Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-02-20
Tobacco Culture In East Tennessee.

Tobacco Culture In East Tennessee.
I wish to say I have devoted almost
my entire time 10 the culture and man.
ufacture Of tobacco for the past seven
teen years, and am familiar with every
detail of 1t, from the plant bed to the
sales counter, andknow whereof l speak
when l say there is no crop that will
pay the farmers of East Tennessee as
well as q tobacco crop properly man
aged and planted OIL the right kind of
soil. l failed on my first crop from the
very cause that many fail today. That
is the mistaken idea that tobacco must
be grown on poor land. l will say
right here that there is too much work
on a tobacco crop to plant it on poor
land, and there is not q farm in East
Tennessee but what a part of it is adapt.
ed to the growth of one or both of the
two varieties of tobacco now in demand.
The Orinoko for bright fluO cured to-
bacco should be planted on rich poIus,
gravely or sandy loan soil, and men
that understand the culture and man
agement Of this variety in Greene,
Cooke and Hamblen counties are max.
ing from $50 to $500 per acre. These
are facts and I & can give their names by
the score if necessary. One man l
know of a few years back wat o poor
day laborer, and he sold his crop last
year for $4,000 and this year for 80, 800,
owns a good farm and is out of debt,
made it all out of growing tobacco.
The White Burley tobacco is the fin
est variety for air curing land just the
reverse for aue curing) requires the
richest limestone or stiff clay soil that
can be found, say land that will pro-
duce fifty to eighty bushels of corn per
acre will produce of this tobacco from
1900 to 1900 pounds per acre, which il
cultivated properly will yield three
fourths Of long clean red leaf at FIVE
cents per pound, u fourth tips and
Jugs at two and m half cents per Id.
And as this variety must only be air
cured it does not require an expert to
handle. 1t can be grown successfully
by any farmer Of good sense and indus
try. Therefore / recommend this crop
to new beginners and will guarantee
them the above price the coming reason
for all they will bring to the Greene
vile market in good condition. Many
farmers here in Greene County are
making annually $50 to $50 per acre
from this tobacco that can not grow
the fine bright lue cured successfully.
A great many farmers in upper East
Tennessee are not aware of the advan-
tage they have Of a market for all
grades Of leaf tobacco established here
in their midst that can and will pay
them as much for the leaf as any market
in the United States. The American
Tobacco Company, the strongest tobac.
co company in the world, has a branch
house here for buying leaf and there is
two large export firms fitted up with
steam, buying and redrying for export
to foreign countries, and three factories
making plug and smoking tobacco all
wanting and will pay you the cash for
all you will grow. There is not a county
in upper East Tennessee but what could
grow all the grain and stock they have
been growing and grow in addition five
million pounds of tobacco. which al
an average of only FIVE cents per pound
would be $3.50, 900 to the county. This
is what they are doing in the old to;
bacco belt of Kentucky. The farmers
Of that State produced last year 1870,
DOC, 900 pounds Of air cured tobacco that
sold at an average of FIVE cents, and
they are in the best condition fnan.
cially of any farmers in the country
today. l will furnish Kentucky White
Burnley seed for air cured crops, or seed
for Hue cured crops, as you desire, and
book of instruction on culture, etc.
free except stamps to cover postage.
G. AUSTIN, Greeneville, Tenn.