168 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



tative men, showing the cost of cultivation. That was all 

 that was intended. They were not presented for the purpose 

 of showing the profit of raising tobacco. 



Mr. P. L. BuELL of Ludlow. The time to which Mr. 

 Graves has referred, when mortgagees were cleared from farms 

 through raising tobacco, was during the war. I want to ask 

 the question whether, within the last five years, from the 

 outlet of the river to its source, there has not been mortgage 

 on mortgage placed upon farms in consequence of raising 

 tobacco? When I noticed in the programme for this meet- 

 ing that the discussion of tobacco was to assume a prominent 

 place, and to be discussed by such a prominent and intelli- 

 gent speaker as Mr. Smith, I was grieved. Then came this 

 thought : this meeting is to be held in the Connecticut Val- 

 ley, where a larger proportion of farmers than in any other 

 part of the State are successful raisers, to a greater or less 

 extent, of tobacco. And conceding it to be their right that 

 this discussion should be held here in this meeting of the 

 Board of Agriculture of Massachusetts, I submitted with a 

 good grace; but I do protest iu my own mind, having as I 

 do a deep interest in the welfare of the young people of this 

 vicinity and of the State, against this whole thing from be- 

 ginning to end ; but still, I believe that this discussion will 

 result in good. I think that if the question of doing away 

 entirely and forever with tobacco from this Commonwealth 

 and these United States were put to a vote, nine-tenths of 

 the people of this broad land would vote " aye." 



Now in regard to the encouragement to be furnished to the 

 young men and the young women who are starting in li e 

 and buying farms, as we recommend them to do, and running 

 in debt for those farms, shall we advise them to raise tobacco 

 in order to help pay for those farms for which they run in 

 debt? 



Mr. . Will the last speaker give us a list of the 



crops that can be raised to pay for those farms ? 



Mr. BuELL. There is hardly time to discuss that this after- 

 noon, but I will say this, — and I say it with the fullest confi- 

 dence in the truth of what I say, — that if our young people 

 will economize, it is as easy, if not easier, to pay for a farm 

 at the present time, by raising the ordinary crops and by the 



