The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-13
TALKS ABOUT LEAF TOBACCO.
THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF
GROWERS OPENS AT OCALA.

Col. w. ID. ChipIey Delivers an Inter-
csting Address on Assuming Ihc
Temporary Chnirmanship-The
Tobacco crop of Gadsden County
in 1896 sold For $500. OOO-Dr. o.
CIutc of the Florida Agricultural
College Also Entertains the Com
Vcntion with Highly Interesting
Remarks.
OcaIa, Fla, Jan. l2.-The National To-
blcco Growers convention is largely at
tended A. Cohen, proprietor of 50O-acre
tobacco farm, two hours drive north Of
Quincy. is present. He is said to be the
largest importer and leaf dealer in New
York city. Mr.. Corey of the Owl Cigar
Company, Mai. Briggs of Tennessee, and
Capt. Vogle of New York, are among the
delegates.
L. A. league called the convention TO
order at noon. read Gov. Mitchell's call
for the convention and named Col. w. d.
Chipley as temporary chairman.
Col. Chipley said he imported the first
Cuban tobacco seed ever brought to Flor
ida, and in 1885. offered prize of 500 for
the best three hundred pounds Of tobacco
grown from it. He gave the seed to 400
farmers of West Florida. 1t grew well.
He renewed the prize in 1886, but for less
quantity. There was good success IN
growing but in curing many failed. The
result was that many abandoned tobacco
culture. In 1891 he renewed the prizes Tor
tobacco growing, and that year tobacco
fair was held in Pensacola, which was
NJ nd stimulated
dustry wonderfully. Again want of infor-
nation and skill in curing the leaf doomed
the industry to partial failure, yet many
did succeed and are still growing tobacco
and doing it profitable. Since then skilled
and intelligent instructors have been in
the state, in order to show natives how 10
grow and cure the tobacco crop through
the many troubles and trials, which beset
It, and in 1895 Gadsden county sold her to-
bacco crop for more than $4,000, exceed
ing by 20 per cent. the largest amount Ma
rion county had ever received for oranges
in any one year. He was confident tooac~
co culture would be a big success with
better information. 1t was coming, in
fact. was here, and tobacco for cigar
wrappers would create an industry to sur
prise ourselves and the world.
A recess was then taken to permit the
secretaries to get roll OF the delegates.
When the convention met after dinner,
Drs o. Clute president of the Florida
Agricultural College. made an address on
tobacco culture, in Florida. He said to-
bacco needed desirable qualities, taste,
aroma, combustion, texture and color
We had the soil and climate to create all
these in the product. He had made COM
parisons with cigars made from the IA
nous Cuban Avuelta tobacco and experts
could not tell the difference. He quoted
from the experimental report of North
Carolina. which said our best wrappers
could not be excelled He also quoted
Estes of Wisconsin, who said Florida pro-
duced the highest grade cigar wrapper
known.
At the Cincinnati expt sition Of 1888 the
award for superiority was gwen to tobac-
co grown at Lake City He also said the
quality OF the Fort Mead tobacco was
equal to the best grown in Cuba He then
discussed climate, SOIL fertilizer and Gull
ture. There was enough tobac-
co land In Florida to supply
the world. No climate could equal ours.
In Northern Florida, two crops a year
could be grown, and in South Florida,
crop every month of the year Our labor
supply could not be excelled, and enough
idle labor was here to utilize every acre
adapted to tobacco growing and to sup
ply the world. True, in the past most of
the tobacco grown was poor, but the same
can be said of Cuba. Skill and intelligence
will however, produce the best results.
duction of good leaf. not as long as $780,.
100000 was used in its consumption. Good
tobacco need not seek a market; buyers
sought it. He advocated central sweat
ing house and an expert curer.
The Fort Meade Tobacco Company had
a fine exhibit of cured leaf and cigars
made of their growing. quincy had also
an excellent exhibit of cured leaf while
DR.. ]. f. Corrgan of Dade City displayed
beautiful plants in full leaf in pots
At the night session the tariff on tobac-
co was discussed. but no conclusion was
reached.
The committee of arrangements for the
convention propose to give the delegates
a free ride TO Silver Springs and down
the river Also to the phosphate mines
at Dunnellon, and an oyster roast at
Homosassa. Both the Florida Central
and Peninsular and the Plant system Of
fer free rides.
w. S. Proskey, who returned few days
ago from a trip through a number of
southern states, says that during his
trip he sold $1,000 acres of land along the
Florida Central and Peninsular line, and
belonging to that company, mostly for
lumber and turpentine farms.
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