Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-08-24
|TobaccoTests
Will Continue
On New Farm
By Jones Birchfield

The recent approval by the Mary
land Board of Public Works of the
purchase Of q tobacco experimental
station viii give Southern Maryland
tobacco farmers their first pub
ically-owned farm where long
range tests on tobacco culture can
be made.
Southern Maryland growers In
the past have not been without an
experimental station, located on the
fair grounds property at Upper
Marlboro. However, the decision of
fair ofncials to enlarge the grounds
left tobacco researchers with no
land. The Agriculture Department
Is expected to continue its co-opera-
ton.
While the actual purchase of the
farm has not yet been completed,
officials at the University of Mary
land announced that an agreement
has been reached for the purchase
Of the 200-acre Jay Dee Farm,
owned by Percival Burroughs on
Landover road, between Upper Marl-
boro and Largo.
Meets Specifications.
Walter B. Posey, tobacco specialist
ct tho university and q member Of
q committee that selected the site,
explained that the Burroughs farm
IL one Of about Is farms in Prince
Georges, Charles and Anne Arundel
Counties examined by his group. He
said it meets the specifications Of a
good research station, which in
clude:
/. Land representative Of large
areas on Southern Maryland on
which tobacco is grown.
2. Land both level and hilly for
plot and horticulture studies.
3. Land easily accessible to both
farmers and research workers and
SUFFICIENT to allow for expanded fu-
ture studies.
1. Adequate water for experiments
and accessible to, electric power and
telephone service.
5. Ample buildings for the curing
and storing Of tobacco and fol-
housing workers, samples, records
and the implements necessary fol
research work.
Buildings to Be Renovated.
According to Mr.. Posey the farms
present 11-room dwelling will be
renovated to provide living quarters
Of the farm superintendent, who
will be q gronomist, and the pres
ent tenant house probably will be
altered for the farm labor foreman
In addition the part-time services
Of q bio-chemist, a plant physiol-
ogist, a pathologist and an ento-
mologist will be required. The II
various other buildings on the farm
will be utilized in the stations
program.
Recent experimental work In
other tobacco producing sections
point up the necessity Of reseach
with Southern Maryland type 80
Paul VIM, jr., of the agriculture
engineering department at the uni
versity, has begun a series Of time
labor studies, and these are expected
to be continued.
Experiments Of tobacco cropping
systems, started at the Marlboro
station, will be continued at the new
farm. Nine different systems, all
three-year rotations, were being
tested at Marlboro.
New Strains to Be Tested.
Work also will be done on combi-
nations of grasses and legumes in
tobacco culture, and on the use of
commercial fertilizers. Breeding ex-
periments will involve the develop
ment Of new, disease-resistant to-
bacco strains in an effort to combat
wilt, tobacco MOSAIC and black root
rot. Breeders also will seek strains
yielding greater leaf numbers, there
by increasing production per acre.
Entomologists will work on ways
Of combating the green peach aphid
considered serious this year in
Southern Maryland tobacco fields
and other insect pests. Co-operat-
ing in these studies, engineers will
design and test machines for dust.
ing and spraying tobacco in. the
fields and for tobacco culture.
Ofiicials pointed out that from g.
to IS per cent of the cost of pro.
ducing tobacco is labor cost. This
they said, shows the Importance Of
developing machinery that will place
the tobacco grower on the same
footing with other farmers.
Mr.. Posey said there is large
field for the chemist in discovering
some sure test to determine when q
field of tobacco is ripe. Now" he
said, lit is largely matter of guess
to tell the best time for cutting the
crop"