Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-18
An IMPORTANT CROP
American Tobacco Industry Is
Highly Specialized.
Department Of Agriculture Recon-
mends Methods of Culture for
Types of Weed Suited Only
to Well Defined Areas.

to Well Defined Areas.
Washington.-Each important to-
bacco district of the United States
produces a type Of tobacco for special
purposes of manufacture or export.
The methods Of growing and handling
a crop must vary according 10 type
of leaf desired, and therefore accord
ing to the particular districts where
it is grown. The United States de-
partment of agriculture has Just Is
sued a bulletin on Tobacco culture
which recommends methods for the
production of various American types
The bulletin emphasizes the fact
that overproduction is a constant me-
mace in all the established centers OF
tobacco growing and that the develop
ment of the industry in new sections
on a large scale is hardly advisable
at present Another reason why to-
bacco culture in untried sections may
result in failure is that the leaf pro
duced will not be quite right in type,
and therefore it will not find sat
isfactory market.
The commercial value of tobacco is
Influenced to a greater degree by par
ticular soil and climatic conditions
than is that of almost any other i'm
portant crop. This has caused the
industry to become highly specialized
and the trade looks regularly to we'll
defined areas for the various types of
leaf 1t 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
it comes time to sell the crop the far
mer can find no market.
Il have grown five acres of tobacco,
a 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 agri-
culture help me?"
The department can only advise this
farmer that conditions are such that
even though his product appears to be
of good quality he will probably be I'M
able to market it, as the trade does
not recognize his section as tobacco
producing area. Here we have the diff
/ ference emphasized between tobacco
and a crop like corn for which a mar
ket may readily be found, no matter
where it Is grown if the quality is
good.
There are three general classes OF
toacco described in the new bulletin:
% Cigar tobaccos.
CD Export tobaccos.
CD 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.
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 oil
cigar tobaccos there are three prin
cipal 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 sucf
types as the fue-cured, Virginia sun
cured. White Burley, dark fire-cured
etc. These various types are pro
duced on certain special types OF sol
and according to definite methods o.
growing, curing and handling the crop
In some cases the variety of seed uset
Is also an important factor. The spe
cial uses of the principal types EN-
braced in the three fundamental
classes of tobacco are brought out IL
connection with the cultural direction
for the more important types.
A typical district for the culture o
cigar togaccos is the Connecticut val
lev. The new bulletin outlines brief
ly the best cultural methods for thi
region. Detailed instructions are civ
en- on care of the seed bed, prepal
ing and fertilizing the land. transplant
Ing and cuItivating, and harvesting.
The export and manufacturing type
of tobaccos are grown mainly in Ker
lucky, Maryland, North Carolina
', South Carolina, Virginia. TENNESSEE
West Virginia, southern Ohio an
. southeastern Indiana Best method
, for the culture of the various type!
, are explained In the new bulletin.
/. One of the most troublesome an
expensive features of tobacco cuitur'
a particularly in the southern district
. is the control of numerous insect
! which II not combated would oftel
= times completely destroy the CONNIE
q ciai value of the crop. Among th
o more important insects attacking tn
@ tobacco plant may be mentioned tn
Y tobacco fiea-beetle, the tobacco "wir
n worm" cutworms, the hornworms, {
!. ''Greenworms" and the tobacco bu
D. worm OF these the hornworms,
a "greenworms," are usually the mo
destructive.