CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. 19 



United States currenc^y, for 1 acre, 0.4 hectare. In the Philippines such 

 a shelter could be constructed much more cheaply, on account of the 

 cheapness of the framework, for bamboo and bejuco could be substituted 

 largely for hard wood posts and wire. 



The covering completely incloses the field, and should be made so close 

 that few, if any, insects can enter. The protection from strong winds is 

 very beneficial, as the leaves are often torn and lashed when the crop is 

 not protected. Much protection is also afforded from heavy, dashing 

 rains, which would otherwise damage the leaves. The force of the heavy 

 rainfall is broken and frequently the crop is saved when, without pro- 

 tection, it would be badly torn and damaged. So much better results 

 have been accomplished in the United States with the shade-grown 

 tobacco that an earnest plea is made for its introduction into the tobacco 

 districts in the Philippines. Rumors have stated that the attempt is to 

 bo made in the Cagayan Valley, but the author can not state how far these 

 experiments have been conducted, or what success has been attained. It 

 will, of course, be advisable to experiment on a small scale, rather than 

 expend any considerable amount of money on materials for shading large 

 fields. A shade of sufficient size should be constructed to determine 

 to what extent the crop will be benefited, and then plans can be made 

 for the erection of larger coverings. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



From the above, it is at once apparent that the successful cultivation 

 of tobacco requires the greatest care and attention, from the preparation 

 of the seed bed to the final fermentation and baling of the ripened 

 leaves. While anyone unfamiliar with tobacco culture can probably 

 produce a crop, it is to be doubted if it will be of such a character as to 

 command a good price. Judgment, onl} r to be gained through experience 

 in growing the crop, is necessary at so many stages of the growth of the 

 plant that it is doubtful if it is profitable for the planter to undertake 

 its cultivation unless he can engage the services of some one who has had 

 such experience. And yet it is possible for the careful planter, who 

 persistently studies the requirements of the crop, in a very few years to 

 produce tobacco of a quality superior to that grown in regions where its' 

 cultivation has been practiced for scores of years. When the Department 

 of Agriculture attempted growing Sumatra tobacco under shade in the 

 Connecticut Valley, the idea was greatly ridiculed by conservative New 

 England planters, who scoffed at the idea of trying to grow a new kind of 

 tobacco. They maintained they had grown tobacco for years, and knew 

 the limitations of the soils and climate and the kind of tobacco best 

 suited to the conditions. It took only one year to convince them that a 

 now type of tobacco could be grown and sold for prices many times in 

 advance of the best prices ever obtained for the finest of the old standard 



