Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-04-24
Deterioration in Tobacco.

/ ueteTlOratiOn IN une quaAlty OF TOBACCO
in the dark district, and all efforts to
improve it seem in vain, while the
deterioration goes regularly on, in
creasing the proportionate quantity
of inferior grades every year. A
noticeable fact was the sale of crop
of tobacco here the other day from
one of the finest farms in Christian
county, KY, owned by one of the
most widely known and successful
farmers in that State, which was
two-thirds Jugs, the crop averaging
four cents. Tobacco from this farm,
raised by the same man, up to few
years ago always brought top prices,
and now he admits that he can no
longer make fine tobacco. Planters
discuss this question and reason
many causes, but see n to have fallen
into groove in which they are.held
by the force of changed circum-
stances. Reason as planters may on
this question, the cause is traceable
only to the departure from the old
three-shift system of wheat, clover
and tobacco, and three acres to the
hand, to the new methods of COM
mercial fertilizers injudiciously used
and five to ten acres to the hand
quantity rather than quality being
the ruling spirit. During the past
fifteen or twenty years the receipts OF
| the GAINESVILLE market alone have
increased from 10000 10000 hogs-
heads, while Louisville and other
markets have increased almost in
proportion. This increase has been
stimulated by the share system and
convenient use of commercial fertil.
izers in the hill. This poor land
that would not otherwise be thought
of for growing tobacco is brought
: into constant use. If it happens to
be a wet, growing season, the plant
receives powerful stimulant, grows
rapidly with very little cultivation,
spreads and becomes large, leafy
and course, and so soon as the stimu.
iating power is exhausted the SAP
dries out and the leaf cures chaffy.
If the early part of the growing sea
son is dry, the plant makes very
slow progress, stands on the hills
late, half natures and finally takes
the second growth when the late
rains come to give force to the ferti
lizer, which remains inactive
during the dry weather, and
the result is not so favorable
as under the other condition
f This reason is further sustained il
the change that this tobacco growing
section has undergone. Before fer
tilizers were brought into use the
finest tobacco brought to this marke
f came from Christian, Todd, Logar
and Trigg counties, grown on Glove
land and by the use of stable ma
nure. Now it is the poorest tobacco
that comes from these counties anC
the finest from Robertson, Cheathan
and the eastern portion of Montgom
. cry, which in former years were
hardly regarded as second class to
baccO counties. The difference is The
farmers in the last named section
grow small crops and rest their land'
in clover, while the large, rich farm,
of the Kentucky counties are cult
waited on the share system with the
use of commercial fertilizer anG
pushed for all there is in the land.
Now, the remedy for the evil is to
go back to the old system-three
acres to the hand-lay off the tobacco
land in three shifts, follow tobacco
with wheat, sowing clover on the
wheat, and let the land rest in clover
the third year without pasturing
The first crop of clover may be taken
off for hay with profit. the second
crop Will enrich the soil and leave
seed enough without resolving, and
use the Commercial fertilizers broad
cast when preparing the land for to-
bacco. This is the most expensive
way TO use it, but is the way it pays
best and benefits the land for the fol-
lowing wheat crop.