The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-01-09
TOBACCO CROP PROSPECTS.
Applications for Se,cd Indicate That
Large Acreage viii be Planted.


The Chamber of Commerce tobaca
CO seed distribution book shows that
number of the largest cotton plant
ers of this county, farmers who have
never planted tobacco before or have
not planted in fifteen or twenty years,
have secured seed for considerable
acreages on their farms of tobacco
for this year, and that they are
urging their tenants and share CROP
pers 10 plant tobacco also, and will
assist their tenants to plant tobacco
allowing tenants to use the landlords
barns. a
The record of tobacco seed distri-
button also shows that many farm-
ers, white and colored, in sections in
which practically no tobacco has
been planted heretofore, will go into
the tobacco business, mostly in small
acreages of from two to four acres
each this year
Inquiry for the reasons of this
elicits the information that large and
small farmers are thoroughly COM
vinced that it is a wise plan\to di-
versify their crops and that tobac.
co bringing a profit making price Ia a
good guarantee Of extra money should
the cotton crop Gail or cotton prices
decline this fall.
Then again the high cost of every.
thing the farmers have to purchase.
either in fertilizers. clothing. foods.
and other necessities require extras
ordinary cash until after the war.
Therefore tobacco as an extra cash
crop is going to be generally planted
it seems now, unless the high prices
of cotton cause some to change
their minds in TIE next thirty days.
The undoubted and inevitable early
also causing many farmers to get
ready to learn yhow to grow tohee-
co to supplement cotton when the
weevil makes cotton growing unprofi-
table. Tobacco will unquestionably
take the place Of thousands Of acres
of cotton now being planted. But
the fact that for several years tcbac.
! co is expected to bring high prices
has a lot to do with the number OF
new tobacco growers Hundreds of
tobacco growers adopted the plan of
saving seed from their own fields
during the pa. t two years, and in this
way the annual amount of seed dis
tributed by the Chamber Of Cons
merce has been gradually getting less
and less, excel. to new tobacco grows
ers and some old experienced tobacco
growers who believe it is best to get
seed from tobacco seed houses,
through the commercial rganization,
: The extremely cold weather Of the
past few weeks has prevented farm.
efs from burning ground for their
beds and sowing seed. But as soon
rs the ground thaws out a rush ID
expected for d.
AHS PiOSPN 10 AOi o. oCSShO tOOoCS
co warehouse are good as North
Carolina tobacco warehousemen have
agreed to build another warehouse
provided that as many as three thou
sand acres OF tobacco can be shown
to have beer planted in this county
directly tributary to the Sumter to.
bacco markes. Or these out of town
tobacco men will take a considerable
amount Of stock, say fifty per cent.
or more. and let Sumter county farm.
ers and Sumter business men have as
much stock as they like. Sumter mer-
chants and bankers, and large farm.
ers can do lot Of good by urging
every farmer to plant tobacco in linn,
tied acreageg. and to plant plenty
Of corn, oats, soy and velvet beans,
peanuts. vegetables, sugar and sors
gum cane, etc. 10 raise extra litters
of pigs, ant plenty Of chickens, and
food crops generally in preparation
for the boil weevil, which might hit
this county in two years, and to help
win the war by feeding the soldiers
and the civil population.