The Washington herald., 1908-08-09


mond- Prof. E II. NIathewson, OF the
I United States Department Of Agriculture.
/ opened the discussion with paper on
/ Tobacco Growing in Virginia. IN which
/ ne said. in part:
Tobacco growing IS probably the most
/ important specialized farm industry in
/ Virginia In the State there are about
I $500 farms or which tobacco IS the i'm
/ pcrJant money crop II brought 10 the
/ pockets Of Virginia farmers last year
more than $4,000 cash
I In spite Of the commanding and i'm
/ portant position, il is yet true that up 10
[ quite recently almost nothing has been
I done Of a specific nature In the shape Of
/ assistance from the state or national
} governments 10 keep the farm methods
/ Up 10 the highest state Of efficiency.
There are no figures 20 quote. but
I feel safe IN venturlng the opinion that
/ there IS no agricultural interest OF equal
/ Importance IN the United states that has
/ received so little attention BY agricultural
/ experimentors and investigators as has
/ tobacco culture. The result Is that the
/ average efficiency OF the methods used IN
/ the tobacco growing sections and the av-
/ erage fertility Of the farms IN these sec
[ tons are. IN many cases. perhaps IN
| most cases. below what they are else
l where. often where less favorable cOnd1-
tons OF soil and climate exist
Little Change in Methods.
The methods Of culture, Of fertiliza-
I ti0n. OF rotation Of crops. and Of farm
/ practice generally on tobacco farms. is
I very similar 10 that OF aute-bellum days,
! notwithstanding the radical changes
which have taken place IN conditions The
( methods followed on most tobacco farms
I are artiquated and one-sided and tend
I 20 soil deterioration, rather than 70 soil
I Improvement
i Indeed. il has become the opinion of
I many weIl-3nforued men that prosperity
/ and tobacco culture don't so together,
and that aII-aroUrd good farm practice
i-wiu be realized with difficulty Il tobacco
[ growing IS mixed in Il 10 any extent. ard
many influential people are prepared 10
{ advise that tobacco growing be gwen Up
/ entirely. and that faru-ez ZOsbd soon
+ be better Of If not 8 plant - u were
/ grown As usual, there is the gran OF
/ truth II such remarks. but Z is only q
grain. in my judgment
The trouble has been. however. n too
/ exclusive attention 10 tobacco alone. and
IT TOO little attention 70 the general prob
/. lens Of soil Improvement in the persist
ence Of inadequate. unscientdc. and out
( of-date methods The oId-tiue custom
was continually 10 clear new land. work
/ il for a few years in tobacco and wheat
TIL II became too poor for tobacco then
> a few more years in corn and oats. and az
last. when completely depleted OF Eumus
and exEaused, was abandoned as al old
feId
Under oId-time conditions. with land
plentiful and an abundance OF very cheap
labor. such methods were perhaps ex-
Z cGsable. But to-day labor and other eco
I uom5c conditions are upon a radically dif-
/. ferent basis Conditions to-day demand
. better. more intensive. more systematic,
/ and more rational methods. and they
must be substituted. If tobacco growing
. IS o hold its place in Virginia
Tobacco Growers Problem.
Vow the tobacco growers problem
Z cannot be handled effectively withour
dealing 10 a consIde-abi7 extent with the
other crops which are grown OF the helds
I in rotation with tobacco: and It IS BE-
Ieved that the tobacco farmers ultimate
and permanent success depends quite as
much upon how he handles his fields il
rotation between the tobacco crops as
upon his methods with the tobacco it
I self Thus It is that the ex9arimenraL
7 and demonstrative work which has been
started includes work not only with to
bacco- but with all the crops grown in
rotation with tobacco. or which We think
should be grown in rotation With tobacco
Another important item in tobacco
/ growing is good seed II is now be-
{ coming quite generally recognized that
Ihe-e IS about as much in improved
. strains Of seeds as there IS in improved
/ breeds Of live stock Every tobacco
. grower wants the best and most prodUc-
T tive strain OF seed possible and the type
OF tobacco which he is trying 10 pro
dUce- By careful and systematic selec-
tion and breeding. II is believed thai ma
I teriaI Improvement can be made n TIE
/ tobacco itself in yield and quality
[ All Of the experiments thus far con-
Quoted point consistently 10 one most en-
couraging fact With the right adapta-
tions Of methods. Just as good farming
can he done and just as good crops pro-
. duced here on the WOTD-oGt tobacco farms
'oT Virginia as almost anywhere else II
the Eastern part Of the United States"
Practical Tobacco Growing.
Tobacco growing from a practical
growers standpoint" was the topic OF
a paper read by J r HOrsIey. OF Ap-
po1rattox County. After discussing the
various kinds Of tobacco raised IN VIr-
giuia. he continued:
Men who make a living out OF their
farms are referred TO as practical tobacco
[ growers 10 distinguish them from those
who are devotinE their attention TO a
scientific study Of the subject and ex-
{ parimeuts in the culture Of tobacco. II
Z is not intended 10 suggest that the latter
! are not practical men. OF that the meth
DDS they are pursuing are not practical
Z There are many OF our practical farmers
who, by an intelligent study of soils and
tobaeco. have arrived az methods OF cuI-
{ tiv JJion by which che best Jypes Of to
I ibacro have been produced
Z The question OF curing mas claimed
I more attention than any other part OF
the work done 10 tobacco. although I am
I Of the opinion that other things Of nearly
as much Importance have been lost sight
I OF il paying SO much attention 10 curing.
I Careless injury 20 the leaves IN cultiva-
tion and Sunburn and bruises while cut
ting and housing are often as damaging
{ 70 the quality OF tobacco and affect the
+ price as much as q bad cure, II not more
+ 50. However. to secure a good cure IS
/ Of great value. and is worthy Of all the
/ importance that has been attached to t.
There is a wide difference OF opinion
among the most expert growers as 10 the
+ best method OF curing dark tobacco There
are two distinct processes followed One
+ is a process Of rapid and regular firing,
T by which the tobacco is cured in a com
m v-er 7--e1y- brief suaca o= rf--a Tho o~re-