The morning news., 1892-03-14
TOBACCO.
A Plant the World Gould Very Readily
Dispense With.

/ A Plant the World Gould Very Readily
Dispense With.
The great staple crops of the south are
primarily cotton, tobacco, sugar cane and
rice. In the several sections Of the country
lying below Mason and Dixon's line, one or
TIE other of these four crops is made spe.
calty-the foundation Of agricultural ef-
tcrt
Twenty-Five or thirty years ago it was
much easier to draw the line describing the
area in which these particular crops were
le manstay of the farmer than it is now.
Anattempt TO draw line encircling the va
nogs localities wherein these different crops
are more or less cultivated would exhibit an
outline as curious as a gerrymandered
district in Ohio or Massachusetts. Especial
y is this true of tobacco, to less extent
with cotton, aud still less with sugar cane or
rice
Tobacco has pushed itself into various
hooks and crannies in every direction of the
compass in the past twenty five years Cot
ton has extended its line further to the
north. Sugar cane with its near relative,
heretofore unknown places. and rice itself
has found an upland home in various places
| far from the coast. 1t would seeIn that the
| farmer Of Virginia and the farmer of
| Georgia were disposed to swap OFF their re-
| spectlye specialities. and inaugurate new
era in farming that would deface the long
Standing outlines OF production. If we
poulI bnliara fODWfh Of 10 uvnnAarful
sta ements may by Southwest Georgia ex-
/ perimenters there would be no evading the
clnviction that Georgia was yet to surpass
/ Virginia as a tobacco producer, aud, on the
o.her hand, South Virginia claims to be able
b substitute cotton for tobacco aud do bet
ter for the exchange.
Tie experience Of the past twenty years
bas been sufficient to show how necessary 1t
Is that farming in every section of the
country should be conducted on the priuci-
pie of diversity il it would be made con-
tmuously profitable and satisfactory. Dissat-
M&ctlon exists everywhere when farming
has been carried on with specialties. It has
led to q general disposition to swap crops,
end how the lines are to be drawn in the
effort to make these changes will natur-
SLY excite the curiosity Of the thoughtful
observer. The agricultural map of the
United States twenty years from now will
indicate doubtless wonderful change in the
The productions of the various sections.
The primary staple crops of one section of
the country are staple crops in a secondary
way in others. Corn and oats in Georgia
ere also staple crops in one sense, but neither
Ire treated as foundation Gro that is made
Noccupy the position of the money crop.
while one can grow these with more or
xr-SN he
NrthNest, and yet without doubt it is
Profitable TO grow them to the extent of our
nome needs. When the day arrives that
Us3rgla does this a very great Improvement
VII! be recorded of the prosperity abound-
ng within her limits.
Other secondary staple crops Of great
Value to the Georgia farmer consist of
peas, sweet potatoes and hay. neither of
Nulcn ls grown by farmers generally to the
extent that they should be. Of course, there
Ie Individual farmers who grow one or the
IleF, perhaps all three, in the greatest
slundance, and we doubt IL any one ever
'gfetted having done so.
10 what extent the individual farmer in
V"fgia or other southern states will be
O'aehted by changing from cotton to tobac'
WIN Dc something Of question Tor the
.aults yet to answer. So far es one years
oa;. '@alis and experience go it appears that
sle number of farmers derived profit
s.S aal satisfaction from their last years vent
e II tobacco culture. Some have had the
'ouent OF even more than one years expe-
,ence, and are still encouraged in the effort
b5eplace cotton, the thing wherewith the
~ sly OF man is clothed-by tobacco, thing
n, o,uere"lth that body is injured-the words
NJ, ~ man who chews and smokes-and is IL
W. w. rather sad commentary on our "ad-
wnacihg" civilization that such a change is
TTpanted Ta from pecnniary point of viewl
ro the Humanitarian this picture is not a
so.aat one. Civilized, ah, refined" man.
Swing overheard the product that
S"e.es Ses and warns him for something that
w uOt Necessary TO his well-being in any
81 out rather injurious.
# ,srSo 'S9oacco culture is certainly being ex-
. tbs tbs1sa In this country, and we believe it is
+ e,y.te oase In other countries IL is natural &C
r'.nl, pSt a gradually lowering Of prices as the
80 OF such extension unless consumption
AeO cOlRid0rahtv inrraaead