J_he abundant fields 



Flue-cured tobacco has been grown in Georgia for a 

 century. The fields of the southern portion of the state 

 produced more than 114 million pounds of Bright to- 

 bacco, or type 14, in 1971 on 59,598 acres with an 

 average yield of 1,935 pounds per acre. Flue-cured 

 growth has come a long way since it was first cultivated 

 in Georgia. In 1919, for example, Georgia tobacco 

 farmers grew 11,621,000 pounds on 23,800 acres. The 

 average yield then was 488 pounds per acre. Improved 

 technology has enabled the tobacco farmer steadily to 

 increase tobacco yields per acre. 



long days and hard work 



But despite improvements in fertilizers and pest con- 

 trols, mechanization, in reality, has hardly yet touched 

 the fields of flue-cured tobacco. The cultural routine, 

 as it has been since colonial days, is dependent on 

 patient labor and skilled eyes and hands. Each farmer 

 will put in anywhere from 300 to 400 hours of meticu- 

 lous labor to produce an acre of tobacco— from prepa- 

 ration of seed bed to harvest to market. 



Flue-cured tobacco is influenced probably more than 

 any other crop by the soil on which it is grown. Soils 

 best adapted to tobacco are sandy or sandy loams. 

 These light, sandy soils produce the brightest colored 

 leaf. 



The cultivation process begins around the first of 

 January in Georgia, when the farmer chooses a good 

 site for his plant "bed," perhaps 100 square yards in 



