The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-20
PERRY COUNTY AND TOBACCO New Industry Creates
 Enthusiasm. IT BRINGS FINE RETURNS Editor Greer of Marion Hopeful of
 Future. Best Gr~des Are Produced From Ala hama Soils and Mnnufacturers Are Much Interested In
 the Product.
BY WILL T. sHEEHAN.

I | There once lived man in Palacco. l Who planted all --is crop in tobacco, 1 When winter drew nigh and coal got high.
 He1had to wear an alpaca" | No great poet wrote these lines and even if he had. he would probably have 1 disowned them. Yet these lines dog gerel that they are, have been of the 1 greatest benefit to humanity-that is I to humanity engaged in farming in I and around Marion, Perry County. It's hard to believe but it Is true. It happened this way. Some five years ago Congressman oscar Under wood who represents Perry County in | Congress wrote Editor charles H. l Greer of The Marion Standard that the | Agricultural Department had gotten in an idea of having soil surveys made. | He explained that soil survey was | an anlysis and investigation of the soil to ascertain its suitability and adap- | ability for various crops. He wanted to know of the editor if Ferry County would like to have one of these sur | veys. In effect Editor Greer wrote: Dear Oscar--"Send along your soil | surveyors. They may do us some | good. And at least we can keep them | in the county until they spend their | salaries among our people" So Congressman Underwood had the | soil survey sent into Perry and 1t | wasS-the first party of its kind that ever did the work south of Mason and Dixon's Lne. Soil surveying has now become one of the most popular 1 branches of the work of the Depart9 ment of Agriculture, but at tisat time | only one complete survey had been | made in the United Hates and that had been made Tn New Jersey. The Soils of Perry. The Department experts found that the red clay soil of Perry County had very peculiar character. It was practically the same sort of soil as that in Cuba on which the famous cigar filler tobacco is grown-called the fin- est tobacco In the world. The expert was so impressed with the nature or the soil that he recommended to the Department of Agriculture that the ex- pertinent of growing cigar filler to- bacco be tried in Perry County. The Department endorsed the recom- mendation and offered to make the ex- pertinent bearing all the cost, provid- cd the people of Marion would fur nish the land on which the experiments should be conducted. Editor Greer be- lieved that the experiments might come to some good and he Knew they wouldn't do any harm. So he offered the Department of Agriculture three
 
 make the experiment. The Depart ment expert told him he would give him half the tobacco crop was sold for.
 An acre of the land was used and the expert said the crop was very sat- isfactory and Editor Greer took h1s word for it. The crop was gathered and shipped and the editor lost sight and interest in it. Some months later "a in which he had a visionary interest. So he sat down and wrote Oscar Under wood a letter. The letter began with those pathetic lines that told of the man. who in winter had to wear alpaca becau- nc planted his crop in tobac- co.
 He also wrote in effect; q gave up the only land I had on which to pas ture my favorite family cow. We have not heard from the tobacco crop. The COW feels like she has ben deceiv- ed. She believes now that she sacri- ficed her boarding use in vain in the interest of science. I would like to have her faith in human nature re- stored. If any money was made on the tobacco crop will you please let me know so that can reassure the COW and at the same time recompense my self for the loss of milk that resulted in her ejectment from the pasture, so that your tobacco growers could have chance"
 Greer Got a Cheek
 The Ninth District Congressman cnuckled a heavy chuckle when he read the letter, but he took 1t over to Ex- pert Whitney in the Department of Az riculture, who had charge of the tobac- co growing experiments. Mir. Whitney wrote the Marion editor that in a few days he might hear something to his advantage. And when the few days were passing Mir. Greer was astonished to receive a check for s150--his half of the proceeds of the sale of the tobac- co crop. The check bore the signature oksa leading firm of cigar manufactur- CTS of Cincinnati, O.
 And this is how the tobacco growing industry had its start in Perry County
 Now here is a point that Is to be un- derstood at the outses--the kind of to- pacco that they grew In Perry County is not the common kind of tobacco That can be grown practically anywhere in the State. There is no money in grow ing the ordinary kind. Talk of grow ing tobacco in Marion and they quickly tell you that the brand grown there is not the commsn or ordinary kind. They impress upon you that 1t is the sort of tobacco grown to make cigar fillers snd for that reason commands a splendid price. Around Marion last year they had come thirty acres in this tobacco, in charge of some twenty di. erent farm CTS For their part of the crop the farmers got $l 800. This year the acre age has increased remarkably. In and around Marion there are no less than 200 acres of this cigar filler tobacco And 1t 1t to be understood that an acre of tobacco means infinitely more than an acre of cotton or an acre of corn.
 The Perry County tobacco has already achieved a market and q reputation. In the cigar markets in the North, it's merits are known. The tobacco ex- periments have been maintained at Marion for the past four years by the government. These experiments have cost the Agricultural Department not less than S3,500 year. Two tobacco experts, Messrs Ayers and Epley, have devoted their entire time to the estab- lishment of the tobacco growing indus try.
 Farmers EnthusIastic-
 The time and the money has been well spent. Conservative farmers, who knew nothing and cared nothing about farming except for raising cotton and corn. had the success ofsthe demonstra- tions worked out under their very noses and so impressed upon them that they have become enthusiastic growers of this cigar filler tobacco Each year the industry has more than doubled over that of the previous year.
 This growth beyond doubt vii con tinue For Perry County lands have shown that they can grow better cigar filler toharn0 than the tpNa cco Ianda Of