The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-15
GR0'WNUNDE]|'R TENTS
Method of Tobacco Culture That Is
Finding Much Favor
Nowadays.
Value of the Leaf Increased Nearly
Three Times by the New
.-.'- 49,
Process.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.

White tents of an enormous size will
rise this spring over the tobacco district
of Connecticut, causing the quiet country
land to resemble a colossal circus. Under
the white tents Sumatra leaf tobacco will
be grown, and this leaf will be so much
finer than the sort raised in the open field
that it will fetch 6S cents pound, whereas
the other fetches but rs cents.
Ariel Nicholson Of Tariffville, Conn,
inaugurated the idea of tobacco growing
under cover. When, last year, at a cost
of $3.50 an acre, he tented eighteen acres
of his best tobacco land with cheese cloth,
the tobacco farmers of the country
laughed at him; they said he was wasting
good deal of money. But when Mr..
Nicholson produced under his cheese
cloth crop of Sumatra leaf that far eX-
celled in quality any tobacco that had ever
been grown in the United States before,
the farmers gave him an ovation. The
secretary of agriculture, Mr.. Wilson,
came all the way from Washington to
study and to praise the new departure
Companies from this novel sort of to-
bacco culture were formed and incor-
porated. Strong efforts were made to-
wards buying up of the best tobacco lands
Of Connecticut and Massachusetts,. The
value of these lands went up amazingly.
Business bomed in an unprecedented way.
Mr.. Nicholson got his idea from NJ l..
Floyd, an expert of the government
bureau Of soils. Mr.. Floyd some years
ago, conducted in small way a series Of
| experiments in tobacco growing under
tents He made these experiments in
Florida, and they were most successful.
Some of his tent grown Sumatra leaf he
exhibited at the Paris exposition, and 1t
was adjudged a better tobacco than that
raised in Suma ira itself. Mr.. Floyd's to-
| bacco got an award two points higher than
the real Sumatra got. This was an un-
heard-of thing, and naturally 1t created
| among tobacco men a great deal of talk.
Some of the talk came to the ears of Mr..
Nicholson. He was raiser of Sumatra
leaf. He decided that if it was well to
raise this leaf under tents in Florida it
| would be well to raise it under tents in
Connecticut also. He went to a number
of tobacco growers in his neighborhood
and asked them to try the experiment,
saying that he would give them 40 cents
a pound (the market price was % cents)
for all the leaf they would raise for him
| in this way.
But, though Mr.. Mitchelson's offer in
sured them against any shadow of loss
| none of the farmers would accept it. He
was obliged, therefore, to make his ex-
periments himself.
He began upon a pretty big scale, ane
| Mr.. Floyd the expert was good enough
1 to come to Tariffville and help him.
/ First posts, nine feet in height were pu
up, one rod apart, on spaces of tobacco
land that aggregated eighteen acres. Owe
and between the posts stringers and line.
/ Of galvanized wire were run, and the1
I cheese cloth was spread and drawn tau
over all. The result was a number O
tents of an unexampled hugeness. Thes,
tents were very strong, for they wer.
fortified with 1876 posts to the acre, ant
i with an abundance of snap hooks, ring
and cloth also.
/ In the tents Sumatra leaf tobacco wa
planted, the rows being set out in the diff
i ferent tents at different times, in orde
that the several crops would ripen OH
q after another. And as soon as the plant
lbegan to grow the advantages Of tn