532 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



drawn from actual observation, the profits in to- 

 bacco culture generally fall to, or below, thirty 

 per cent., besides the inconvenience suffered in 

 growing it. Consequently, I strongly incline to 

 the opinion that the notion that tobacco "pays" 

 better than any other crop, or than other crops 

 in general, is a mistaken one. True, there are in- 

 stances of large profits from tobacco, in conse- 

 quence of a high price in conjunction with a great 

 yield, and the lucky man tells his success to his 

 neighbors, and it gets into the newspapers, and 

 sets a hundred farmers itching to engage in the 

 business. 



To sum up the matter, allowing it is a very 

 profitable crop, there are at least six good rea- 

 sons for raising other crops in preference to to- 

 bacco, worthy of consideration by every farmer, 

 especially by every one inexperienced in the bus- 

 iness, who contemplates raising it. 



1. It is a very exhausting crop, and, as above 

 stated, requires land in the highest state of cul- 

 tivation for a good yield, and growing rapidly, 

 must necessarily draw heavily upon the resources 

 of the soil, as experience proves, to mature so 

 heavy a growth of foliage. 



2. If raised by a farmer in common circum- 

 stances, it robs the remainder of the farm of its 

 proper food, unless the manure be purchased. It 

 is virtually the same as selling the manure di- 

 rectly from the farm, comparatively nothing be- 

 ing returned to the soil from the tobacco ; and 

 instances have come under my observation of 

 farms becoming considerably reduced by this 

 process. 



3. It is more risky than other crops, from va- 

 rious causes, as hail, and early frosts in autumn. 

 That man need to consider himself fortunate who 

 does not lose, or receive great injury to a por- 

 tion or all of his crop of tobacco as often as once 

 in four or five years, which forms a material dis- 

 count on the general profits. A heavy hail storm, 

 or a severe frost, renders the crop worthless for 

 market. 



4. It requires skill and experience more than 

 other crops ; indeed, by some, raising tobacco is 

 regarded as little less than a trade, and many are 

 the vexations, and often losses, the inexperienced 

 grower meets with. 



5. It is a disagreeable and hard crop to work 

 among. With the exception of hoeing, from set- 

 ting till the crop is harvested, the laborer must 

 bo more or less in a stooping posture, with his 

 head in an unnatural proximity to his feet, and 

 his face brushing the green tobacco leaves, as- 

 suming the characteristic attitude of a quadru- 

 ped — 0)1 oil fours — in his groveling, eager pursuit 

 after "filthy lucre." 



In the business of suckering and harvesting, 

 much of the work is of the hardest kind, as well 

 as nastiest, and a chapter might be written on its 

 horrors; of the back-aches and head-aches, sick- 

 ening odor of the tobacco, and gummy hands and 

 clothes. If a man would grow old prematurely, 

 let him raise tobacco, and labor in it himself. 



I quote from the Sprinfffitld IiepulilicaH, of 

 Sept. 17th, concerning the work of tobacco-grow- 

 ing, and the appearance of the workmen ; 



•'If there is any dirtier work than raising to- 

 bacco, except chewing it, we should like to know 

 it. A gum issues from green tobacco that cov- 

 ers everything that it comes in contact with. It 



is sometimes a practice among tobacco-growers 

 to put on a shirt outside of their clothes, and 

 wear it without washing ail through the season. 

 At the end of the tobacco year, if indeed, it lasts 

 so long, it goes into paper rags, but usually long 

 before that it loses its original color. We mut re- 

 cently a troop of men fresh from the tobacco 

 field, that in any other portion of the world than 

 this, would pass for Hottentots. They looked as 

 if they had always burrowed in the ground, and 

 in hands and face, as well as dress, were the col- 

 or of woodchucks. Where is Barnura ?" 



The worthy editor would have found, had he 

 approached near enough, that the nauseating 

 odor of green tobacco, from their person and 

 clothes. Was no less ofi'ensive and disgusting than 

 their appearance. The gum is very viscous, and 

 hard to remove from whatever Jt besmears. 



6. It is a icortlihss crop, and a, curse to the 

 community, which alone should be an argument 

 sufficient to prevent a conscientious man from 

 raising it, because he thinks it profitable. But 

 few approve of the distillation of corn or other 

 grain into intoxicating liquors ; yet the tenden- 

 cy of tobacco-growing is the same — a useless 

 waste — preventing the culture of useful crops. 



May every man who has grown tobacco the 

 present year sum up the expenses of his tobacco 

 crop, the risks, the tendency of the business, and 

 then ask if it pat/s, in the true sense of the term 

 — is it Iwnorahh '? And let every man who con- 

 templates raising it in the future, investigate the 

 subject well, in all its bearings, before he com- 

 mences. J. A. A. 



Springfield, Mass., Sept. 27, 1859. 



Remarks. — "J. A. A." has our hearty thanks 

 for this timely and excellent article. 



Fjr trie New Em^liind Farmer. 

 FISH POND—MEADOW MUD. 



Mu. Editor: — As you are always ready to 

 give information on anything coiniected with a 

 farm, I will ask a question or two. This season, 

 while 'he water was low in a meadow near my 

 house, I dug a round pond, 300 feet in circum- 

 ference, which will hardly, if ever, be dry ; it is 

 in connection with a stream of water running 

 through the farm. I dug the pond for two pur- 

 poses ; first, for getting the mud for manure, 

 from which I got a large quantity ; and second- 

 ly, for the purpose of having, and multiplying, 

 some kinds of fish. The stream, which 1 can 

 easily control, is some 200 rods in length, and 

 from three to six feet in width, through the mead- 

 ow. Are these dimensions, with a living stream 

 of water, sufficient to multiply fish to advantage; 

 and if so, what kind would be most suitable, and 

 in what manner would it be best to confine them? 



Would it be profitable to spread meadow mud, 

 after it has had the action of the frost one win- 

 ter, on uplands, to be plowed in, and to what kind 

 of crops would such land be best adapted ? 



Cordaville, Oct., 1859. James Howes. 



Remarks. — We have had no experience, and 

 not much observation, in relation to the piscato- 

 ry matter upon which our cori-espondent asks for 



