Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-03
EVERYBODY CHANGING
OVER TOBACCO FIELDS
dealers, Manufacturers. Warehouse
men and Farmers Watching Vir.
ginia's Great Money Crop.
WHAT WILL THE HARVEST BE?
Virginia Growers Of the Seductiv
Weed Giving Attention to Hog and
= Hominy Doctrine. but Keep Eye
on Sure Money Bringcr.

else for more food crops has had on
the planting Of tobacco for the 1917
crop and what will he the effect
the proportions of the crop they Will
lie called upon to handle the coming
tobacco season. II is known that the
stocks of leaf tobacco now held by
dealers and manufacturers are small
or"than they have been at this season
Of the year for many years past. and
az the demand FOR the weed for snok-
ing and chewing purposes has been and
is on the increase the manufacturers
have naturally been feeling some
anxiety as to the effect of the efforts
that have been made to induce the TO-
hacco growers Of Virginia TO cut down
the acreage for the money crop. so AZ
70 be able TO give more attention to
the production OF grain and other food
crops.
ALL SIGNS POINT no LARGER
SIN-tJRED CROP
Diigent inquiry by The Times Dis
patch brings out some interesting facts
ON the tobacco situation as il now
stands. The growers Of the sun-cured
tobaccoE. all Of which are marketed
III Richmond and are manufactured
into chewing tobacco. realized more
money for their product Of last year
than the Eun-curers have taken III for
their leaf in twenty years This fact
has stirred them on TO greater efforts
for a bigger crop than usual. and the
general impression IS that the tobac
co acreage in the counties where the
cured is produced has been ma
tkrialiy increased. That is to gay,
the farmers have prepared much more
tobacco land than mas been their Gus
tom, but because Of the latcness of
spring weather and other unfavora Bile
conditions they have not yet been
ble TO plant out all OF the lands they
have prepared and IL Is probable that
a Il N
some of the land that was originally
intended for tobacco. y greater num-
ber however, arc stll holding the
lands thus prepared for late setting
out of plants and this work IL still
going on. VI 70 the middle or Iur"
tobacco plants vii! he set out IN the
sun-curiNg regions, and II the sea
sons 10 come prove favorable these late
settings VIII bring good tobacco. II
viii all depend on the seasons an!
X they are continuously favorable IL
- certain tina: larger crop of the
sun cured viii be made this year than
last. and all of tn" dealers ami man
u!ac'urers arc ot the opinion mat they
VIII pay fG!lN as much. II not some
thing more. for II than they did for
the 1916 crop
In that section Of Virginia in which
the dark shipping tobacCos are grown
the farmers have been listening more
attentiNely 20 the demand for more
more ~ everything 10 eat. and the in
formation a, hand leads TO tho belief
that the dark shipping ra!scrs viii
grow less OF The weed Tins year than
,hey ala IN 1916 In addition TO the
food crop sentiment. the dark shipping
growers are disturbed by the war.
which cuts their product OF from some
o! IN" best European markets. and
they have not had all OF the encour-
ascmcnt in the way OF high prices
.bts. N u
sun-curers and the bright tobacco
growers although their last years
'rois did bring them more money than
inc 1918 crop. The dark shipping pro-
dnction probably VIII he Gu; down in
Virginia 8 10 20 per cent
MORE BRIGIITs AND
BIGGER FOOD CROPS, TOO
In the bright belts the farmers have
put in just ~ large crops as they
can attend TO. ANA they, too. being in
spired by the hi.h prices OF the past
season. are tryiH- so MAKE larger crops
than they did last year. The labor
problem Il cutting a much larger ngu:e
%ith them Than the NOR" food crop asi-
tation. However. they are also striv-
ing 10 Increase their acreage for food
crops, and all over the bright belts
more corn has been planted than in
any year for the last decade and more
hogs 10 be fatlcncd with that corn are
being raised. but they are sticking in
every bright tobacco plant they can
possibly hope TO take care Of In the
bright belt the planting out season has
been very backward and very many
growers OF the weed have not yet nm
ished setting out plants. II the sons
are good from now until cutting time.
the late paintings viii bring just as
good tobacco the early settings.
Their danger Will lie in early froSts,
but in these days Of intensive cultiva-
ton and the forcing OF rapid growth
the farmers do not fear that as much
as they did in the olden days.
\ Times Dispatch correspondent.
writing from Danvillc. says:
From the best information we are
able 10 gather. we are OF the opinion
that the farmers who market their
tobacco In DanVillc will be able to
plant only their usual acreage in to-
bacco this year. This means that they
will plant all they can take care OF.
The high prices OF the 1916 crop and
prospects of equally as good prices for
the 1917 crop viii, no doubt, stimulate
them to try 10 make an increase in
the acreage. but scarcity of labor will
prevent much of an increase If at
tempted. The necessity of raising more
foodStutfs has had some effect. and the
prospects are that hog and hominy'
will be more in evidence than hereto
fore.
The land is in better state of
preparation than usual, but the season
is very late. Only about 33 per cent
of the intended crop OF tobacco has
been planted TO date. The farmers
should have finished planting by this
time. The seasons have not been gen
cral In some sections no tobacco at
all has been planted yet.
The general impression with buyers
and farmers is that prices will rule
fully as high the coming season as
they did for the 1916 crop"
SIMILAR REPORTS FROM OTHER
BRIGfIT-BELT CENTERS
a Chase City correspondent writes:
"The acreage for bright toba eco in the
Counties of Mecklenburg, Lunenburg
and Charlotte. which arc the counties
that raise the weed for this market.
has not been materially cut down II
any at all. The high prices of the
mast season all hriChtS Great ed