The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
80 MORE PERIOUE. MAYBE.
The Acadian Farmers May Decide to Stop
Raising This Kind of Tobacco.


New ORLEANS. June o.-When Secretary of
Agriculture Wilson was in Louisiana a few
weeks ago he was deeply interested in Louisi-
ana tobacco, as offering the state n relief from
the all-cotton crop. and did his utmost to en-
courage TIA" industry. Since then he has sent
an agent to New Orleans to collect specimens
Of Louisiana tobacco. particularly the famous
p"riquc. in order that tn" Agricultural Depart
mcnt may put it on exhibition and thus assist
in securing larger and better market
II Secretary Wilson does this he will save
from destruction one Of the oldest industries
in Louisiana. antcdatinG both rice and sugar.
pcrluU" tobacco which is tn" strongest raised
anywhere and contains the largest proportion
Of nicotine is restricted tn a Single parish in
Louisiana. and to a very small part Of that par
sh. he twHhcr3 IS produced only in what is
of st. James, La, whore it has teen grown
and cultivated for more than "A century the
methodT OF cutivatipg aud nr"parlng; the crop
having been handed down from, father to son
for a half dozen generations. The Nach"ric /,
az angular Island ON the left tank Of the
is known g"oGraph lcaly as (iraudr pointr
In his story4t the Acndians. who came to
home IN Acodir, Nova Scotia MIR Gable t"lls
about til" tobacco farmers of St James. The
tT his an" or ali h hEd to
I Wa rl"Trn uh"nrti 4r as he was GENERALLY
i'll popularity until its fam" spread over he en-
tire world II is "A rich. heavy tobacco cured in
IT. own Juice hy compression il, a handrrcss,
wrarped:ip ,rope, The nrocess',of maHuf"rtnre
ing race like the Acalians who have little re-
sp"rt or consideration for tim" and are not in
Moreover, the AcAdi2ns ar" nnnmbtiouS
They ne"' bur litt!" and ar" satisfied with very
f nc % T"H 1 her wn9 o0H@E t"
until the crop exceeded the demand. with Tho
result Of a Thrinkage in III" price, For nearv
II century I'll" crop varied very little from year to
year; the acreage never varied. Tn" Graude
Tointe farmer knew Ju"t how much tobacco
rails" that amount, The idea Of making a Tor
tune by Doubling or tr"nIrpg the crop never
farmers Of Grandr Potnte.
P"riIu". as IS we'll Known, has delicious
of nicotine. 1t was more ropular century
ago than II Is to- Law, for our ancestors seemed
/" like their tobacco Ike thor liquors. stronger
century, perIque has been on III" wanc The
.ary rre","S sW"%%H r"rt1a" OILY OF late.
Pertuu" is seldom used pure and by Itself and
gcneray with some Other llHht"r and
the mixture. The tendency has been al in the
direction of the miller varieties Of tobacco and
Of nicotine. still however. selling as they 10
to al uarts Of tn" world, the farmers havo
it las held for century, from 10000 to 100
600 pounds wear,
lie TOBACCO WAS All SOIl TO single n DllEr IN
New Orleans, which arranged for it's djstrihu-
tiun throughout the world, Two months ago
that hOuS" became tn" property OF the Amer
lean Tobacco Company. generally known
the Tobacco Trust, which has united all the
farmers OF Grandr HOinto who have been grow
inE perique tobacco from father to son for
many generations came to Now Orleans lately
to SEQ about selling their crop and planting
for this season, They waited upon tn"
agent Of tho American Tobacco Company,
winch thppuEh ITS Eurchns" controlled the
prrique market, and asnsi about prices
ana the amount of perIue that would
he nreded-for they provident and
careful farmers and plant no more tobacco
than is actually needed. They received the uu-
pleasant news that p"rique had seen its best
day; that tn" American Tobacco Company had
all the pnrluc II wanted and would buy none.
The iirandr Pointers returned home sad in
spirit, cut down their tobacco acreage four
ffths, and planted tn" land in sugar cane. The
crop Will be only 10000 rounds this year.
barely iifth OF what II has been on the aver
age. In spite Of this reduction tho price has
been cut in half, Unless the department OF
other year will see the porluuc industry go out
Of existence. The Acadian farmers have lost
faith in tn" crop which has supported their
families for more than "A century,
Although trust has given the notice Of death
70 perique II Is IN no respect roSrOnslhlc Tor 1t.
The Louisiana tobacco has simply gone out Of
fashiOn-it is the victim Of an evolution in
taste. Hall century ago men smoked pipe
after pipe Of 1t: to-day single pipeful of pure
and unadulterated periQue would knock out
the average smoker.