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Tobacco is not a promineut crop in West Virginia. About 2,000,000 

 pounds are reported for 1809, of which nearly two-thirds were grown in 

 Putnam, Kanawha, Fayette, Cabell, and Mercer, in the order named. 

 A slight increase in estimates is apparent in the crop of 1873. Average 

 price, as reported, 8 cents 4 mills. Kanawha has taken the place of 

 Putnam as the first tobacco county, and has a good crop of medium 

 quality. Putnam has declined, in consequence of reduction of prices, 

 from 472,765 to 290,000 pounds, but the quality is rather better than 

 average. The correspondent says that " the soil and climate of Put- 

 nam, especially that part of it lying in the Kanawha Valley, produces 

 one grade of tobacco, black-wrapper, equal if not superior in quality to 

 any part of the West; at every tobacco fail' held in Cincinnati the 

 black-wrapper grown in this county took all the premiums that were 

 offered for that grade." 



Kentucky stands at the head of tobacco-growing States in respect to 

 quantity. Returns from forty-three counties which reported 75,294,305 

 l)Ounds in 1869, of the total return of 105,305,869 pounds, now return 

 estimates of last years crop, aggregating 109,050,475 pounds, grown 

 on 150,214 acres, and valued at 6 cents per pound. These counties 

 represent above 70 per cent, of the production, and if the remain, 

 ing counties have made a similar increase, the total for Kentucky 

 would be about 140,000,000 pounds. The following extracts are made: 



Taylor : A loss of 10 per cent, iu (juality. owing to unfavorable season. Early part of 

 season too wet, and latter part too dry, making the crop gummy and bitter. Fleming : 

 The quality of soil, and experience and care iu culture and harvesting makes it compara- 

 tively good. Hardin : The quality is below an average, and was attributable to drought 

 and an uuusual number of worms, together with a not sufficient amount of labor to cul- 

 tivate it properly. Hart : The worms were very destructive to the crop last year, being 

 more numerous than ever before known ; hence there is a very large proportion of the 

 crop of 1873 that is of inferior quality. Graves : Quality not so good as last year by 

 3 per ceut.; damaged by worms. Carroll : Inferior in quantity and quality, owing to 

 the late jdauting and drought. Meade: Too much rain in fore part of season and 

 drought; grasshoppers also injured the crop. Edmonson: Light and short; too wet 

 in tbe spring and early part of the summer. Boone : Good, when planted early, well 

 taken care of; bad, when planted late, badly cultivated aud handled. Pendleton : 

 Quality poor ; drought and lateness of setting. Breckinridfje : The quality will rank 

 about 'JO percent., it being lighter than usual, which is ascribed by the planters to the 

 drougbt in the latter part of the season. La Rue: Inferior; caused by worms, and uni^ro- 

 liitious weather duringthe season of growing. Logan: Leaf very fine and large ; larger 

 proportion of seeds than usual, owing to rainy weather in the spring, and to the destruc- 

 tion of worms in September. Hopkins : Second rate, owing to early wet season and the 

 ravages of worms. Daviess: Decidedly inferior; too much rain during early season, and 

 great drought after ward; crop fully 25 per ceut. less than in 1872. I have a complete state- 

 ment of the names of purchasers and shippers of the crop actually grown iu the county in 

 1872, with tbe amount purchased by each person in pounds, from their books, and, enor- 

 mous as it may seem, the amount reaches 12,087,000 pounds ; this I know to be reliable. 

 Christian : Medium ; occasioned by worm-cut and partial drought. Kenton : Medium ; 

 caused from the season of planting and early drougbt. Union : Indifferent; caused by 

 worms and wet weather. Hickman : Heavier, but more lugs ; caused from heavy rains 

 during planting-season and drought afterward. Ballard : Extremely cold, dry spring ; 

 grasshoppers aud other insects destroyed plants; worms and wet weather caused the 

 crop to be small aud of inferior quality. Caseij : Generally good ; somewhat injured by 

 bad handling aud curing. Warren : From 8 to 10 per cent, better than 1872 ; very fine 

 season last fall. Callaway : Barely average ; wet spring, dry summer, and worms 

 Webster : Not a meilium crop on account of the drought aud worms. Simpson : Toler 

 ably good ; soil not lijhly adapted to tobacco. Cumberland : Medium ; caused by care- 

 less handling. Owen : Hardly an average crop in quality, but above au average in 

 weight ; not so good as usual, because it cured imperfectly on account of the wet sea- 

 son. Shelby: The quality of tobacco is peculiar to the soil upou which it is grown. 

 The growth of timber indicates the qualities of tobacco expected to be grown ;-for in- 

 stance, white-oak and hickory produces the cutting-leaf ; average yield per acre 500 

 pounds. Sugar-tree and beech, the latter growth predouuuatiug, produces what is 

 known as light-wrappers ; average yield per acre, 750 pounds. Sugar-tree, black-walnut, 

 ash, interspersed with scattering beech, produces the heavy manufacturing leaf; aver- 



