The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-03-16
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

Following is an interesting article on
the cultivation Of tobacco in the Philip
pines as told by a correspondent OF the
New England Homestead:
Tobacco is probably the best known
product exported from the Philippines,
the Manila wrapper being known the
world over. Three fourths ofall tobacco
grown in the Philippines comes from the
provinces of Isabella and Cogaum, on
the island of Luzon, and the best grade
leaf also comes from these two provinces.
North and South Hocos, Abra and Union
provinces also grow tobacco The islands
of Cebu, Negros and Panay also produce
some tobacco, but neither in quantity
nor quality does it approach Luzon.
The tobacco lands in the provinces OF
Isabella and Oayugau, where the best
grades are raised, are along the Cagauan
and other rivers in these provinces. The
soil is fairly heavy, limy and very rich in
decomposed vegetable matter. The
rivers of this district overflow their
banks every rainy season and leave on
the lands deposit of mud and vegetable
matter, often s to 10 inches deep and Of
wonderful richness. There is not an
ounce of fertilizer, either commercial or
barnyard, used on the tobacco planta-
tions and many of them have had the
same crop every year for 40 or 5O years.
|, The loWlands that are inundated every
year grow the finest tobacco, yet the
high lands also produce very fine leaf,
although lighter. This land is planted
in October, the low lands in December
and January to avoid danger of young
plants being flooded out.
The native PHILIPPINE cultivates the
land in the same way it has been done
for a century, everything being done by
hand and In the LATEST, slipshod way
possible. The land is plowed by water
buffalo dragging a crotched tree branch
through the soil few times, is then
laid off into seed beds. Seed is mixed
with wood ashes and sown broadcast.
1t terminates in eight days and at two
months the young plants are 6 to inches
high with five or six leaves, and ready
for transplanting. They are set three
feet apart, being protected from the suns
rays while young by piece of banana
bark being stuck in the ground by their
slde. Tobacco worms are a serious pest,
49nt not nearly as bad as in the U. S.
AS the plant grows, the first five or six
leaves are plucl1ed, as they rest on the
ground and are dirty and valueless.
Workmen go from one plant to another,
picking the ripest leaves, distinguished
by their dark color. Ii leaf does not
respond easily to the slight pressure used
by the picker, it is left on the plant as
not being ripe.
Xxx
A few weeks ago in this column the
attention of the Agricultural Department
was called to the use Of discretion in
preparing packages of seed suitable to
the different sections of country and
argued that the free distributing of seeds
as carried on in the past wrought great
damage to the agricultural interests.
ed as the following article from the Mil
waukee Sentinels correspondent at
Washington will bear out the statement:
GA peculiar custom of the Department
of Agriculture in the distribution of to-
bacco seeds has come to lignt. For
years the representatives from tfhe Sec
ond district have found that the tobacco
seed which the department is sending
out will not grow in Wisconsin. Many
complaints to that effect have been made
to the members by farmers. Represen-
tative Dahle on investigation found that
the department put up the tobacco seed
for distribution in packages of five kinds,
four of which are entirely useless for
planting in Wisconsin. Only one of the
varieties, Ohio seed leaf, will grow to
advantage in Wisconsin. An appeal to
the department for seed adapted to the
soil of Wisconsin was of no avail, and in
order that Mr.. Dahle may send his con-
stituents only such seed as will grow in
their soil he is forced to open the pack
ages the department sends out, take
therefrom the package suitable to his
district and either return the rest of the |
seeds to the department or give it to |
some member from Southern state |
where it can be used"