The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-28
Tobacco Crop in the south.


Tobacco Crop in the South.
The great increase in interest in the to-
bacco crop along the SOUTH Atlantic coast
is one of the most marked indications of
the change that is coming over the agri-
culture of the South. the low price of cot
ton has had the effect of turning the at
tention of our Southern farmers towards a
more diversified farming and less depend
ence on the one crop of cotton. As one of
the crops that promise relief the tobacco
crop has come into prominence in many
places where il was not formerly grown
The most serious problem for the growers
is to determine what class of tobacco their
lands are best suited TO produce, for there
is no crop which varies so much in char
acter on different soils as the tobacco crop
In North Carolina and parts of Virginia
and South Carolina the gold leaf is the
leading SORT and the practice of flue curing
is universal. In some sections of the Upper
Piedmont in North Carolina, the gold leaf
is replaced by the Mahogany colored to-
bacco which the lands there are better
adapted to produce. In the far South, in
Florida and parts of Texas sRttentiOn is
directed to the production of cigar leaf
and it is claimed that in these sections a
tobacco equal to that of Cuba can be
grown. The curing of the crop will depend
largely on the use 10 be made of the cured
tobacco and cure that is best in one sec
tion would be fatal to success in another
with different leaf. Therefore the curing
of the crop can only be completely under
stood by practical experiment in the va
rous localities. But while atTnan may well
understand different methods Of curing to-
baccO there is nothing so difficult to i'm
part by written directions TO an ineXper-
fenced person. Hence we have always adj
vised those embarking in tobacco culture
in a new locality to hire the services of an
experienced curer who has handled the
kind of tobacco they grow and stay by
him and learn the art. 1t is NOT our purpose
here. however. to speak of the curing, but
Of the production of the crop and the food
needed to produceit. While tobacco needs
a complete fertilizer in which of course
phosphoric acid and nitrogen play an i'm
portant point, it has been demonstrated
that unless the plants are well supplied
with potash in a suitable form little benefit
can be hoped for from the application of
phosphoric acid and nitrogen. A tobacco
grower in Southern Texas wrote 10 me
some time ago saying that they were using
cotton seed meal only in the growing OF
me cigar leaf, and that the opinion of
growers was that acid phosphate made the
tobacco bony or thick veined. He asked my
advice in the matter as he was satisfied
from the results in his own crop that some
thing was lacking to make it at it's best.
! suggested that the bony character of the
leaf was due not to the use of phosphoric
acid. but when it appeared after the use
Of this food, it was evidence that there was
not due percentage of the other forms of
plant food That in fact the ration fur
nisbed the ,lan+s 1ras no3 . boIanned one
Hence | advised him TO use a mixture that
would mako / nor cont ammonia from
Cotton good vel GA lrio5 t>Iood G MIR