The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-02-09
THE TOBACCO SITUATION.
Col. ] Bryan Grimes Advises Reduction of Acreage,
More Accurate Statistics, and Thorough Organiza-
ton of Growers.

Editors Progressive Farmer:
l have appeared in the public prints so much
in the past few years about tobacco and the
general agricultural situation, that l am rather
reluctant to again write upon this subject, but
will contribute a short article us you request.
You will have dozens of contributors who from
long years or practical and successful culture Of
tobacco are more competent to give your readers
the details of successful cr~op-making than l am.
so l will leave that to them.
Different soils, different conditions and differ
ent types of tobacco require different treatment,
and each farmer generally adopts those methods
and practices which intelligence, observation and
experience teach him are most profitable to him.
l will not attempt to advise but will say in pass
ing that one of the greatest mistakes that even
old and successful planters make is in the selec-
ton of fertilizers. / think the grades used for
tobacco are generally too low. Many of our soils,
especially in Eastern Carolina, are deficient in
potash. Our tobacco fertilizers should contain
more potash derived from sulphate, of course)
and think an increase in ammonia would be
found beneficial. The ammonia should be derived
from vegetable or animal as well as mineral
sources.
As to the tobacco outlook for 1904 it is impos-
sible to forecast. We have suffered in the season
JUST passing prUDaDIy as never before from lgnO-
rance as to true conditions of the area, amount
and quality of the crop as we'll as from trust rob-
berry and we must find or make a way to remedy
this.
Even now when our tobacco is sold we know
little or nothing of the size of the crop raised in
1903. The Trust made their own estimate of the
crop and fixed their own prices.
Our farmers should get together and make an
honest, systematic arrangement to reduce the
crop of 1904 at least 80 1-3 per cent. That it
will be reduced considerably no one doubts, for
the high price of cotton, the scarcity of labor
and the low price Of tobacco will cause many to-
bacco farmers to curtaiI their planting. On the
other hand, there are many standing ready to
take advantage of a supposed reduction to in
crease their own tobacco crop. We must try to
perfect some organization by which this can be
regulated.
Some practical plan also should and must be
devised by which accurate Information can be OBJ
tanned about crops. This can be done by legis-
lation, by Departments of Agriculture, State and
National, and by farmers associations. The next
Legislature should require that every farmer when
he lists his taxes should give a sworn statement
as to his acreage in the different crops in each
year, which information should be compiled and
given to the public during the month of July. As
! have said before with a smaller crop, tobacco
will be higher, trust or no trust, and it behooves
every farmer to share in this curtailment. A
small crop in North Carolina will probably bring
a greater amount of money to North Carolina to-
bacco farmers than a large crop, and certainly
much greater profits which is the end the farmer
is working for.
Let us reduce our tobacco acreage and urge our
people to diversity their crops raising such other
things as their land will grow profitable.
J. BRYAN GRIMES |