Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-11-30

| do the same work. In January, 1881,
the total importation from Sumatra
was % pounds; in January, 1882, it had
risen to AZ, $50 pounds, and in August
last it WAS 1877 ,656 pounds or 1900
cases. 1t has taken a regular place in
the market, and commands a high
price.
Tobacco has cured down with very
favorable colors and quality, and the
general feeling among farmers, and
dealers who have inspected crops, is
that the general crop in the valley is
the best that has been produced here
for MANY years. The damage from
worms is reported to be serious in
some crops, but otherwise the leaf is
very sound. The present prospects are
that the entire crop will cure down, al
though at present the late harvested
pieces show considerable numbers Of
green, incurred leaves. The weather
now is favorable for rapid drying of
these late crops, and unless we get a
heavy freeze soon, there will be little
frozen tobacco or soft stems. A num-
Der of sales of tobacco of this years
growth have recently been made, and,
30 far as reported, the prices are favor
able for the grower, ranging for seed
leaf from II to Is cents per pound, and
for hybrid from 20 to % cents for
whole crop. The hybrid tobacco has
been all purchased at the above prices,
and the growers are feeling jubilant
over their success, for the yield per
acre falls little short of the large seed
leaf varieties.
Which is the most profitable sort of
tobacco to grow, Connecticut seed leaf
or Havana, is a query that arises in
the minds of many growers Of wrap
ping tobacco. There are many grow
ers here in the valley who will not
grow Havana, giving many reasons,
among which are that they do not get
the weight, and it is liable to blow over
in high winds, and thus make extra
labor. Others give IS q reason that
they have to set from 1000 to 1850
more plants to the acre in order to get
as many pounds as from seed leaf. So
far rs the weight is concerned, proba.
bly, one can obtain more pounds to the
acre of seed leaf than of Havana,
especially if such large sorts are grown
as Barber's, Hockanum, John Will
Jams, Belknap and other kinda, since
the leaves are usually longer and
wider.
Growers of Havana, however, assert
that they can obtain ne much weight
to the acre Of Havana as they can of
seed leaf. They use seed here from
the sixth to the eighth year in descent
from the imported. This makes a
large plant, with long, broad leaves,
and when topped to from twelve to
fourteen leaves, and there are from
{, 500 to 1000 plants to the acre, the
weight can hardly fall below 1900 10
1000 pounds. Our longest grower here
of Havana says he never fails of OBJ
tanning 1900 bounds to the acre, and
many times 1900 and 1000 pounds.
He also remarked to the write r
that with him no crop
was more profitable than Havana, since
he could usually begin to strip early in
November, and sometimes sell it dur
ing that month.
Havana has of late sold readily at
from IA to Is cents through, and some
few growers last season who had choice
lots were paid 16 to IS cents through
that is, the three qualities, filters,
seconds and wrappers at one price.
1t is obvious, then, that unless the
grower obtains at least 800 pounds of
Havana to the acre, he had better con
fac his attention to Connecticut seed
leaf, unless he can obtain few cents
more pound for the Havana than for
the other. 1t has been claimed all
along that Havana makes finer wrap
per than seed-leaf, but some hackers
think or talk otherwise. A large pack
er was showing the writer his samples
Of the 1881 crop, all sweated by the
natural process. AS he drew out SAM
Pile after sample, giving the number of
the case and the growers name, he
remarked land he has dealt largely in
Havana "tbose samples are finer than
any Havana that ever grew and will
burn perfectly" and to show his faith
he rolled up cigar, and his predic-
ton proved true. | think the predju-
dice entertained by many growers will
wear away if Havana continues to be
popular with the manufacturer. Here
lies the solution of the problem. We
must grow just what they want.-Conn.