The new South-news., 1909-04-03


runncth not to the contrary. the peo-
pie o, Mississippi have raised more
or less tobacco for home consump- |
ton. Very few attempts have been
made To establish tobacco as n staple
crop and these only in very small
way During the past few months.
inquiries have come TO this Office
from a number OF parties In sections
OF Tennessee and Kentucky desiring
TO come here and engage in the basi-
ness. as to the development OF tohac-
co growing and the possibility OF "
becoming a good crop In Mississippi.
There had been no compilation OF
facts concerning tobacco in the state
and your Commissioner began an in
vestisa,ion as TO what it might offer
our people ss n safe money crop, The
names and addresses of a few who
had given II trial were secured
and letters addressed them. asking
for their experience One OF the
most prominent among these was
Judge w. H. Hardy. formerly or
Hatticsburg. now of Pass Christian.
iiis reply was characteristic of the
man. tersc. complete and TO the
point. II Is here given:
II found your letter of the 18th
inst. on my return from circuit court
at Leakesville. Greene county. ask
ing me to give you an article for
publication on the possibilities OF
tobacco culture in South Mississippi.
or more properly. the pine belt OF the
state ! can't undertake TO write an
article on the subject. but take pleas
ure In giving you the result OF an ex-
pertinent made by myself in 1901.
'o2 and '03. on poor pine land near
Hattiesburg. in growing tobacco from
seed imported from Havana.
Il had about an eighth of an acre
planted in Irish potatoes which |
dug about the goth OF April and i'm
mediately set the ground In tobacco
plants. The land had been fertiliz-
ed with cotton seed meal for the po-
tatoes. with little stable manure
and pine straw added. The tobacco
grew on beautifully. was cultivated
thoroughly and finer tobacco l never
saw grow in Virginia or Kentucky.
when IL ripened ! cut II and
hung 1t in house. well ventilated
and cured II In the shade. When II
was thoroughly cured. had the
tobacco stripped from the stalks. tied
into hands and closely packed In I
large bin or box. covered with gum,
sacks. nailed up the box where 4
i, was allowed TO remain for si'
months. When opened 1, was o
beautiful color and possessed a ricl
aroma. then had It made int
: 6txars that would readily have sol
at from $50 to SIS per THOUSAND
These cigars possessed a distinctly
Cuban or Havana navor-I meai
the flavor of the best HAVANA cigars
The two succeeding years ! plant
\ ed seed from the preceding years
crop, on different tracts of land. an
made splendid crops each year. al
though the third crop. in my opinion
was not so richly favored.
, There is no doubt In my min,
, but that the greater portion of ou
cut-oyer pine lands can be convert
ed into as fine tobacco farms a
could be found anywhere. Abou
the time my tobacco began to ripen
: ] carried a gentleman to see It VIII,
was raised upon large Tobacco
= plantation In Virginia and he frank
, ly stated that he had never seen fine
tobacco grow In the Old Dominion
2 God bless her
: Il smoked Havana Cigars mad
, from tobacco grown at Pinehurst
: near HAttiesburg. for six years. ant
have smoked few as good cigars be
fore or since
Five years ago the writer had tn
$ pleasure of smoking a few of tn
o cigars made from tobacco grown b,
: Judge Hardy. and while he does no
/. profess to be even a sc ,ond-rafe jud
r of cigars. though them equally al
r good as those usually retai.ed 70
y ten cents at the cigar stores. TIL
: experiment here given b worth
r trial. II demonstrates that good 10
bacco can be grown In Mississippi
and should encourage those interest
ed to make the effort.
Others have written and thei
= communications will be given late
on. 1t would seem that there I
really no serious obstacle to grow
ing the weed II the parties who maxi
the attempt have experience In pro
ducing It, At Chunchula. Ala. onl,
a few miles from the Mississippi line
: tobacco is fast becoming one of th'
principal crops and is being grow
with the greatest success. In North
, ern Florida, In latitude similar u
, portions of South Mississippi. hun
dreds OF acres are under canvas an,
growing the finest Of wrappers tina
readily sell az the genuine Sumatr,
article
There can be little doubt Of tn
adaptability Of the lands OF Niss!s
hppi generally for the growing o
tobacco. and particularly those II
The cut-rsvor nina eartfoo Tdo ~co