Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-10-19
THE REIGN OF FROST.
FOURTH OF TOBACCO CROP SAID
TO HAVE BEEN KILLED.
WARM, WEATHER GIVING TROUBLE.
Danger of Tobacco Rotting Before
IL Cures-It IL Being Damaged I'm
Year, hut Heavy Losses.

A well-lknown and lifelong tobaeconist.
connected with the Shookoe Warehouse.
who has just returned from a stay Of
some weeks in the country, said to
Dispatch writer yesterday that the Most
had done q great deal of damage lie IS
sure that the crop would have been a
fourth larger than last years. but for
the work of the frost. lie thinks that
even now the crop will be as large as It
was I'm 1895.
The people In the market will not know
the difference. The farmers who have
toiled over their tobacco, day after day,
know the difference very well, though.
They had hoped great things for this
year. Last year the prices of tobacco the
year around were good. This encouraged
the planters to put more land in cultiva-
ton. and to work the growing plant even
more carefully. Now their labor has
proved in vain. Unusual scenes were en-
acted in the tobacco districts few Sun
days ago, when the death-dealing frost
came.
WORKED ALL DAY SUNDAY.
The farmer, his boys, and every man
! and cOlored woman that could De en-
| ployed cut tobacco all day long that Sun
day. The cold snap came the last Of the
week. The first frost TO amount TO any
thing came on Saturday night. The tobac-
/ co was damaged some, but the farmer
saw that IL it were cut then it could be
| saved.
1t continued cold that Sunday, with
every prospect Of q heavy frost that
| night. Few farmers went to church that
day. Bright and early they were in the
| field cutting tobacco. All day the knife
was busy. BY night thousands and thou
| sands of hills were saved. The wisdom OF
| the farmers I'm working on Sunday was
proved on the next day. Sunday night 4
| very heavy frost came. ALI the tobacco
| that was out was destroyed 10 partial
| degree, or in many instances made abso-
lutely worthless A good deal OF tobacco
( was caught out. too, at this time.
| WARM WEATHER GIVING TROUBLE.
The tobacco-growers are now having a
| very hard time. The very unusually
warm weather Of the past week has
caused them no end OF worry. A great
deal Of the dark tobacco which comes 10
! Richmond IS sun-cured-that IS. It is
| hung up I'm houses TO be dried by the sea-
son. The houses are small, and the to-
! bacco is hung about as close together
as Il can be. If the weather is cool and
! clear and crisp the tobacco will cure all
| right. If the weather. on the other hand
| IS warm and the air moist. the weed
sweats. There IS much danger Of its rot
ting before It cures. That is just what
the farmers are fearing now. In some
sections Of the country the farmers have
houses so equipped that they can have
fires I'm the drying-houses. This helps a
great deal. Many Of the growers all over
Virginia have not this convenience, how
ever. and their troubles just now are
manifold. The insurance companies vii
not insure these tobacco-houses, where
fire is built I'm them. The farmers are
afraid TO run the risk without the insu
rance so there IL goes.
quantity Of loose tobacco came TO The
city yesterday. IN several instances thu
formers had to take their tobacco from
the wagons as soon as they reached thu
warehouses and spread 1t out 10 dry, l
was sweating badly. and steaming hot.