DIVISION OF SOILS. 131 



The framework of the covering consists of strong upright posts and crossbeams 

 of sawn timber, liberally connected for the double purpose of giving ample sup- 

 port to the cheese cloth and stability to the entire structure. Great care is used 

 in spreading and fastening down the cloth, and from end to end of this 8-acre 

 inclosure there can scarcely be found a hole large enough for a fly to pass through. 

 Nor is this the least of the advantages of the covering. Not only are all insect 

 pests kept out, but the tender leaves are sheltered from hail and win 1 and a con- 

 tinuous and rapid growth secured through the retention of moisture and an even 

 high temperature. The action is that of a modified hothouse, with the difference 

 that the rain falls unimpeded on the growing plants, and the air passes freely 

 night and day. However, the cloth affords sufficient protection to prevent rapid 

 absorption by the sun, thus preventing the waste of needed moisture and the 

 baking of the soil, and giving a more even temperature for the growth and ripen- 

 ing of the crop. On a hot day the difference in temperature between the shaded 

 fields and the outside is from 12^ to 15 ; on a cool, cloudy day, from 3 to 5 . The 

 day on which the writer visited the Mitchelson estate the sun was high and strong 

 and the atmosphere clear, dry, and genial. Inside the " tents," however, the air 

 was decidedly moist and oppressive, redolent of rank vegetation and similar in all 

 respects to that met with in dense tropical undergrowths. 



Of necessity, the initial cost of the covering is heavy, but as the framework is 

 expected to last from twelve to fifteen years the expense thus divided is materially 

 lessened. Moreover, it is hoped that the cloth itself will last for two seasons, and 

 this is one of the questions which will be determined this year by the Messrs. 

 Mitchelson. The cost of the cloth covering per acre is about $175; that of the 

 framework and labor about $125; a total of $300 or more. From seed to bale it is 

 estimated that the expense to the producer will be in the ?ieighborhood of $700 per 

 acre. While at first sight these figures might seem high, it is easily calculated how 

 well an average yield of from 1,600 to 1,800 pounds of such tobacco as these cov- 

 ered fields are expected to produce would pay. Beyond question it has been proved 

 that a better wrapper tobacco can be grown in New England than was dreamed of 

 even eighteen months ago. But what has yet to be proved is of even greater 

 importance: Can this leaf be grown at a profit; and if so, will the manufacturers 

 of the country take hold of it? The tobacco being raised at Tariff ville is admitted 

 by the oldest and most experienced dealer in New England to be the most perfect 

 in appearance that h 3 has ever seen growing, and up to the present time there 

 seems to be no reason why it should not cure out all right. It will certainly be 

 fine in texture and even in shape, size, and color. 



The experiments which are being carried on by Mr. Lemuel F. Graves, of 

 Whatels', Mass., are likewise interesting. Unlike the Messrs. Mitchelson, he is 

 not using the Florida seed but seed that was guaranteed to him as being the 

 genuine imported Sumatra article; also he has topped his tobacco just as if it had 

 been grown in the open field. Mr. Graves has half an acre under cover, and 

 additional interest is given to his operations from the fact that he has adjoining 

 this plot a quarter of an acre of the same seed growing in the open. His covered 

 plants, while perfect in leaf, have not' grown so straight as those at Tariffville, 

 and in consequence the field does not present the same beautifully uniform and 

 symmetrical appearance. This tobacco was set out between June 1 and 5, and is 

 almost ready for picking. It is also double the height of the outside weed grow- 

 ing beside it, but in other respects there seems little to choose between the two 

 lots. However, should a hailstorm pass over the field or an extra strong wind 

 blow, all resemblance would be at an end. Parenthetically it may be observed 

 here that the Messrs. Mitchelson report that there recently passed over Tariffville 

 one of the greatest wind and hail storms known for years, and while a few plants 

 were knocked over by the wind, not a single leaf was damaged by hail: neither 

 was the cloth covei'ing damaged in any way. Mr. Graves also experienced a 

 cyclone and had some of his plants blown down, but these were promptly strung 

 up and seem to be as thrifty as ever. In this tobacco, naturally spotted leaves 

 seem to be far more plentiful than at Tariffville, although a fair proportion was 

 seen at the latter place. 



Even this brief reference to the new industrj' would not be complete without 

 some appreciative recognition of what the Agricultural Department has done to 

 thoroughly test the system, and of the intelligent efforts of Messrs. M. L. Floyd 

 and H. M. Lott to insure its success. Mr. Floyd is well known to cigar-leaf 

 growers in the different States, but Mr. Lott has spent most of his life in Florida. 

 He has for some four years been in the employ of the old firm of Schroeder & Bon, 

 and has had much experience in shade growing in the Flowery State. He and 

 Mr. Floyd are now devoting the whole of their time to watching the development 

 of the New England covered crops, and both of them speak enthusiastically 

 regarding the future industry. 



