Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-07-14
a CONDITION AND
NOT a THEORY

ern Maryland today presents the
greatest problem which has con-
fronted tobacco growers here
since the close of the Civil War.
With labor conditions such as to
make it almost impossible to en-
ploy farm labor at any price; with
a tax rate higher than ever before
in the history of all of the tobac-
co growing counties of Southern
Maryland, and with an early
drought which makes it practi-
cally impossible to even plant
half of the usual tobacco crop,
the outlook for the tobacco grow
er was never darker. This situa-
ton does not apply to one South
ern Maryland county only-it is
applicable to the entire group of
counties which comprise the to-
bacco growing belt. From the
Calvert Journal comes the follow
ing with reference to conditions
in Calvert county:
The general outlook for
farmers is far from satisfactory.
According to estimate, not
more than . fifth or the crop
has been planted. and unless we
have generous rains within the
@~ ss Few days. not more than
""'h q VT0T, So a. ..S.@.sbIo
few growers have planted more
than half their crop, but the
majority not more than ten or
twenty per cent, and many
have not planted any. Owing
to the warm weather of March
and April, plants grew rapidly
and were ready to set out be-
fore the proper time. The ear
ly May frosts also DESTROYED
many beds, and those sown to
replace them have had very un-
favorable weather. Unless we
have RAIN soon the beds now
failing will not hold on. There
is no hope of more than half
or two thirds crop under the
most favorable conditions that
may follow.
The tobacco crop failure,
following two years of poor
market conditions, with an alb
sence of any substitute crops,
makes the farming outlook
rather gloomy. Tobacco is the
only dependable money crop we
have, and when it fails, either
in quantity or price, it is keenly
felt in all business.
With the above outlook. it is
curious to note the fact that the
Baltimore buyers of Maryland to-
bacco are still content to let the
price for the product remain at a
point where the grower must go
out of business, and the tobacco
industry of Maryland cease and
terminate. 1t has been said that
the French Government, which
is the admitted consumer of the
greater part of the Maryland
crop, can get along without the
Maryland type of tobacco, and
will use the product of other
Ststes as q substitute. The test
of the truth ofthis statement is
near at hand. Many tobacco
growers here will go out of bust
ness at the close of the present
year, unless some hope is yet held
out to them through an advance
in the price of the crop which is
now being offered on the Balti- |
more market, or will shortly be
shipped from the crop of 1920.
The farmer in Southern Mary
land has grown tobacco and sold |
it, without regard to cost of pro-
duction. until now a condition,
and not a theory, confronts him. |
Unless he can find other fields of
activity, such as the production
of milk and butter, and the sale
of these products through a local
creamery, he might just as well
quit now as to be made to quit
later on.
1t follows, therefore, that the
movement inaugurated here a few
weeks ago for the erection of a
creamery at some point accessible
to the counties of Charles, Prince
Georges and st. Mary's, is one
which should invite the serious
consideration and hearty cooper
alton of our farmers. They may
as well face squarely the rocks
that lie ahead, and either en-
deavor to steer clear of them, or
cease sailing altogether. Times