The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-07-26

TOBACCO CULTURE in LANCASTER
COUNTY,
(CpSTINUED FROM FIRST PAGED

plume or shoot appears at the top of the
plant known rs Srcd-bud This is pincEed
Oft, as the stalk would bleed too much if il
were cut. How low TO top the plant is a
very important matter Low topping re-
suits i'll larger development of leaf. From
twelve to fourteen leaves are generally left
on the stalk: they are enough, if fine leaves
are desired. tobacco natures in from one
hundred to one hundred and twenty days
from the time of planning. In september
the greater portion of the crop is harvested,
but last year saw some cut on july 18th
that had been planted on April l0th. The
more rapidly il attainS maturity, the better
the crop; slow growth makes it thick and
lcathery. Certain indications, well known
to the planter, tell when it is ripe The
plants are cut off ut the ground; sometimes
they are hung up in the field several days to
wilt, but more commonly they are at once
taken to the tobacco barns, to be hung up
and undergo Il curing process If hung too
closely together, they will mould and rot;
if hung too widely apart, valuable space is
lost.
The toliacco-barn is 4 high, commodious
building of timber, closely put together,
With :, perpendicular or horizontal method
Of ventilation, the former being far the
best. Twenty years ago stables, wagon
sheds, and even the dwelling We're used to
hang up the tobacco III. In 1868 upwards
OF two hundred tobacc0-barnS We're built,
at an estimated cost Of from S150, 200 to
500, goo. In these barns the stalks hang
until the moistcr is dried ont and the process
of curing is complete. Damp weather is
selected for taking them down and stripping
TIE leaves. They are then tied up into
g hands, and these into large bundles, and
are then ready for the buyer
Buyers come from New York, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, ST. Louis, New Orleans,
and san Francisco The leaf is generally
assorted into two kinds or qualities, wrap
p2rS and filters, although some planters
make three and even four classes. \
careful assortment is always 70 the growers
advantage. During the past season filters
sold from two to eight cents and wrappers
ii'ii NiSii' ~ ihli' -IlN'- lit l'li't Ills
iuctaatcl much in different years In 1861
it was five and six cents; in '64 and %,
from twenty to thirty-ve cents, and was
again, in 90, down to five and six Good
tobacco may be spoiled in the handling,
while poor crop may be vastly improved
by careful manipulation.
1t is packed into eases by the purchasers
each case containing about four hundred
pounds. The crop Of the county is esti-
mated in cases, not hogSheads, as is the
custom in the South. The crop of the
county in 1873 was about 10000 cases, and
for the whole State IS, 80 cases In 1867 we
grew about II 900 cases in this county alone
and even exceeded that figure in previous
years. y crop of 10000 cases represents
10000, 900 pounds, far surprising any other
single county in the United States. Chris
tian county, kentucky, in 1875 grew 9,313,-
so pounds, the nearest approach that has
ever been made to this county's production
The average yield per acre in 1877 was
1850 pounds but under favorable circum-
stances IL, many as 300 pounds have been
grown. As much As five hundred dollars
have been realized from u single acre, while
three hundred dollars and four hundred
dollars are not unusual figures. Still, the
average is not the half of that, after the
great cost of planting, manuring and pre-
pairing the crop for market is considered
The growth of fine tobacco, how ever, is still
in its infancy among MS, and we will i'm
prove our product and prices as the years
roll away. The value of our crop in 1876
WAS s., 400, 600, and in 1877 SLIGO, 900, q
sum perhaps double that produced by any
county in the Union, and approaching those
realized from wheat and corn themselves
This large sum WAS derived from the COM
parativrly small number of go acres If
the entire surface Of the county were planted
in tobacco, our yield would be equal to that
of the whole United States at the present
day.
The entire production of seed leaf in the
county is about l30,0SD cases, of which we
supply at least thirty per cent. OF the
above, about l., 1000 eases are sent to foreign
countries, and IS, coo cases are consumed at
home. As was to be expected, this large
production of tobacco in Lancaster county
has stimulated the growth of the cigar
manufacturing industry to an unusual de-
gree. y large number OF establishments
are in operation, and their production was,
for the fiscal year ending July 30th, 1878
los, POI 800 cigars. No less than $500 cases.
81 nearly %,n00,001 of pounds of the weed
WEE used up in maxim" them. The reve-
mua derived from this source alone, by the
Government, in this, the Ninth Internal
Revenue District, during last year, was
Sjl9, $3.50, the amount from all other sour
c,.S being only "me third Of that sum.
The following are the figures showing the
Internal Revenue collections in the Ninth
District of Pennsylvania, for the fiscal Year
ending Jane :i0th, 1879. Particular atten-
ton is directed to the item Of cigars, rs show
ing the Immense proportions of that indus
try in this district: