134 



plantiug was besiege*! by the liom-worm, -wliicb greatly injured aud iu some measure 

 destroyed certain lots. 



Eeturns from twenty-four counties iu Virginia, wbicli, in 1870, aver- 

 aged one million pouuds each, and together produced about two-thirds 

 of the crop, indicate a crop iu 1873 larger by 30 per cent., or 48,000,000 

 pounds iu the entire State. Most of the counties make unfavorable re- 

 ports of quality, though a few make if better than nsual. The average 

 value as reported is 7 cents 8 mills. A few particulars are cullell from 

 returns : 



Nelson : The quality is inferior to that of the two preceding years, and results from 

 a scarcity of plants aud want of a favorable season for planting in good time, the 

 weather being very drj^ about the time the plants were large enough to set out. The 

 latter part of the summer was too wet, causing much of it to fire ; and having been 

 planted late, much of it had to be cut in a green state, or get frosted by standing out. 

 Fi'anklin : Quality is good. Cause, early planting and close attention, peculiarity of 

 soil and climate. RoanoJcc : Not very good on account of drought. Dinwiddie : Quality 

 poor, caused by late ])lanting and excessive wet season, causing the crop to spot aud 

 drown. Botetourt : The quality is very fine on our warm limestone laud, but not so 

 good in the grass region. I'ittsyhariia : Common quality. Season. of 1873 unfavor- 

 able for quality but not for quantity. Louisa: Hardly average ; cause, drought last 

 summer. Floyd : Not so good as in 1872, on account of drought in summer and early 

 frost. Charlotte : Quality not so good, owing to prevailing drought during last sum- 

 mer. Frince Fdivard : Quality of the crop of 1873 below the usual average; cause, in- 

 sufficient labor. Luncnburgh : Average quality. Late rains in early part of the season 

 caused a less quantity, but does not affect quality. Albemarle: Quality much better 

 than usual, owing to the very excellent season and the late frosts. Many farmers were 

 enabled to cure their tobacco better than ever before. Rockbridge : Good shipping. 

 Our lands not adapted to finer grades. Mecklenhuryh : About 75. Too dry in the early 

 part of the* season and too wet in the latter. Patrick : Inferior to previous year. Ches- 

 terfield: Much inferior tobacco, owing to the wet spring and early frost. A great deal 

 had to be cut before maturity. Wherever early plantiug and a good stand were obtained, 

 the crop was good ; brought $11.50 and ,f 12 per hundred in the Richmond market. The 

 high price of fertilizers and low price of tobacco will deter many of our planters from 

 raising as mueh as usual in 1874. Goochland: Good. Many farmers cut their crops 

 before maturity, owing to indications of an early frost, which made the quality of such 

 crops indifferent. Fluvamia : The quality of tobacco made last year is better thau usual. 

 Caroline : Best sun-cured crop on the market. Henry : Inferior, caused by late growth. 



Ten counties in iSTorth Carolina which produced 8,060,918 pounds of 

 the total 11,150,087 in 1870, make returns which aggregate very nearly 

 the same in 1873. The quality averages very well with that of former 

 crops ; some a little better, two below average. In Surry about one- 

 tenth is very fine, '' perhaps as fine as any raised in the United States, 

 soil aud climate being so well adapted." The Davie correspondent re- 

 ports good quality, and claims for his county thorough cultivation, 

 adaptability of soil, careful handling, assorting, and packing. Caswell, 

 long noted for its fine, yellow tobacco, and for producing more than 

 any other county iu ^N^orth Carolina, has a small crop, only 2,000,000 

 pounds, not of average quality, and worth 9^ cents instead of 10 to 11, 

 the usual price. Drought during the smnmer months prevented thor- 

 ough maturation. It is the money-crop of the county. Eain in August 

 and September deteriorated quality in Granville. A part of the county 

 of Stokes had a fair crop, being affected by drought, which delayed 

 growth and prevented full development. 



There is no county in South Carolina or Georgia that reports 100,000 

 pounds, aud but one in Florida, Gadsden, which produced 118,799 

 pounds of the 157,105 pouuds reported iu the census of the entire State. 

 It is the Cuba tobacco which is exclusively grown here. Only 50,000 

 pounds are returned as the crop of 1873, worth 38 cents per pound. 

 The area planted is estimated at 80 acres, yielding a little over 600 

 pounds to the acre. When labor was abundant to clear the richer hum- 

 mock land, years ago, the average product was 800 pouuds. The re- 



