The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-10-18

| Wu;tj nc SuppoScu was Ill i"LhchS0
tent.
AS we approached the enclosure in
company with Mr.. Sperry, we saw that
the cloth covered everything, the top
as we'll as the sides of the half acre plot,
and the effect was such that we ap-
pearcd to be looking into thick fog
bank. Mr.. Sperry opened the cloth
door, which slanted into one side Of
the main cloth like the door of a cellar
hatchway and we entered. Instantly
the foggy appearance was gone and
the air was clear enough, although, of
course, hot and more confined than
outside where it was possible for
breeze to have uninterrupted sway.
The tobacco plants showed flourish
ing growth and did not differ in appear
ance, as far as we could observe, from
promising growth of tobacco in an
open field.
We noticed that foundation of good
sized logs, answering to the solid sills
of house, bounded the four sides of
| the enclosure and that the cloth was
securely nailed to these logs by means
of superimposcd strips OF lath. The
| cloth is then attacht 4 10 the first row
of poles and the cross pieces they sus-
tanned and thence to the next row of
supports and so on to the opposite side
of the plot. The wires, it must be re-
membered, are extended in rows two
feet apart from the foundation logs on
the four sides over the wooden sup
ports and would, if the cloth were re-
moved, represent structure that
would look much like huge wire rat
trap.
We learned that the entire expense
for fitting up the arrangement, not in
Guiding the cost of fertlizng and plant
ing which would be the same as for
domestic tobacco in the open field, was
5000. But it must be remembered
that tue Spefry Brothers cut their own
poles from their own forest at odd
times when they could spare men and
teams from regular work, and also that
the wire used was discarded telephone
wire that cost them only l cents
pound. 1t seems that great quantities
of this wire have heretofore been thrown
away by the telephone company when
it was necessary to put new wires be-
tween their poles; and the company
will, we understand, be glad to sell the
wire hereafter to farmers at a greatly
reduced price from the original cost,
which is OF 5 cents a pound. The
three miles of wire used, mostly the
secondhand telephone wire, but good
enough for the new purpose, cost
abont $40.
There are l65 chestnut poles re-
quired, each ~ feet long and on the
average inches at the butt. The
chestnut stringers consist of stout
strips of wood sawed square on the
four sides. The cloth for the half acre
cost Sis, comprises 5000 yards. 1t
was put on in strips that were IL feet
wide and lsO feet long. 1t is believed
that the cloth can he used without re-
newal for 2 or 3 years. AS for Tie
wire, that should last for many years
and the wooden frame work for ten
years at least.
The tobacco planted in the enclosure
consists of Sumatra with the exception
of two rows, one Cuban tobacco and
the other Connecticut Havana.
An advantage is that the Sumatra
can be planted so as to make greater
yield to tue acre than the Havana.
The Sumatra is planted 3 feet by one
foot apart, and the domestic 3 feet by
Is or Is inches apart. The Sumatra
grows taller, it is supposed that it will
reach 8 feet high under the cloth.
The leaf is only 20 inches long whereas
the Havana leaf is 80 to sc inches long.
There are lS to % leaves of the Suma-
ira where there are l6 of the Havana.
The nutriment added to the soil for
the Sumatra which the Sperrys are
raising consists of Bakers fertilizer
CHATS the kind of fertilizer that they
decidedly prefer) mixed with cotton
seed and good barn yard manure.
g. T. Sperry even thinks that it may
not he bad idea to raise some of the
domestic tobacco under cloth, because
the covering is so great protection
against all bugs and pests except worms
and is sure defense against hail which
sometimes destroys field of tobacco
in half a minute. The use of the cloth
as an Insurance against hail may be
worth $50 year.
1t is generally held that the greatest
objection to the raising of tobacco un-
der cover is the menace of high winds
which may tear off all of the cloth
from an inclosure and PROSTATE the to-
bacco besides; but the cloth, as placed
by the Sperry Brothers, certainly seems
to be quite firmly secured and should
be sufficient to resist any wind lighter
than gale. Of course, how great the
wind danger is and how we'll it can be
resisted by the present arrangements,
can only be determined by experience.
The Sperry Brothers are certainly
to be congratulated on their enterprise
and we hope that their interesting ex-
pertinent will be eminently successful. |