The herald., 1893-09-10
THERE IS MONEY IN TOBACCO.
1t Should be Grown in South
ern California.
Every Indication that the Local Con-
diti0ns are Favorable.
A Paper by j. w. ouip, Read Before
the Board of Trade-A Testi-
moniaI from New
York Expert.

Inc following 10 paper py De ~. OuiP
of Gilroy, read before the California
state board OF trade at its August meet
ing 1898:
GENTLEMEN: Yielding to the request
of your worthy manager, Mr.. E. W. Mas
lin. now submit the following, drawn
from my experience and observation
concerning the tobacco growing industry
Of California:
According to the memory of the earli-
est American settlers OF this state, the
tobacco plant was successfully grown
and cured by the original Mexican set
tlers of California In very.many portions
of the state. and it is entirely probable
that the original seed came with the
Jesuits from Mexico, but nos until 1862
did it's cultivation assume any CONNER
cial Importance. In that year the state
of California produced 1000, 900 pounds
of leaf tobacco.
deem it unnecessary for the purpose
OF this paper to relate the subsequent
history of this industry, recnunting its
struggles against the opposition and
prejudice of capital and men interested
in the handling of imported products,
as well as the inadequate knowledge OF
the peculiar methods necessary to sue
cessfully grow and cure a high grade of
tobacco under the entirely different
conditions of climate and soil which OBJ
tain in our state.
With few exceptions, remain the
only original grower of the leaf in the
state, and am glad to tell you that the
reward for my persistent cultivation of
oinr ho in SANTA Nlora fxr
we'll realized in the superior quality
and satisfactory value of the crops am
now producing and marketing, and let
me say that nothing deserves a more
hearty and enthusiastic encouragement
from the people OF this state than the
present plan for the immediate organiza-
tion of company. the purpose OF which
shall be to introduce and direct the gen.
eral planting of all varieties of tobacco
in every portion of California adapted to
its cultivation, and cured under the
process now employed at the San Felipe
plantation, and further extend the func
tione OF this company by using it as q
means through which the general
markets OF the United States shall be
rendered accessible to the producers of
California tobacco.
The opportunities for the development
OF the tobacco industry in this state are
recognized to be superior to any else
where in the United States. It may be
truthfully said that there is no county
in the state which has not eome por-
tions of it adapted to the raising of
some kind of tobacco. The peculiar
quality of tobacco lands in our state
renders manuring unnecessary, which
item is q saving of about 500 per acre
as compared with cigar tobacco produc-
ing lands of the east.
The Absence Of frosts during the grow
ing season, together with the long dry
summer, renders two crops each
year a certainty, and the differ
ence in cost of cultivation is five to
one in favor of California. Again, the
tobacco industry OF this state ia the
natural companion OF the horticultural
industry. Nine-tenths of the young
orchards of our state can be successfully
employed in tobacco raising in conjunc-
ton with tree-growing, and not only
thus enormously increase the product
iveness of the land devoted to fruit cul-
ture, but utilize the necessary cultiva-
ton of the orchard itself in growing a
tobacco crop intermediately among the
trees at q nominal cost, and secure
quality of leaf largely enhanced by the
! protection it receives from the trees sur
rounding it.
To illustrate the success which tobac-
CO growing lie now finding in California,
it may be stated that contract has
been made for $4,000 pounds of Califor
mia cigar leaf at 80 cents per pound, and
| liberal estimates place the cost of grow
ing an acre of tobacco at not more than
| al - .to I'll
at from 1000 to 1900 pounds Of cured
leaf, having an average value. outside
of cigar wrappers, of from 20 to
25 cents per pound. This shows
an acreage profit Of from 5000
to $500. 1t is needless to
say that no other crop will equal it in
steady and reliable profit.
1t is we'll known that the state OF Con-
necticut has produced. according to sta
tstics. an average profit of $3.50 in a
single year, and as to the extent of the
crop it may be stated that the single
county of Lancaster, Penn, produces
annually about Is, 900, 600 pounds of leaf
tobacco.
The business OF tobacco-growing in
California is in no sense experimental.
There are probabsply not 10 counties in
the state where tobacco has not been
grown during the last 80 years. and the
only difficulty met with anywhere is
that it has possessed too much strength
"a condition that can be absolutely con-
trolled by system of cultivation and
curing now in practice in Santa Clara
county.
All tho samples of California cigar
leaf 30 far exhibited to eaetern dealers
have been pronounced better than any
other produced in the United States.
and likewise local tobacco experts do
not hesitate to say that it is superior to
anything not imported in the market,
and what is yet more encouraging 10 the
fact that each crop of cigar tobacco now
being grown in this state is steadily in
creasing in quality and contains large
percentage of wrapper stock more
THAI is sufficient to work up the crop.
And these wrappers are found to have a
higher value than anything produced in
the state of Florida, where 81 per pound
is readily paid for entire crops.
AS an evidence of the esteem in which
our California tobacco is held in the
largest market of the United States. let
me quote from letter by Mr.. e. M.
Crawford, president of the New York
tobacco board OF trade, addressed to
Prof. Henry A. Mott Nof New York, as
follows
New YORK, March 10, 1898.
Your favor of the 18th met. ia re-
ceived, and in compliance with your re-
quest for my opinion regarding tobacco
grown on the San Felipe ranch. Cali
7 81 80 10 haf hox tca