The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-03-18
RAISE TOBACCO HERE

RAISE TOBACCO HERE
Hon. c. B. Dye, of Woodland, wifi
Try Raising Tobacco on Some
of His Rough Farm Land.
Hon. c. G. Dye, OF Woodland township
has been investigating the question OF
using some of the rough land Of Decatur
county to grow profitable crops and
thinks there is great field open to our
farmers In raising tobacco. He intends
this year to try the experiment of rails
ing tobacco and is interesting his neigh
bors. The result will be watched with
considerable interest and we believe
that tobacco can be raised in Iowa just
as proftably as it is in Wisconsin and
other states. We have received the
following communication from Mr.. Dye
on the subject:
EDITOR While travelling
over Decatur county last fall, | saw
considerable land that is a little
rough and some of it covered with
brush. / made inquiries about this
land and found that some of it could
be bought from $50 to $40 per acre.
While up in Wisconsin last fall,
saw very much the same kind of land
and asked the price, and they told
me $50 to 1925 per acre. l asked the
question: "What could they grow on
1t to make 1t worth that?" They
told me they could raise from s1O0 to
$3.50 worth of tobacco per acre, and
1t cost S35 per acre to raise and mar
!! ket it. began to think how easy
it would be for man with a large
family aud limited means to get them
q home. They could put out from 10
to 20 acres of tobacco and make
enough to make a good payment on
land. Follow the tobacco with wheat
which does we'll and raise their bread
and in this way sosn have them a
! home. | am making some investiga-
tion and l think that tobacco will do
well here.
have been talking to an old to-
baccO raiser in Ohio and he has pre-
pared a thesis on tobacco culture, and
he wrote me letter which / also
give for publication. Some down
here are going to try to raise tobacco.
1 hope several in the county will put
out small patch. If it proves a
success our land will go up many
dollars per acre.
c. C. Dye.
Lineyille, Iowa, March 10th.
Mr.. G. G. Dye: I send you today a
tolerably minute detail on tobacco
culture. Allow me to suggest that
as this is experiment year with you,
that you persuade your men to plant
not more than to ] acre, and do
their best, and If it proves your land
is not suitable you can quit with
little loss, and if it is success then
you can push the culture. | have
not yet secured the Spanish seed, but
looking for it daily. | have Connecti.
cut seed and White Burleigh. About
western Missouri: they are raising
White Burleigh with eminent sue
cess. A few weeks ago ten hogsheads
of White Burleigh was shipped tc
Cincinnati from Weston and brought
an average of )91 cents per pounc
which is top price. At Chillicothe,
about 80 or 10 miles south of you
they raise Burleigh certainly with
success, as they have established ,
plant to manufacture plug tobacco
Ifyou could go down there you coulc
learn much. Now l want to insis,
that you get into correspondence
with the agricultural bureau al
Washington, d. c., tobacco depart
ment. They take great interest ir
this and will be ready to give yol
their best on tobacco culture. Nov
we have never tried White Burleigh
but it is raised and handled just a!
other tobacco, except when stripped
it must not be packed but the hands
placed straddle Of the lath and huns
up. This kind of tobacco must no
sweat or heat but be kept sweet
Then when sold packed in hogsheat
an l shipped at once. Any informa
tion you may desire from time t.
time, | will be glad to give. Con
necticut seed you can best plant OF
your rich loan. Spanish should b.
planted on clay soil, we'll fertilized
or the soil that has the most clay
Burleigh does best on sandy soil.
hope your enterprise will be a sue
cess. This, if successful, will
most profitable to small land owner
who have boys and girls, as most O
it is light work. | showed you
, sample to our expert. He pronounce,
| it rough in rib and heavy, unfit TO
wrapper, but thought it was becaus
it was grown too far apart. H
thinks Burleigh will be your kline
{ but this year will deyelope.
, f. NJ. DeMott.
Lewisburg, Ohio, March Sth.
TOBACCO CULTURE.
Seed Bed. Select your ground wit
care. 1t should be level enough nc
to wash. 1t should be in sunshine a
much as can be. Beds should be PR
pared in the fall by spading tn
ground and covering with rich, clea
: manure. AS soon as the ground
dry enough in the spring spade W
and give top dressing of poultr
manure, or any firm manure, as fire
as possible from all seeds. Pulveriz
thoroughly. Tobacco beds should b
kept free from seeds. In the ia
see that no weed plants go to see
any when about your beds. See tina