The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-02-07

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900, according to the quantity ant
quality of the annual product--tht
average in eel tain years in which the
crop is unusually small falling mucl
below this figure, and in others con
siderably exceeding it. To the above
total, Kentucky contributes more than
onc-half, with Virginia second and
Tennessee next in order.
The conduct of the tobacco trade in
the city of Louisville is regulated by a
board composed of brokers, buyers and
representative. of the various ware
houses. which is known as the Louis.
vile Leaf Tobacco Exchange, and
which succeeded an earlier orsaniz,.
tiun operating under the title Of the
Tobacco Board of Trade. This ex-
change controls all matters pertaining
to the traflic-buying, selling, storage.
warehouse charges, etc. Possibly 80
per cent of all tobacco sold is pur-
chased hy the independent factories;
GO per cent is bought up by the tolac-
CO manufacturers trust known under
the joint name of the American and
Continental Tobacco Companies, and
the remaining 10 per cent. is shipped
abroad: There are seventeen ware
houses in the Falls City, nine which
are indepcndent-the remaining eight
heimy combined under the title of the
Louisville Tobacco Warehouse Com
pany.
With the possible exception ofhcmp,
tobacco is the crop Of all others most
difficult to handle, requiring from the
first the utmost care and attention.
1t demands the richest and most fer
tile OF ground, and asa single crop
temporarily exhau>tsthe soil in which
it is grown, the. wise husbandman is
careful TO misunderstanding his land
with other less exact;ng soil products,
and growing tobacco in the same
ground but once in three or four years.
Late in February or early IN March
the tiny tobacco seeds, SO small as to
he almost infinitesimal, are sown in
plant beds which have been previously
.fertilized and freed from weed germs
by the burning of brush upon them.
These beds are enclosed with fencing
Of planks, probably five or SIX inches
high, over which coarse canvas is
tightly stretched to prevent freezing;
and thus protected the seeds speedily
germinate and begin to grow. In the
latter part of May the plants are ready
Tor setting, and then ensues a time of
anxious waiting for season which
is prolonged period of rainy weather
or rainfall sufficiently heavy to wet
the soil several inches below the sur
face Meantime the ground has been
plowed, narrowed, fertilized (unless
"new" or exceptionally richD, and
marked off in intersecting parallel
lines. When a "season" comes the
little plants, tiny things with but two
small leaves, are drawn from the beds
and transplanted 20 the fields. Half
grown hoys. known as "droppers," fol
low the lines laid off on the tobacco
ground, dropping at regular intervals
the baby plants, which they carry in
large baskets. Behind these come the
"setters' who plant the young sets in
the moist earth at the intersection Of
the parallels This seems very prim-
tive process in day of laborsaving
contrivances, but it is still in general
usage, although tobacco-setting ma
chine has lately been invented.
The ground is powed and hoed lre-
quently while the plants are in their
infancy, hut this is merely a beginning
of the care and toll requisite to the
successful growing Of tobacco. The
perfection OF the plant is speedily
threatened 10y the appearance on the
under side OF the leaves of Il voracious
green worm which, unless vi4iantly
watched and destroyed, hopclessly
mars the tender foliage. When it
reaches certain height each plant is
topped" which causes it to expand
and spread Iatcrally. Topping con-
sists OF pinching out the bud It the
apex of the plant, leaving about twenty
two leaves to spread and grow. After
tobacco is tolpd, small shoots or
suckers which sap the life OF the plant
spring from the junctnre OF the leaf
and the main stalk. 1t is necessary
to remove these twice during the grow
ing season, and it is no slight task to
take twenty or more suckers from each
plant in field of eight or ten acres.
averaging 1900 plants to the acre.
Tobacco growing in the field pre-
scnts an appearance of almost tropical
luxuriance and beauty. A vast bill
lowy sea of green, with here and there
a CLINT of gold on the crest of an emer-
aid wave, it stretches away its long
untlulant lines as far as the eye can
reach. The plant itself, tall, stately,
luxuriant of growth, seems an exile
from some tropic land. 1t is as i'm
posing as the rubber plant, rs gorgeous
as the paIm-thongh of coarser fiber
than either The large, broad leaves
are vivid green in hue, rough Of sur
face, coarse of texture, and heavily