New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-28
TOBACCO CULTURE.
p1cu CROPS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

o-o veors since tobacco was first grown Tor cohnic'
nurposes From the few thousand pounds riSou :" ~,
Youthful colony OF Virginia in 1912 the cWtuio ~
article has extended into almost every ooun'ls, 90 %
,l,o rroduction OF the world reaches l'1oV'oVVo'0
Mounds and 700 600 900 Of people. one-hhi the eh"e
the Inhabitants OF the earth,use 1t IN some Ior
There Il perhaps no other instance on recoiu ""'o a"
or,icIe not absolutely necessary 70 the heeos VI t
human family has gained such a WHO iu'i'
among men in 90 brief period. IL almoS. o"
Indicate that some mild narcotic Is esseht"i ~ ~"
Tort and enjoyment Of mankind. The purpose OF tnl'
- ho,v.,or a not 70 moralize over this question:
hut IN tyc some dctnils concerning the growth oi n
industry I'm single Pennsylvania county where "i"S
the brief period Of fifty years it has reacheu o''
markable development. has become leading crop CIV
ing employment I'm TO thousands OF persons a"
enrichng whole community IT.,
Nearly 900 vcar ago tobacco culture was extensively
carried on in the newly founded colony of Penn In
1eao ma s,ver than fourteen vessels sailed from Pennsy
vania loaded with tobsccO. OF course they were small
craft compared with the ships OF to-day p inc INV
nevertheless indicates to what an extent the cuo
this product was carried on Mt that early uay " sc
to have died out however, little Is hearn oi 1t ut @
frat quarter of the present century wheh !. W. "a
taken mn in few places hut nowhere 50 eIemslHey rs
In Lancaster county. About the years en,oI 20
farmers once more began growing IL VI ,nt I'D IIe
There was not much OF II market for the prOunc io
custom was for the grower 10 have IL ,ao w d to
cars for his own use and the surplus any, was SUI w
the local cigar manufactures lhosc IT, 80 ra
times for smokers and Inanuac , iola and mo in
faarna revenue tax The cigars made were pInclpany
of two kinds common ana hnil ~ nara arsto
sold at 1--WE for cent while tho inter ana moro
cratic article was smoked by the DelleIo ' nm"
community and Tetard al Two U G 20 m cents per hun
dred: that of the latter about twice us muen. ano
amount of tobacco grown In the StGto lcic"Ns 49,
% ,Iarty The first authentic estimate OF the crop
was made in 1850 when 5000 cases OF w. ~ ,o
80. rodnrod The cigars were sofa ht thal the
Wr'r iv and fourteen cents and the inferior ones
prOpOrtiOnatcly lpNcr
THE CROP IL LANCASTER COUNTY.
T-pon the revival Of this industry III $50 Lancaster
County took the lead, prccmincncei 1t mas maintained
70 fine pre.rn hour The soil seems especially adapted
10 fine rovth Of this crop Most Of it Is limestone but
even where slate and sandstone prevail good tobacco
crors are grown II may he well to remark right
here that all the raised In the Northern STATES
from Connecticut Wisconsin, Is known IN the market
"a scedlcaf" and is used almost exclusively III the
manufacture of ciuar part for wrappers and the rest
for filters. Tobacco possessing certain Indispensable
qualities is required for this purpose The wrapper lear
must bc soft plant, silky and elastic not Hight nor
osv Int Thin and tough. with veins 80 small - not To
show above the level of the leaf and only moderate
amount Of nicotine and above all 1t must be handsome
IN ,,earauce and Of pleasant flavor. All these reqni-
sites are met in Lancaster County tobacco, To when may
be- added the rich dark brown color 50 much Affected by
s,ples at the present day and the adhesive white ash
which results when the cigar j. smoked These several
ouolr, have made this tobacco favorlte with manu-
fsctrcrs and have stimulated the production to ia pres
,nt extraordinary extent There f. sccdleaf tobacco
crown elsewhere In the United states that possesses
some or most of the mentioned qualities but none
tbcr parhaps that pos,csse. them all Lancaster city
H. tl lnrec, sc.dlcaf market in the country. except
New-York.
suacc will not allow OF any cxtandod remarks on the
cultivation Of the crop. A. soon ~ the ioSt Is ONT oil
the ground in the spring the tobacco seed IS sown IN
bcd specially prepared that purpose. in favorable
Ia. fprFq ~ al re-
nrIier although canya7-covcrcd meeting with
favor because they exclude the minute cabeete' 'Hd
hcidr, which frequently attack the young plants
when the plants have developed three four leaves The
largest equal IN -ilc 10 silver dollar they are trans
planted into the fields prepared to receive t9rn rlf
they are set in three and one nall To four iect
apart the plants themselves being placed from twenty
1 thirty inches from each other In the rows. The rich
ness the soil and the variety or t"hhcco govern s
enemies o.saIl them The worms come first. They
cut dswn the tender plants and the planter must visit
tional years the repantlng amounts To moro thah the
Afier few DAYS the cultivation Of the crop must be
and this must be continued M Intervals OF
few days until the plants have attained such sze tnat
the of a horse and shovel pillow between the rows
no longer possible without I'M rng the leaves Mrap
while "uother enemy has come al ing ~ te Shde Oh @
hawk moth tSphrr gtiHquen'dcWdtusl IA nocturnal
enemy that lays its numerous eESs uon ,lf Iaara,
where they matched into the loIihluape lop"'co
worms -; these latter, unless al once removed soon cav
large holes in the leaves and render ihrh uht Tor cigar
wrappers. At IA certain stage "I us grown I'o lnnt
nust he topprd The upper portion Is removed only a
many leaves being left ~ the plant VIII he ahe u ma
ttrc when this has been done suckers OF SHOOTS ar, at
once thrown which must also he broken on IA thcy
draw themselves the srenSt ana NgoT Necessary To
the full dcy copncnt of the lear Nhrh me lIAHa are
matlrcd they are either cut sawed or hung up on
temporary ~chH"Il7 III NV "'iu, =" ',',' w. ~ ,',
wagons To the sheds barns where they are finally
i"niI tr crop u taken down. stripped from the stalks
and prepared for the inspection OF buJc
VARIETIES PRICES AND PROFITS
The two principal varieties Of tobacco grown in Ian
easter County the Pennsylvania sccdlcaf" and the
Ge,.ncr" both attaining remarkable development Of
leaf and producing in favorable seasons very heavy
Weld, to the acre Leaves from forty-hvo to fifty
uche, long aud twenty two 10 twenty eight inches wide
are not unusual in the growing season and cured ones
twenty by forty inches not uncommon Not only the
size of the crop hut It's value also Is largely dependent
on the season When the laters favorable from loo,
TO $500 pounds of tobacco are grown on an acre
1000 pounds Is by means an unusual crop. The
rcr varies from season to season. do all other farm
product- being governed however mainly by tie
quality.
Tobacco il generally assorted into three grades known
as wrappers."" seconds" and filters %; In average
year, the first named sells at from - to 80 cents. the
seconds at from to II cents and the filters at from
to cents In 1879. tobacco grower set out 1880
rauts on three acres ~ ground hr got 1851 pounds of
cured tobacco slightly than half pound per plant
and AT the rate 25GO pounds to the The
was sold AT 20 cents through" realizing ~. 800 20.
800 % per acre Inc same man sou III march, ISL
- crop the previous year. 1903 pounds grown from
900 plants, which Wa, at the rate 81 900 pounds To
No ,cr,. pctlapS the largest authenticated yield ever
recorded i'm the United states senator Cameron j. an
extensive tobacco grower In 1850 no grew On twenty
acres rghty-fye $1,000 pounds, average Of
700 mounds the mere. which was SOLD az IL y CENTS
realizing him about -. 900 1t was good average yicd
Tor n large an acreage bat the price at which sold
was only moderately good. \ farmer residing two
milo. bryoud limits. sold to California cenr
manufacturing the product OF nine acres at the uni
form price of - cents receiving therefor the very hand
some sum OF - JJ3 at the rate OF Sbl7 per acre.
Two wears ago Il widc-aWake tobacco grow bought
seven acres OF land lying blum of the COncstoga
creek for % per acre II steep stony and rough
and seemed 10 defy cultivation; hut the pucky pur-
chaser rmo ed the largest stones cleared on the under
br,sh and In some way managed 10 turn the soil aud
nut In crop OF tobacco He found place sufficiently
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