Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-23
TOBACCO,
A Profitable Crop That Can be Raised In
Many Northern States.

a Profitable Crop That Can be Raised In
Many Northern States.
Tobacco was almost the first crop
that engaged the attention of the early
settlers of this country. 1t probably
exerted more influence on the settle.
ment OF the country than any other
vegetable production. The colonists
in Virginia and Maryland relied on it
chiefly for support. For nearly a cen-
fury it generally took the place of
money. In some cases taxes were
paid in tobacco. Ministers received
their salaries in tobacco, and in Vir-
ginia brides were bought for a given
number of pounds of tobacco. The
%colonists of jamestown gave so much
attention to raising tobacco that they
neglected the culture of food crops,
and were at one time in dangerof starv-
alton. The rulers of the colony found
it necessary to compel the settlers to
plant a certain amount Of land each
year to food crops in order to prevent
distress among the people. The early
prosperity of Virginia was largely due
to the production of tobacco, a large
proportion of which was sent to Eu-
rope. The first settlers of MARYLAND
became rich by raising tobacco. In
early days tobacco was by far the most
profitable crop in Kentucky and Ten
nessee, as it could be transported down
the Mississippi and its tributaries to
New Orleans to much better advantage
than grain. The first settlers of Illinois
and Missouri found tobacco to be their
best market crop, and it exerted a pow
erful influence on the settlement of
those States.
The cultivation of tobacco in the
Northern States is of somewhat recent
origin. For more than a century it
was raised to a limited extent for
home consumption in Pennsylvania
and New York. but it did not take its
place among the crops raised for mar
ket till the period of the late civil war.
Some experiments made in the valley
of the Connecticut River were very
successful. A leaf was produced which
was very desirable for cigar-wrappers.
1t is somewhat deficient in fine flavor,
but it is large, strong, thin and free
from blemishes. For the purpose for
which it is generally used it is superior
to the tobacco produced in any other
part of the world. The culture of to-
bacco was undertaken in Michigan and
Wisconsin almost as soon as these
States were settled, and has continued
to the present time. In several coun-
ties in Wisconsin it has during the past
few years become the leading crop for
the market. In many places it has
taken the place of hops, that were till
lately extensively cultivated. The
seasons are so short that it is necessary
to cut and house the plants before they
have obtained their full growth, in or
der to escape injury from the frost.
Still the crop is a profitable one, as is
shown by the prosperity Of the farmers
engaged in raising it. A ride through
the tobacco-raising districts of Wiscon-
sin will convince any one that the
farmers are accumulating wealth.
Although tobacco is OF tropical OF
sub-tropical origin, experiments have
demonstrated that it can be produced
in every State and Territory in the
country. Perhaps it can not be pro.
ftably produced in all Of them, but Thu
fact has never been determined. NJ
plant is as greatly influenced by peculi
arities of soil and climate as tobacco.
Meteorological observations and sol
analyses have accomplished very little
toward determining whether 6
good quality of tobacco can be
produced in a given locality. Ex
periments are necessary to decide this
matter that there are many places in
the country capable Of producing as
fine tobacco as any ever raised il
Connecticut or North Carolina is very
likely. Considering how important {
factor tobacco is in the accumulation
of the wealth of the Nation it seem.
somewhat remarkable that no sys
tematic attempt has ever been made tt
ascertain where it can be produced a
a profit. The Department of Agricul
ture has expended enormous sums il
attempts to introduce the culture Of
the tea plant and in trying t. build ur
a sugar industry in the Northern
States, but it has done very little
toward increasing the production o
tobacco or in ascertaing where the
plant will succeed. Very few of thu
State Agricultural societies or board!
have done anything toward encourag
ing the production of the crop which
is a vast source of wealth to tn
country.
The adaptability of the soil and eli
mate of any locality to the production
of tobacco of good quality has gener
ally been determined by accident
Some new settler coming from a par
of the country where tobacco is a lead
ing crop, brought a little seed witt
him and planted it in a garden bed
He raised a few plants which he cure,
in a shed and found the quality to b
good. The next year he planted NOR
and demonstrated that it would sue
coed as a field crop. Having sue
ceeded in finding a market for it, h
engaged quite extensively in its cult
walton. His neighbors then followed
his example and in a few years tobacco
became a leading product in tn
neighborhood. In the course Q
time its culture extended int
all the adjacent sections o
country having a similar soil ant
climate. 1t is likely that the Indian
showed greater enterprise to introduc
ing tobacco into new localities tina!