The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1914-04-21
AMERICAN TOBACCO INDUSTRY
HIGHLY SPECIALIZED.

Each important tobacco district of the
United States produces a type of to-
Dacco for special purposes of manu-
facture or export. The methods of
growing and handling a crop must
vary according to the type of leaf de-
slred, and therefore according to the
particular districts where it is grown.
Inc U. ;. Department of Agriculture
has just issued bulletin on Tobacco
Culture" which recommends methods
Tor the production of various Ameri-
can types.
The bulletin emphasizes the fact
that oVerprOduction in a constant
menace in all the established centers
OF tobacco growing and that the de-
velopment of the industry in new sec
tlons on a large scale is hardly ad-
VlsaDle at present. Another reason
why tobacco culture in untried sec
lions may result in failure is that the
leaf produced will not be quite right
IN type, and therefore it will not find
satisfactory market.
Inc commercial value of tobacco is
influenced to a greater degree by par
tlcular soil and climatic conditions
IMAM Is that of almost any other i'm
portant crop. This has caused the in
dustry to become highly specialized
and the trade looks regularly to we'll
defined areas for the various types of
leaf it requires.
AS tobacco grows readily over so
large an area it is strange that many
farmers experiment with it and often
secure seeming success. That is. the
plants grow readily but when it comes
time to sell the crop the farmer can
lind no market.
Il have grown five acres of tobacco"
farmer writes from a district where
tobacco is not grown for the CONNER
cial trade. But there seems to be no
market. Can the Department of Ag-
riculture help me?"
The Department can only advise
this farmer that conditions are such
that even though his product appear
to be of good quality he will probably
be unable to market it, as the trade
does not recognize his section as
tobacco-producing area. Here we
have the difference emphasized be-
tween tobacco and a crop like corn
for which a market may readily be
found no matter where it is grown if
the quality is good.
There are three general classes of
tobacco described in the new bulle-
tin:
CD Cigar tobaccos.
CD Export tobaccos.
10 Manufacturing tObaccOs.
BY manufacturing tObaccos are
meant all types used in manufacture
other than cigars. The manufacture
ing and export classes, however, have
much in common as regards cultural
methods, and some types are used for
manufacturing and for export; there
fore these two classes are considered
together as distinguished from the CT
gar tObaccOS
Each of these three classes of to-
bacco may be subdivided into types,
depending on their special uses, meth
DDS of growing and curing, or On the
variety Of seed used. In the case of
cigar tObaccOS there are three princi-
pal types, corresponding to the three
parts of the cigar-wrapper leaf, bind
er leaf, and filler leaf. In the manu-
featuring and export tObaccos are
such types as the flue-cured, Virginia
sun-cured, White Burley, dark fire.
cured, etc. These various types are
produced on certain special types of
soil and according to definite methods
of growing, curing and handling the
crop In some cases the variety of
seed used is also an important factor.
The special uses of the principal
type embraced in the three fundamen-
tai classes of tobacco are brought out
in connection with the cultural direc-
tions for the more important types.
A typical district for the culture of
cigar tobacco is the Connecticut val
ley. The new bulletin outlines briefly
the best cultural methods for this re-
gion. Detailed instructions are given
on care of the seed bed, preparing and
fertilizing the land, transplanting and
cultivating and harvesting.
The export and manufacturing
types of tobacco are grown mainly in
Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina
Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia,
Southern Ohio and Southeastern In
diana. Best methods for the culture
of the various types are explained in
the new bulletin.
One of the most troublesome and
expensive features of tobacco culture,
particularly in the Southern districts,
is the control of numerous insects,
which if not combatted would often
times completely destroy the CONNER
cial value of the crop. Among the
/ important insects attacking the tobac-
co plant may be mentioned the tobac-
! co fiea-bettle, the tobacco wire
worm" cutworm, the hornworm, or
green worms are usually the most
| uC5Lf Ictive.
| For detailed information regarding
insects attacking tobacco and meth
DDS of combating them the reader is
| referred to Farmers Bulletin 120, en-
titled "The Principal Insects Affect
! ing the Tobacco Plant" The new
bulletin Tobacco Culture is Farm
ers' Bulletin 571, and either of these
publications may be obtained free by
! application to the U. S. Department
of Agriculture, Washington, D. c.