186 BOAED OP AGRICULTURE. - 



about three acres in the piece. He got of wrappers, 3,739 

 lbs. ; seconds, 613 lbs. ; fillers, 141 lbs. It was sold at 35 

 cents per pound, amounting to <fl,377. The seconds sold for 

 10 cents, and the fillers for 5 cents. The seconds were worth 

 20 cents, and would bring it. The whole of the tobacco 

 ought to have brought 45 cents. The difficulty was, he sold 

 rather early. The tobacco was of good quality but not the 

 best. When I bought the land upon which that was grown 

 it would not bear anything. 



Mr. Gould. That is a profit of $209 an acre, selling it at 

 this low price, assuming that it cost |250 an acre. Do you 

 think it cost that man that amount to make it ? 



Dr. Riggs. No, sir, I furnished the manure and furnished 

 the team. He is a Protestant Irishman, with a family of three 

 children, struggling to get along, and I always try to help 

 such men. I could let my land to better advantage, but he 

 is honest, industrious and energetic, and I like to see such 

 men helped. 



Mr. Low. I move a vote of thanks to the Dr. for the in- 

 formation he has given us, and for the great patience with 

 which he has allowed us to pump him. Carried. 



Mr. Allen, of East Windsor. I have listened with a great 

 deal of interest to the remarks which have been made, and 

 tlie Doctor has saved me the trouble of going over this ground 

 very minutely. I wish, however, to notice some things which 

 he has inadvertently, no doubt, passed over. 



The first thing of which I would speak is the seed bed or 

 plant bed. If any one should ask me what I think the most 

 essential thing in raising a good crop of tobacco, I should 

 say, early plants. Of course, there are a great many things 

 that are essential, but I regard that as the most essential. I 

 do not think it is necessary to start under glass, if you pursue 

 the right course. Tobacco, you know, is a tropical plant, and 

 the season in this latitude is not too long to raise and cure a 

 good crop of tobacco, no matter how early you begin. You 

 can raise a crop, you can get the full growth of the tobacco, 

 and hang it up the first day of October or the middle of Octo- 

 ber, if the frost holds off long enough, but then you have no 



