The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-11-09
CLIMATE SUITABLE
For the Cultivation of "filler
Tobacco"
Mr.. T. K. Bruner Thinks Government Should
Locate Station in North Carolina
For Experiments.

Editor News and Observer: | have
read with enthusiastic approval your
editorial of yesterday under the head
ing: WHY Not North Carolina2" in
which you urge upon the Hon. Secretary
of Agriculture at Washington the desir
ability of olacins within this State one
of the proposed stations for the cultiVa-
ton of filler tobacco" such as is grown
in cuba, Il is timely, and it is to be
hoped viii result in directing attention
to mis- State, since it possesses a vast
area, which, in my Judgment, and |
have given the subject much thought,
is entirelys suitable for this purpose.
Certain it is that if the soil and climate
of either Pennsylvania or Ohio is in any
degree suitable, that this State must be
far superior 1t has much longer
growing season of uniformly warm
weather, better distribution of moisture
and less tiuctuatlcn in temperature dur
ing tile growing period and is much near-
er he salt water than either of the other
States mentioned, and in these things
conform more closely to Cuba. There
can be little question of the adaptable
ity of certain soils in our State to the
production Of the highly favored filters
which have given such reputation to the
Cuban Weed. In fact, q nave been
searching al day for an article read and
filed some years ago, but which l can
not flnd) an experiment wasgtried in
Moore county, as my recollection goes,
some years age, and with remarkable
success the first year from seed import
ed from Cuba. But the second years
crop was not so good in flavor and there
was tendency 70 grow stalk and top at
the expense of flavor. This was from
the home grown seed That experiment
was of value in showing two things:
that the tobacco with good high flavor
could be grown in this State; and that
the seed must be imported fresh for
each years crop.
The meth IDS OF cultivation, fertiliZa-
ton and curing p-acticed in Cuba must
be carefully studied and made TO con-
form to the soil and climate obtaining in
this State. 10 tEis end your urging upon
the authorities at Washington the advis-
ability of selecting this State for expert
mental purposes is much to the point.
The experience OF Mr.. Fontaine in the
good old county Of Person is not only
encOuraSl ing, put Is an dCIutd uelloHStId-
tion of the fact that these tobacos may
be profitably grown here. The area
which seems best suited to the produc-
ton Of these tropical tobaccos is that
large area crossing the State from the
Virginia line to the South Carolina line,
and lying .,ust west of the great truck
ing fields now profitably cultivated. and
generally speaking embracing that ter
ritory lying between the Seaboard Air
Line and tae Atlantic Coast Line rail-
ways Should the experiments prove
successful, and / know of no reason for
supposing that they will not, it would be
we'll to remember that this vast terri
tory would bS adapted to the production
of This desirable and high priced COM
modify, and that it would bring to the
agriculture of the State an area as large
and perhaps as profitable as that now
devoted to the trucking interest
Between 1856 and 1860 the United
STATES Government set out a lot of tea
plants near Fayetteville as an expert
ment, to See if they could be made to
grow in this State. The war put stop