New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1906-02-10
TOBACCO PROFIT.
TEXAS FARMERS DON'T TAKE
HOLD AS THEY SHOULD.
UNCLE SAMPLE BELIEVES IN IT
Money Has Been Spent in Demonstra
ton, Market Secured, and Yet
The Hang Back. Y

Houston Texas, Feb. G.-B. L. Nc
Ness and w. NJ Hinson, the two Unit
ed States government tobacco experts,
arrived in Houston yesterday, to begin
an inspection of Texas tobacco lands.
ut is a downright shame that Jour
farmers do not take more interest in
tobacco growing" said Mr.. McNess.
The government has had all your
soils analyded and passed upon; has
kept experts in the state for several
years to teach the farmers whatrthey
could about raising the weed. ASnar-
ket has been found for the crop each
year, and at profitable figures; the
Southern Pacific has imported the best
| kind of seed from Cuba, and yet-weil
the farmer here does not get aroused
Mr.. Hinson and myself are going out
among the husbandry and see If we
can not do some missionary work
among them. We are prepared to
show each and every one of them that
Texas soil raises better filled than
any other state. In fact, we have act
ters from over 200 well known tobacco
dealers to back up our statements. We
have not few letters from large Geal-
ers who claim they prefer the Texas
grown to the Cuban filler Then the
tobacco raised here commands much
better price than any other grown in
the United States. There is much
more money to be made in raising to-
bacco tnan in cotton or corn, and l
can not see why the farmers down here
will not be convinced. You do not see
Uncle Sam spending so much time
and money helping the tobacco raisers
in Connecticut, Ohio, Kentucky or Wis
consin. In fact, those poor chaps up
there, in cold, inhospitable climate,
have to work out their own salvation
and hurry in their tobacco crop in a
few months-harvest it, or an early
frost gets it. Down in this salubrious
climate you have months and months
to do the same work an Ohioan would
have to crowd into June, July and
August man requires no more tx
pert knowledge to raise cigar filters
than he does to raise cotton-not
bit. 1t requires experience to raise
anything that grows-the same expe-
rience the farm-raised boy has when
he starts out as farmer and supplants
his father on the old homestead. But
the government has been and is still
willing to teach your farmers how to
raise and cure their tobacco Wouldn't
a Northern farmer be greatly pleased
II his government would teach him
how to raise crop that would pay
80 per cent better thar any that he
and, further, send Guy.
er to his farm and take away the
crop, leaving some crisp notes in pay
ment? 1t looks that way to me. Now,
here is another thing to consider: Tie
tobacco now raised in your state is
for cigar filters only. The Agricul-
tural Department thought it wise to
start the new industry here by raising
filters, because the wrappers are more
difficult to grow, the difference being
that even IL the leaves going to make |
filters get worm eaten, injured by hail. |
or in any such way, they are not lost |
inside the cigar, where it is not seen.
to the grower, because such tobacco
will smoke just as well and Is placed |
or course wrapper has 20 be flaw
less or the cigar will draw like a
balky mule Now, in time and as soon |
as your farmers have mastered the |
of fillers, our experts will then
educate them in growing the wrappers,
which will command many times the
price per pound paid for filters. Say
at 75c a pound for wrappers, see wha
money man would get off one acre
of land. He ought to raise, with good
from 500 to 1000 pounds
to the acre. Just multiply these fig
Tes and see how many acres he would
have to have in cotton to raise arg
such such. ] hope we will be success
full in our missionary work and cause
your good farmers to see the matter
In its right light There is no rea-
son why the known tobacco lands of
his state should not produce yearly
enough tobacco filters and wrappers to
make all the cigars annually smoked