Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-02

An Interesting Lester from N. H. clark q
Bro. TO the Planters Of the GAINESVILLE and
Hopkinsvine Districts.

CLARKSVILLE, July ~, 1913.
Dear Friends:
We wish to have talk with you
about our tobacco crop, a subject ofso
much interest to our whole COM
municipalities, buyers, and mer-
chants.
We must all admit that the general
quality of our crop has greatly de-
Perforated in past years, until now,
in the markets of the world, instead
of being, as formerly, near the top of
the list, it is near the bottom.
In old times, "Clarksville Tobacco"
was considered peculiarly the kind
which did not deteriorate for some
years. Planters dissatisfied with rul-
ing prices, or those anticipating an
advance in prices, either here or in
Europe, felt that they could safely
hold this kind, it coming out of the
sweat dark, rich, tough and strong ;
frequently worth more as old Tobacco
than when new, from improvement
in the sweat. How greatly has this
changed! NOlC, every one seeks to
sell before the sweat is over, fearing
the deterioration will be greater than
even a full advance in the market,
and it has almost universally re-
opened in the fall ands pring, more
or less dead and lifeless, all of its fat
and strength having disappeared in
the sweat. In 1856 We purchased a
crop 10 years old, priced in 1887, and
it was still Tobacco"
Various opinions have been ex-
pressed as to the causes of this great
change. Some say, the land is ''To-
bacco sick" Others, the seasons have
changed, etc, etc.
We have for some years been care
fully examining the crop in the field,
its cultivation and curing, and COM
pairing our observations with those
made twenty TO twenty-five years
ago, and we give you theresult of our
conclusions:
Our land is not 'Tobacco Sick" but
is as capable of raising good, heavy,
fat Tobacco as ever; otherwise we
would find nel0 land produce the old
style of "Clarksville leaf" but we
find that new ground Tobacco has
the same general faults of the old
ground paintings, and there are still
some planters who, on old ground,
raise every year the old fashioned
"Clarksville" We put the causes OF
deterioration to the changein cultiva-
ton and curing. In the old times the
Tobacco, after planting, was cultivat-
ed thoroughly, plOughed often and
long, and when too large to plough,
then the hoes came ia, and the plant
kept on the hill and grOtCiJlg as long
GS possible, and allowed to get dead
ripe. This made the Tobacco heavy,
rich and fat; il kept well in the sweat
and improved under it. eve knew
a friend, before the war, to deliver
crop to a factory, which weighed
out an average of ,72S lbs to the acre.
The suckers were kept well off, and
not allowed to drain the plant; this
is very important. We frequently
see leaves run off thin towards the
but, which is generally caused by
allowing suckers to grow. Now we
see a tendency to stop the plough as
soon as the growth of the plant gives
the least excuse for doing sO-and
how many planters now use the hoe:
Nor is suckering rs promptly attend.
ed to as formerly.
Now Tor curing. In old times the
Tobacco was allowed to get dead ripe
then cut, and lCeU yelLo1Ced, either by
scaffOlding in the field, or, if change
of weather was feared, by crowding
in the curing pens, or in the barns
The following was carefully watched;
and, when completed, the Tobacco
was opened and jOisted, and firing
commenced gently, and continued
according to weather and circum.
stances until cured.
No,o, tall barns are packed full, hot
fires are started at once, coddling the
lower tiers and house-burning the
upper.
Contrast the two systems, and come
to our breaks and see the result of the
latter, and remember how our To.
baccos opened, cured under the old
plan.
When Tobacco is put in the barn
to yellow, it is a good plan to start q
smudge of smoke for few hours
to make it shed the worms still cling,
ing to it, who will freely cut the wilt
ed leaf.
Under the gradual change of sys,
tens, dark, heavy TObaccos became
scarcer and scarcer, and sold higher
and higher, when the change was
precipitated some four or five years
ago, by an idea started through the
country (by some body, we know
not who, but it has cost this section
many thousands of dollars,) "that
the way to make dark Tobacco
was to cut it just before it got ripe,
haul it to the barn, put the fire
to it, and cure it up at once"
This pernicious idea has been fol-
lowed greatly in portions of Robert
son, Cheatham, Montgomery, Chris.
tan and Trigg counties, less in Todd
and Logan counties, and it has great,
ly deprecated the value of thousands
of hogsheads in the past few years
This process gives us poor, green
dull tobacco, derisively called "bluC
Tobacco" a kind despised all over the
world, it sweating out dead, lifeless
slaty or mouse color, and having nC
elasticity.
\ planter gets poor prices for his
crop and wonders at it, saying, 81
know my Tobacco was heavy, fol
itweighs out 200 lbs to the acre.
Yes, but you have given the world
the "blues" with your blue tobacco,