The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-09-12
THE TRUE STATUS OF THE WEED AS II
NOW APPEARS

SOlISopoiiu VIII tLS PiSoiStiOio hloo$,
to the effect that good proportion of
this years crop will with favorable sea-
sons for cutting, housing and curing,
be fine and bright. But 1t must be
kept in mind that the crop will be
short in quantity. The acreage IS below
the average and then most of the plants
though bright and silky, will be light
in weight. The long rainy spell fol-
lowed by dry weather, caused much of
the tobacco to ssfire" on the hill, SO
that the ground leaves burned up, and
many planters have been cutting parts
of their crops to save them from COM
plete loss by further firing. Others
again have gathered the bottom leaves
that had begun to "6re,' strung them
with Irvine upon tobacco sticks and
cured them afterwards selling them
upon our market as "primlngs" al
good prices,-DanUiM Register.
THE CROP OUTLOOK.
Interviews with the tobacco men at
the convention this week and elsewhere
elected some opinions on the new crop
that are of value to the trade. The
Western North Carolina crop is de-
cidedly a fine one, and the cures are
satisfactory. Around Winston the
crop looks well-has come out a great
deal since the middle of the month,
and what cures have been made are
reported fine. The central section of
the State has some as fine tobacco as
has ever grown, and especially in the
cutter and smoker grades. Of course
the crop in the Eastern counties is
about all cured and is the best that
has ever been grown. The above
sounds very much like the crop was all
that could be desired. This is not ex-
actly the case. Much tobacco will be
thin, and the proportion of good, rich
filters somewhat small. Barring this
objection, however, and the reduced
acreage, owing to the wet weather we
look for good crop in North Carolina.
In the bright sections of Virginia
the same is about true, with the ex-
ception perhaps that the rains did
more damage elsewhere to low land
tobacco crops. The cures IN Pittsyl-
vania and Halifax counties are quite
satisfactory SO far save that the leaf is
light bodied and in some instances in
clined to be sleasy. In the dark sec
tons it is stated on good authority that
the acreage is smaller than for IS years
owing to heavy rains which washed
the lands SO severely. The upland
crops that are left look fairly we'll and
there will be some good types in the
! new crop.
The rainy spell this week has very
much retarded cutting and curing and
is quite a drawback to the crop pros.
pects.-DanOlXe Tobacco Journal
SAVING PRIMINGs. -
If the process of saving the bottom
leaves of tobacco continues to increase
IN popularity for few years more it i:
safe to estimate that fully one fourth
in weight will be added to a crop Of
the same acreage. This method OF
prctice of saving the lower leaves is O
recent date. Only few years back
and all the lower leaves were primed
off and thrown away. No one thought
of saving this part of the plant. Te
Capt. Snow, of High Point, N. c., i:
due the honor of calling halt to this
wasteful system. At first his ideas were
hooted at and in some cases laughed
at. But Captain Snow knew that he
was right and he went ahead. At first
a few leading farmers began to save
their primings. These were marketed
and brought high prices. The mex
objection came from buyers and other!
who said the tobacco thus saved was
useless. But in spite of all opposition
the system gained new converts every
year. One farmer who saved his prim
ings in neighborhood would conver
a dozen of his neighbors by the high
prices he realized. The whole system
had SO much common sense attached
to it that it is rapidly becoming gener
al throughout Virginia and NORTH
Carolina. In Eastern North Carolina
the primings are saved from the very
bottom leaves. Some planters save
tlue and six leaves in this way to the
stalk, which heretofore was wasted anc
which adds about one-fourth to the
product Of their fields.
| The prices obtained for printing:
this year have been very high. Plenty
of farmers in North Carolina are get
ting from IS to 40 cents for the to.
bacco thus saved. We know one plant
er who has saved 5000 pounds out O.
a Al acre crop, and he estimates thai
he will average 80 cents around.
These primings are strung on thread
and cured quite bright. There is nc
question about this system beng q
great boon to the poor planters. II
enables them to Save great deal tina,
was heretofore lost. Many will be
able to pay for their fertilizers by this
system of saving. In another year OF
two we may rest assured that the sys.
tenn will become in general use by all
planters.-Dan0iHe Tobacco Journal
\ USELESS APPEAL.-The Henderson
| Cor n Tr4E ono of tho a. ole os ,rool-l;o.