The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-12-05

quantity of seed can be had to distribute
among the farmers.
Will you please answer and give me
any other facts that will aid me in intro
ducing tobacco among our people.
Yours,
THos. J. KAY,
Asst. CPk in Dept. Of Agriculture.
Here we grow the Vuelta de Abajo.
We have one and one-half pounds Of this
variety for sale. Address Hon. L. B.
Wombwell,. commissioner of immigration,
Tallahassee. He is receiving seed from
parties in Cuba, and will doubtless aid
you. Capt Snow of North Carolina, the
tobacco barn man, with D. G. Devenish,
are now in your state. It would be we'll
for you to interview them. Doubtless
you could gather from these gentlemen
much of the information you desire.
Subscribe to the FLoR1D1AN and we will
keep you posted each week.
It is a matter of Importance that care
should be taken in stripping and assort-
ing crop, as it's market value depends
much upon this.
Much depends upon beginning right in
raising crop Of tobacco. Secure plenty
of plants and have them early. Burn
your beds sufficient to kill all the seeds
of weeds or grass, then dig up the bed,
rake and pulverize every clod, removing
all Instructions that may be found in the
bed. The bed should be made compact
by rolling or tramping with the feet.
For early shipments the question Of
order is rot so important. Tobacco
must not be dry enough to break or dam
age by handling, neither must it be wet
enough to bruise by prizing. Between
these two points you are safe for early
shipments. Tobacco that is to be held
for the summer market must be carefully
treated as to order, as it is of great inn
portance that it should be kept perfectly
sweet, and it will require experience
rather than advice to accomplish this.
As long as Floridians are in their
senses they will not desire the annexa.
ton of Cuba. The most we want OF that
pes,-hole is a good annual supply Of
Vuelta Abajo tobacco seed. We cannot
import the climate and soil which pro-
duce the incompatible "Havana," (for
we may as well candidly admit that the
other but we can import the yellow fever
and the leprosy Let US forever draw the
line at Key West. We had better pay
$40 pound for the seed than to annex
Cuba and raise it ourselves Fruit
Grower.
Talk about Sumatra men coming over
here to grow Sumatra tobacco In KEN
lucky and other southern states, they
may as we'll talk of transferring their en-
tire plantations over here. Then the
next thing they would have to do would
| be to transfer the Sumatra climate, and
| two of coolies, or reduce the wages Of
| our own workmen here and starve them
| into subsection so that they may kneel
| when they approach us. Did any one
/ ever hear Of such nonsense? AS to the
| possibility of growing Sumatra tobacco
| In the southern states, it is pure childish
| ness to talk like that. AS well might the
Cuban planters say that they intend to
come along and grow Havana on our soil.
Of course very little reflection is needed
to show that the climate is the chief fac
tor. Take it here in the different states
Each state produces particular grade
and quality, suited, too, for particular
purposes For this reason it has been
found impossible to grow in Pehnsyl-
vania the species raised In Kentucky, and
so on. FOR the same reason it would be
farce to attempt to grow Sumatra in
Kentucky or any Of the other southern
states. The Sumatra leaf Is of q 1ne,
silky nature, and Is used entirely fol
J wrappers The leaf grown in. Kentucky
is thick and juicy, and is inst what il
| needed for filters. - Tobacco Leaf.
4 i =.