Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-21
SHALL WE HAVE IT
Can We Afford Not to Have That
Canning Factory ?
A Meeting Elsewhere Called of the
Clarksville Board Of Trade to
Consider the Matter.

Otic duinllS tildt II HOuit bc "a E'Pi
thing, but one 0bjectioa urges is that
there is not enough truck patch stuff
raised around Ularksville to sustain
such factory or justify the invest.
msnt. or course there is not; and
never will be until there is market
for II. But so soon as farmers are
assured ofa canning factory, and that
the canning .compasy:is ready to con-
tract in advance for. the stuff, and
they are made to understand that
truck farming will pay better than
Reggie tobacco, they will at once
divide the crop and plant thousands of
acres in tomatoes, sweet corn,
peas, beans, cabbage, sweet potatoes,
strawberries, raspberries, ETC., aud it
does not require half the labor and
expense to produce either one of
these crops as 10 costs per acre to pro-
duce Reggie tobacco, which brings the
planter from $50 to $50 per acre. 1t
is an extraordinarily fine crop OF to.
bacco that will average the grower
500 per acre, while the average yield
will scarcely amount to $50. Land
that will produce 1000 pounds of to-
bacco per acre will yield from 500 to
700 bushels OF tomatoes, which al rs
cents per bushel will realize $l25 to
| SITS per acre. There is no trouble in
making a farmer who raises garden
truck understand this; and so with
other articles. What he wants to be
sure of is a market for such products.
| But there is no need for reducing the
| tobacco crop. There are thousands
of acres of idle land that needs to be
worked, fertilized and reclaimed,
which vegetable growing will 90.
Clarksville has, we may say, four
railroads stretching out with the
four points Of the compass, with eight
incoming passenger trains per day,
besides many freight trains. Our
people have spent great deal Of
money 10 obtain such benefits, but
what good will it all do if we offer
no market for the vast products
which the country, for fifty to 100
miles, in every direction is capable
Of pouring in here, il we but offer
some stimulous to production; and
what better way can it be done than
by groWisg vegetables and fruits at
great profits? Some one says: Oh,
well, this is fine enough on paper,
but our farmers know nothing about
growing these things and they will
not undertake it. There is not
plow boy in fifty miles of the city
who could not take team and raise
crop of tomatoes. They already
know, and yet but few can manage
tobacco crop successfully. There is
nothing to do but plow the ground,
lay it off in rows, plant the vines in
April and May, work them two or
three times and then wait for the
harvest. They are not to be framed
and tied up and suckered as in the
garden, but allowed to run and
spread over the ground aud keep
growing and spreading until frost.
The least trouble in the whole matter
will be in getting the farmers to do
their part. The question is with the
town people will you try? Win
you create the market and offer In
ducements to the farmers for fifty
miles around to come here and deal
with you? This is the point. Will
you start something that will employ
the idle and helpless, both in the
country and tows? This is city of
charitable, Christian people; we give
our thousands to relieve the poor, to
educate the children, to build
churches, to spread the gospel, to
punish crime and protect the help
less aud innocent but are we giving
anything or doing anything to
furnish healthiul employment for the
thousands who are anle to provide
themselves with all Of these good
things, il they only had something
to dc?
A canning factory here with capac.
ity for $4,000 cans per day, Gt ought
to De 25,OO0) will employ 200 idle
women and children, and put in cir
cuation $1,000 every day that it
runs, besides the trade 10 will
bring from the country. What
greater Christian duty can the
busiaess men of Clarksville per
form than this? Give the
poor employment by which they
can earn their own sustenance, and
you will make them an independent,
prosperous, happy, Christian people,
inspiring them to rise higher and do
something themselves to benz fit So
ciety.
But another says the thing is
too risky; there are too macy OF
these factories springing up, ove7-
doing the market, aud it WON'T pay.
Well, what Investment in his world
that promises any return that is not
risky? Nothing in this lie succeeds