The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-07
BY F. H. Jeter

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in the bricked up furnaces of
eastern Cardinals tobacco curing
barns these August nights. There is
the pungent odor of the burning
wood mingled with perfume OF
the tortured tobacco leaves as they
are changed by heat from the
broWnish green of the ripening
plant to the deep yellow of the
cured leaf.
Shadowy figures tend the fires
by the light of conve thy hung
lanterns as night falls after busy
days in the fields. Under the leafy
bowers erected at the curing barns,
eastern Carolina growers and their
families toll all day to tie h e
leaves in preparation for other cur
ings.
It's picturesque sort of job, al
though a hard one and the tar"
of the freshly primed leaves clings
with intense persistence to tn e
h n d and clothes of those who
work the tobacco.
The growers believe, however,
that the labor will have its reward
for not only does the entire family
cooperate, night and day, but extra
labor is being hired where possible
at exorbitant rates to barn" the
tobacco.
There is an excellent crop in
Pitt county this season. The rain
of early July came just in time to
save it and later showers through
out the month assured that h e
growth would be continued until a
fine quality of leaf had been pro-
duced. Pitts tobacco is of especial
Importance right now because the
whole county has become some
thing of an agricultural laboratory
in which tests and demonstrations
are being conducted with almost all
kinds of improvements in growing
and handling the tobacco.
Floyd Hendrix, the enterprising
county agent, says that, while the
old wood burning furnaces may be
somewhat picturesque, many grow
ers are turning to oil burners for
the reason that wood is becoming
harder to get as the farm forests
shrink from constant cutting. There
are now over $500 oil burners in
the county and the number, is in
creasing as this new type heater
can be secured.
But the Pitt tobacco grower has
his problems, as do farmers every
where. The dreaded Granville Wilt
has invaded that county along with
black shank, root rot and root knot.
Scientists Of the North Carolina Elk
pertinent Station working at the Ok
ford Tobacco Station, have been
fighting these troubles and have de-
veloped strains of new tobaccos
which apparently will be resistent
TO them.
OF course, resistance to the di-
seases is not he sole answer as
the crop must be rotated and 9th
erwise handled and managed for
best results. But 2. E. Smith says
that the Oxford Station has in sight
now a strain of tobacco that should
be ready for distribution in linn
tied way by 1915. This strain is
resistant to Granville Wilt and, at
the same time, will produce a
quality comparable with the other
established varieties.
A few field tests are now being
conducted in Pitt county and else
where, over the flue cured area
with some of these resistant strains.
There are about IL of them at pres
ent but two are said to be excep-
tionally good. I saw some of these
strains standing up almost 100 per
cent in a wilt infested field while
the named variety being grown
alongside, as a check, showed At
least IS per cent damage.
1 also saw some of Eugene Moss
famed 400 strains that seem to be
of extra fine quality. The new 402
strain, as I saw it grown on the
seed farm of Brantley Speight near
Winterville, was as fine tobacco
as 1 have ever seen in North
Carolina. 1t also has certain resis-
tant qualities, believe. to the root
rot disease.
ThSa there are the Blackshank