
tirely with the hoe, so few thousand
roots, and stumps, and stones, more or
less, in field is not much OF detFi-
ment. On the other hand, the tobacco
plant is an extremely rank grower and
voracious feeder 1t drains from the soil
certain clements which cannot be return.
ed to it by any manner known to the
farmer. A succession OF crops OF tobacco
on the same ground finally renders the
soil lifeless and barren. Again, the price
of leaf tobacco varies SO greatly from
year to year and is go uncertain at all
times, i. is doubtful whether any farmer
who has steadily raised tobacco for
series Of fifteen or twenty years has ever
wound up without loss-both in the
deterioration OF his soil and in his pocket.
OF all the principal dealers in tobacco
in South. eastern Ohio, we do not know
of one who has come out ahead alter
fight of twenty or twenty-five years
Specializing in tobacco breaks about all
of them at some time in life-and ire
quently two or three times.
We observe by the Springfield { hass.)
RspubLican that o reaction against the
cultivation of tobacco has taken place IN
the Connecticut Valley. Ten years ago,
tobacco was the favovorite crop there; at
thi. time corn has usurped its place. That
paper says:
To say nothing Of the farms bankrupt
ed by tobacco up the river IN the Hat
field and Deerfeld regions, one OF the
sh-ewdest and most successful! OF our
farmers remarked the other day that the
tobacco farms lying from Longmeadow
southwark through the Windsors had
largely deteriorsted in permanent value
through the manifest absorption Tor
many years from the soil by tobacco OF
certain qualities, which cannot be easily
replaced, if replaced At sll. Besides this,
they have suffered by the dispropor.
tionste concentration on some lands and
the wasteful neglect OF others. Moth
ing blinds tie eye TO the facts like
high prices, but combination OF low
prices finally restores cOoiness and candor
OF judgement. The recent meeting OF
the Hampden Harvest Club at Agawsm
threw valuable hight on the subject.
They went into caretuI and accurate cal
culation of every detail belonging TO the
cost of a bushel OF corn under taIr con-
ditions of cultivation by the acre, begin
ming with interest on land snd taxes, and
ending with husKing and cribbing. The
result was tri1e over AZ cents per
bushel. and, as crib of corn was Iatcly
sold at auction in this vicinity Tor 81 cents
per bushel, there is, reckoning 10 pounds
of ears to the bushel, net profit OF about
% cents per bushel. What business In
these days pays better than thatT'
We do not know what il costs in this
vicinity to raise a bushel Of corn in ordi-
nary years, but we presume our soil is
more productive than that in the Con-
nectlcut Valley, and that the large
cared corn raised in this country yields
many bushels more to the acre than is
gathered IN the ankee Stales. Dut,
adds the Republican:
1.-THE cash profit is not the only adj
vantage. More stock will be raised, more
and better fertilizers invested in the best
OF savings banks, the farmers own soil,
farms will be improved, instead OF deteri'
orsting, more land will be suDdued, and
better market provided for labor.
1t one of the best financial signs OF
the times that intelligent farmers are
fairly and sharply, and with real business
accuracy, testing the actual and compar-
alive value Of farm crops, and thus the
actual value of farm lands and labor, ut
the present time. 1t has been vicious
mistake OF our agrIculturists to rely on
traditional sayings and hesrssys, and to
guess at things, rather than prove them
by the cash book and ledger We be-
lieve also thst it would be u great disad-
vantage if sudden rise in tobacco
should make our farmers lose their heads
sgsin and go bslloOnlng with this spec.
ulatipa and in the LONG run harmful