The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-04-08

! I
/ priesthood Tobacco VIII Always
Command Paying Prices, While
| Growing Poor Article Entails Loss
in the End.
{. y. Bray, oi The lirn Of Bray
/ Bros, leaf tobacco dealer, II Green
boro, contr.D:lte, tn~ bIlowln; article
to the columns Of the Pahiq! Of rhat
place:
We suppose tha: ~ on" viii dispute
the fact that the tobacco growers Of
the Old Tobacco Belt or Piedmont
Section Of Virginia and North Caro-
lima have been steadily sinking money
for the past SIX or seven years. And
part Of this comes from tn keen
competition in growing bright tobacco,
which IS furnished to Us i'll ample
quantities by the sandy section Of
eastern CarOl!naS. We are free 70
admit that combines and bad hran-
clal legislation have laid their heavy
hand on this once thriving industry
| as much SO as on any other industry
| III the country. Bat | do not propose
to discuss these things IN this article
for fear should he Classed with the
vest pocket brigade Of politicians
want 10 get right down to The part Of
this industry that the tobacco growers
Of the Piedmont section have full con
trol over, and full power to remedy if
they will.
The time once was when nearly all
the bright tobacco of the world was
grown in the Piedmont belt, and
every dealer and manufacturer of the
bright tobacco had 10 look to this sec
ton for their supply of this class of
tobacco; but times have changed and
SO must we or we will get LETT.
1t has been disc0veied within the
last few years that the sandy sections
of North and South Carolina grow
much whittier tobacco than we ever
could III this scctior, and twice as
many pounds to the acre, with less
labor. Bright tobacco IS learIy all
sold according to color, and the bright
tobacco of the Piedmont sect OF, not
having as much color as that Of oui
eastern competitors, IS therefore forced
10 take second or ,hirh place ID the
bright tobacco markets ot lie void.
Bright tobacco dealer, and ;nanutac-
;urers no longer look 20 Us t.,r their
man supply OF ttncy bright tobacco
is they once did, but they look to the
East for H.
As long as the sandy soil oi eastern
North Carolina vas cultivated in cot
ION and bright tobacco left to us ex-
clusIvciy we made money out of it,
but as soon as it Vas discovered that
the sandy section of the CarJ.!n2s
would produce brighter tobacco than
We could, we began to fall back, be
cause cur eastern competitors could
produce a more saiab!e article OF bright
tocacco than We could III the Old belt.
Some tobacco growers ln the DiI
belt have The idea that if all the farm
ers would adopt tAe plan OF prIming
their tobacco and cure II all brish,
they would soon treezc out their eat
ern competitors. They are entirely
wrong, for our tobacco hasn't as much
color as the eastern tobacco There
tore, as | have already said, our tohtc-
CO must now take second or thiid
place in the bright tobacco markets If
the world.
The eastern farmers have by 10
means ceased to be cotton planters,
but they have merely added tobacco
10 their crop to take up their Idle
time which they have long had such 4
surplus of in growing cotton. There
IS long nothing period between
cultlvatlng cotton and the picking ss5,-
son. Tobacco growing has been add
ed 70 the crops to take up this Idle
time, and tobacco money is almost the
same to the eastern farmer as if he had
found that much in a mule track.
The cultivation Of cotton and tobacco
in the sandy section is alternate To-
baCCo grows very quick and rIpens
carly, So 1t is all harvested before co,
ton is open and ready for picking.
Now | would like to ask how YOU
ever expect to freeze your eastern com
petltor out of the business when he has
two money crops to your one and
either one of them worth more than
yourso You can't do it, YOU know.
Now have brought you tace to face
with the facts, and what do YOU pro
pose to do? You can't compete with
the west IN raising common tobacco
nor you can't compete with the sandy
section IN raising fancy bright tobacco.
You must either start little side show
of your own or run IN the hindermn5t
part Of the race. Ny idea IS that the
Old Piedmont section must forever
furnish the choicest working tobacco
of the world, and the sooner we set
back to growing it as we did III "le
good olden times the better il wI!i
be for us What | mean by good
work g tobacco is good rich, t}t,
ripe tobacco, WIKI smooth texture and
as much color as YOU can set by curing
it on the stalk.
| know ,ha, the idea prevails among
some farmers that primsnss bring a
better average price than stalk t2bac-
CO That comes tron two facts.
FaTs) that the land has been 50 over
worked that j; won't produce more
than FIVE or SIX we'll m2tured leaves Of
tubAcco, and all OF this IS prlned #,
and he calls this his "prjnings.' Sc