piebald or spangled appearance. These new types began 

 to be called by their characteristic coloring and they 

 brought the highest prices. 



But the market value of shipping leaf still fluctuated. 

 An unhappy legislator observing the current scene was 

 quoted in the Richmond Enquirer for February 16, 1830. 

 Unquestionably, his view of the situation was "gloomy": 

 . . . the prospect of the Virginia planters is 

 gloomy in the extreme; he would repeat the 

 expression, gloomy in the extreme. The low 

 prices in the market afforded them but a gloomy 

 prospect, indeed. Added to this picture is the 

 fact, that the tobacco of Kentucky and Missouri 

 in some markets has entirely supplanted, and in 

 others is sufficiently rivalling that of Virginia 

 which adds a shade to a picture already suf- 

 ficiently gloomy. 



N 



ew fields and old routines 



The gloom was somewhat dissipated by Virginia's ex- 

 portations of leaf later in 1830. Out of the United States 

 total of 105,000 hogsheads the largest quantity from any 

 one area— 45,000 hogsheads— was supplied by Virginia. 

 The industry in Virginia still had its markets— and a 

 good deal of resiliency. 



A healthy reformation in the management of field and 

 bam took place. New competition and low prices led to 

 crop rotation and improved fertilizers, better harvesting 

 and curing methods, greater care in packing tobacco. 

 The result was a marked improvement in leaf quality. 



22 



