Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-06-04
growth is favored with sunshine and rain
in just the right proportion.

in just the right proportion.
NOT AS WELL AS THEY MIGHT.
You gentlemen need not be reminded as
to the soil conditions necessary for the
growth of fine tobacco. You know that
as well and possibly better than l do. but
what / must frankly tell you is that you
do not do as we'll as IL is in your power
to do. You know that old. WORKOUT land
that has been gridironed with gullies and
washes. and then filled up with briers and
cut brush and levelled over. Is not nt
for tobacco. The subsoil is five TO ten
feet from the surface in one place and
"a few inches i'm another The plants over
the gullies can not grow uniformly smooth
and silky like the undisturbed subsoil.
Then, how can the land be made fertile
by manure or fertilizer? Rank and
weedy and weak and puny. gray-fbred
tobacco would result every time, which
would bring you in debt when put on the
market. What is your remedy. gentle
men? You have no longer at your COM
mand the fresh. homogeneous. and visor-
Gus soil OF our fathers. What nature
did for the lands Of our fathers through
the growth OF timber. tangles, and vines,
ETC., you must do by grass. by clover.
and, II possible by meadow-grass. Re
claim your lands by grass. The grass is
growing. and the earth-worms are making
manure while you are sleeping. Your
cattle, sheep hogs. and horses are fat
tening and fertilzing the land while You
are sleeping at night When you awake
and walk out in the freshness Of the
morning you will find that the birds
have returned from the cool mountain
forest 10 sing the same songs that their
ancestors sung in the luxuriant fields OF
your forefathers
20
become in part your future tobacco-helds.
Plough the sod in the fall, so as TO
mellow II through freezes and thaws for
Il spring ploushing. You know how 10
do the rest. DO not overcrop yourself,
and by all means select good seed Your
established varieties are the best.
The Bible says, again, what a man
SONS that shall he reap. Remember that
II is not the largest and coarscst plant
that ought 10 be selected for seed. for.
like begets like" Select your smooth
est, your misunderstanding plants. and
OF the size that ought TO yield so
TO 1000 pounds per acre. Prune the
top TO one cluster of flowers. and the
capsules of seed will reproduce the latest
Improvement of the plant. This would
not be too coarse for a wrapper IL
would make capital filler. Such to-
bacco would bring back your former pres
tige as the producers of the finest chew
ON earth. 1t would always. good and
bad years alike. average your good
profits, for slfn-cured tobacco Is peculiar
to your soils, and you need not fear over
production You can overcrop yourself.
= overproduction. except OF the non
$sscript sorts, is impossible.
THE BEST FUTURE.
Now. as l have said. my commercial ex-
perience has educated me as to the kinds
of tobacco with the pest future, and that
which promises the greatest profit with
the least expense. Take my advice for a
few years. and see II | am not correct.
vary your crops according 10 circum-
stances. III you find that dark. rich wrap
pers are very deficient in this years crcp.
and flilers over abundant and below cost
OF production. select few acres Of your
very best land and cultivate solely Tor
fine to fancy wrappers. and your crop will
pay you. Should every planter all over