The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1914-03-21
TOBACCO CULTURE
IN UNITED STATES


important tobacco district of the
United States produces a type of
tobacco 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-
sired, and therefore according to the
particular districts where it is grown
The U. 8. Department of Agriculture
has just issued a bulletin on "Tobae-
60 culture which recommends meth
ods for the production of various
American types.
The bulletin emphasizes the fact
that over-production is constant
menace in all the established eenters
of tobacco growing and that the de-
velopment of the industry in new sec
tions on large scale is hardly ad-
visable at present. Another reason
why tobacco culture in untried Sec
tions may result in failure is that the
leaf produced will not be quite right
in type, and therefore it will not find
satisfactory market.
The commercial value of tobacco is
influenced to greater degree by par
| tieular soil and climatic conditions
than 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 not strange that
many farmers experiment with it and
often secure seeming success. That
is, the plants grow readily but when
| il comes time to sell the crop the
farmer can find no market.
81 have grown FIVE acres of to-
bacco,' farmer writes from a dis
trict where tobacco is not grown for
the commercial trade. But there
sens to be no market Can the De-
partment of Agriculture help mes"
The department can only advise
this farmer that conditions arc such
that even though his product appear
rc be of good quality he will prob
ably be unable to market it, as the
trade does not recognize his section as
a tobacco-producing area. Here we
have the difference emphasized be-
| tween tobacco and a crop like corn
for which 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-
tni: ~. 4-z-- +--~- ..---
G) Cigar tobaceos
(2) Export tobaccos.
(3) Manufacturing tobaccos. :.
+ BY manufacturing tobaccos are
meant all types used in manufacture
other than cigars. The manufactur-
| 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
cigar tobaccos.
Each of these three classes of tobac-
co may be subdivided into types, de-
pending on their special uses, meth
ods 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,
binder leaf and filler leaf. In the
manufacturing and export tobaccos
are such types as the flue-cured, Vir-
ginia sun-cured, White Burley, dark
fre-cured, etc. These various types
are produced on certain special types
cf soil and according to definite meth
ods of growing, curing and handling
the crop. In some cases the variety
of seed used is also an important fac
tor. The special uses of the principal
types embraced in the three funda-
mental classes of tobacco are brought
out in connection with the cultural
directions for the more important
types.
A typical district for the culture of
cigar tobaecos is the Connecticut val
ley The new bulletin outlines briefly
the best cultural methods for this
region. Detailed instructions are
given on care of the seed bed, prepar-
ing and fertilizing the land, trans
planting and cultivating and harvest
ing.
The export and manufacturing
types of tobaccos are grown mainly
in Kentucky. Maryland. North Caro-
Ina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ten
nessee, West Virginia. southern Ohio
and southeastern Indiana. Best meth
ors for the culture of the various
types, are explained in the new bulle-
tin.
Insect Enemies Of Tobacco.
One of the most troublesome and
e, pensive features of tobacco cul
ture, particularly in the southern dis
triets, is the control of numerous in
seets, which if not combated would
often-ti times completely destroy the
commercial value of the erop. Among
the more important insects attacking
the tobacco plant may be mentioned
the tobacco flea bettle, the tobacco
"wire- worm,' eutworms, the horn
worms, or "green worms and the
tobocco bud-worm. OF these the horn
morms, or fgreen worms, are usu
ally the most destructive.
For detailed information regarding
insects attacking tobacco and meth
eds of combating them, the reader is
referred to Farmers Bulletin 120, en-
titled "The Principal Insects Affect
inn the Tobacco Plant - The new