The Florida agriculturist., 1885-04-29

Florida Tobacco.

ing to show you the importance and adj
vantages of the crop. As an instance of
the profits of the business, will cite
you to the case of the little district in
North Carolina termed the sGolden
Belt" 1t is mountainous country and
the land comparatively OF little value
Land that twelve years ago, like much
OF the Florida land, was on the market
begging a purchaser at five dollars per
acre, is now selling at one hundred 10
two hundred dollars per acre, according
to location and advantages, and much
OF 1t that cannot be bought, as the farm
ers consider the investment unapproach-
able. Why this enormous increase of
value? Simply the one crop, tobacco!
Tobacco is the crop and the theme. 1t
is the staple that has raised them from
penury to independent affluence. After
the growing season is over the travellers
in those districts continually meet the
farmers vending their way to the towns
to dispose OF their commodity. Some of
them, the more opulent, with their mule
teams, conveying thousands of pounds,
worth in many instances half as many
dollars and upward, and others less
aspiring and of more moderate means,
with their few hundred pounds, vet ali
with that satisfied look of contentment
betokening independence, knowing they
have a commodity that has an estab-
lished value wherein they will be we'll
and proftably paid for their industry,
and that want and poverty no longer
stare them in the face.
The reader may ask, why have these
districts monopoly or why should
they be more thrifty than other districts?
Necessarily, they are not more SO than
some others. But in all countries there
are districts where certain plants do
better than in general localities, which
is generally caused by favorable condi
tions of soil and climate, aided by culti-
walton, &c.
Kentucky leaf is cheap, as a rule and
why? From the fact that the soil and
climate are favorable to a rank growth,
making coarse, heavy leaf, and adapt;
ed only to cheap smoking and chewing,
excepting in rare cases choice lot of
tinely-colored Golden Leaf" selling at
fancy prices as wrappers for high-priced
plug, which, when the farmer is FORUM
ate enough to have such crop, pro-
duces a fortune, from the fact that they
are extensive producers, forty and fifty
acres being common crop.
Virginia and MARYLAND are fair tobacco
States, yet it is not of the quality to
bring fancy prices. Pennsylvania has
been quite a fine tobacco growing dis
trlct; but she is losing her precedence,
excepting favored crops in Lancaster
county. Certain localities in Connecti-
cut one day carried the palm, but she
nearly lost it through carelessness off
her growers and keen competition. Butt
to-day, in favorable soils and localities,
by using highly nitrogenized fertilizers,
they are producing fine leaf that man
ages to hold her reputation in the mar
ket.
New York is quite producer, but her
tObaccoS rank with Pennsylvania and
the western production, which are prof
table more from the energy and thrift
of the producer than from favorableness
of location.
Take the tobacco production of the
United States, and in carefully review
ing the local market reports we see that
the favored districts, that are getting
what may be termed fancy prices for
their tobacco, are those situated near
the seaboard, which, making the climate
more equable and moist, gives to the
plant an even and thrifty growth not
otherwise obtainable; also, the evener
and warmer the climate the finer the
leaf, climate acting on vegetation the
same as on animal life, producing finer
II anu ulOIG ucllCdIG CODSe-
quently, nearer perfection. AS further
proof of the advantages of tn eameliorat-
ing influence of sea air in the perfection
of fine properties of tobacco, we have
the Nuelto Abajo district in the Isle Of
Cuba, the selections of which sell al
home at the extravagant figures OF two
to five dollars per pound, and YOU may
say almost prohibiting the expectation
Of the finest leaf from the country, the
Spaniard being as great lover of fine
tobacco as are any tobacco epicures.
This tobacco is claimed to be raised
on the western coast of the island, get
ting the full benefit of the sea air, as the
prevailing winds are from the ocean
and that the sun ever shines on it; I. e
| the land lying to the sun.
Now, these being the facts, what mus
be our logical conclusion in regard t
tobacco production in the State of Flor
ida? Since sun and sea air are the es
sential requisites for the production o
the plant, Florida is certainly a favored
l section, being enclosed on three sidel
by water, and still better, the southwes
side is the Gulf, which, being warmer
must be better; consequently, Florid;
having more seacoast than any othe
State in the Union, and that in shape
to give her the nearest advantage of al
| island, also lying nearer the tropics thai
any other State, gives her decided ad
vantage over our sister States in thu
production of Cuba tobacco. Since W,
do not lay as far south as Cuba we can
not expect to make an article equal t.
the best Cuban, yet we can make al
good and better than much of the i'm
ported article. Although the probability
ty is that only the western coast, from Her
N 4 Ii 6
Ia ducing an article that will make a fine
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