TOBACCO INVESTIGATIONS. 7 



temperatures during the main growing season us compared with the 

 weight of the crop lias therefore been made. The data as to average 

 yield and yearly production in Massachusetts were obtained from the 

 various Year Books of the Department of Agriculture. These figures 

 are the only ones available, and it is believed bj^ the writer that in most 

 instances, at least, they are reliable. The meteorological data are taken 

 from the records of the Massachusetts Agricultural College observatory, 

 and are fairly representative of conditions in this section of the valley. 

 The observatory is located within two or three miles of the center of the 

 Massachusetts tobacco area around Hatfield. Of course, observations 

 taken only a few miles distant would differ somewhat, but only in minor 

 details, and it is believed that we are fully justified in using these obser- 

 vatory^ records. No data are available as to seasonal differences in water 

 content of the different soil types in the tobacco region in Massachusetts. 

 The quality of the crop in the different years was also difficult to ascertain, 

 as here it was necessary to depend largely on the grower's or packer's 

 memory for data, and thej' often were unable to recollect a crop for a given 

 year with sufficient accuracy to make a comparison reliable. Therefore 

 (luality has not been plotted. 



The average yearly yield per acre in Massachusetts is given in Table I 

 for the period from 1901 to 1918, inclusive, together with the average 

 yield from 1870 to 1910. 



Table I. — Average Yield of Tobacco 2>er Acre in Massachusetts, 1901-18. 



Year. 



1901, 

 1902, 

 1903, 

 1904, 

 1905, 

 1906, 

 1907, 

 190S, 

 1909, 

 1910, 



Yield 

 (Pounds). 



1,810 

 1,560 

 1,400 

 1,690 

 1,850 

 1,750 

 1,525 

 1,650 

 1,600 

 1,730 



Year. 



1911 



1912 



1913 



1914 



1915, 



1916, 



1917 



1918, 



Average yield, 1870 to 1910, 



Yield 

 (Pounds). 



1,650 



1,700 



1,550 



1,750 



1,100 



1,600' 



1,4002 



1,430 



1,520 



1,580 



1 United States. 



Massachusetts Agricultural College. 



It will be seen that there is a marked variation in yield from j'ear to year. 

 The yield for 1916 as given by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture (1,660 pounds) is much greater than the one estimated by the 

 writer (1,400 pounds). This is probably due to the fact that the latter 

 figures were obtained in part from the packing houses. 



