8 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[January, 



tables, which we might as well pocket our- 

 selves. 



The foreign demaiul for winter apples has 

 increased amazingly since the late war, the 

 exports amounting to many thousands of dol- 

 lars annually, and the demand (both home 

 and foreign) for fruits evaporated by the 

 newer processes has increased even in greater 

 ratio. There are in our State large areas of 

 waste lands, besides thousands of acres which 

 scarcely pay for cultivation, that may be 

 made remunerative to their owners by judi- 

 cious planting of fruits, and their proper man- 

 agement. 



Persons wishing to plant fruits should ob- 

 serve closely what kinds and varieties succeed 

 well in their own vicinity, and on similar 

 soils, and plant only such in quantity. At the 

 same time other popular kinds should be 

 planted, a few each for testing. By following 

 \such a course, no one will go far amiss in his 

 selections. The new and improved fruits 

 which are continually being brought out for 

 dissemination, should, indeed, stimulate to 

 more extensive planting. 



To grow fruits for profit their successful 

 production is not all that is required, for some 

 seasons a large proportion is left go to waste, 

 therefore their proper utilization is of vital 

 importance. 



The improvements in fruit-preserving 

 houses, improved methods of evaporating, 

 converting into jelly, canning, besides other 

 methods to utilize fruits, should certainly 

 stimulate to more extensive enterprises to 

 plant for profit. But, suppose one has an 

 orchard bearing an undue proportion of early 

 summer or early fall apples, how can he best 

 secure the most profit from a crop now almost 

 valueless from the lack of a good market ? 

 Why, let him avail himself of the present 

 greatly improved methods of evaporating as 

 used in the best evaporating establishme"nts. 

 Or, if he prefers winter apples, he can, by 

 careful after-attention, have, in less than five 

 years, his summer trees bearing winter apples. 

 Should this State Board of Agriculture be 

 instrumental in the consummation of the 

 above ideal in the near future, and the balance 

 of the fruit trade turn in favor of our State, 

 instead of against it, your committee will feel 

 fully compensated for its exertions. 



H. M. Engle, 

 David Wilson. 

 J. S. Keller, 

 F. R. Miller, 

 J. A. Herr. 



KING TOBACCO, 



Our tobacco-growers are at this time con- 

 siderably "exercised " upon a subject practi- 

 cally involving the questions of protection and 

 free-trade. The following compiled for the 

 Intelligencer illustrates that after all, things ■ 

 may be more hopeful than they appear If 

 viewed from one point only. 

 The Sumatra Scare— Farmers Urged to Plant 

 Havana Seed. 



The above reports show very plainly a dis- 

 position on the part of some of the pretended 

 trade authorities to "hedge" on the question 

 of the Importation of Sumatra. It is seen not 

 to be such a terrible danger as it has been re- 

 presented. Raisers and home buyers, toe,are 

 very much less panicky than heretofore, and 



the following from an experienced represen- 

 tative of the tobacco interest here at home ex- 

 presses a conservative view of the question : 

 " The annual cry of Sumatra is heard 

 among the tobacco men and business is at a 

 standstill. About a year ago when Congress 

 was petitioned and did put on a tariff of sev- 

 enty-five cfjnts a pound we had expected that 

 it was settled, but it now transpires that 

 somebody sharper than those who had the bill 

 in charge succeeded in making into it the 

 clause which is now creating the trouble. We 

 can see little in the hope that Secretary 

 Folger will or can reverse his decision ; he 

 seems to just take the law as it is, no more no 

 less. 



"As to what Congress can or will do there 

 is faint hope, and even if there is anything 

 done it will be far time in the future, by 

 which time the market can be filled with 

 Sumatra. 



" The sending of committees and petitions 

 to Congress, the holdings of meetings by 

 growers and all such measures maybe all well 

 enough, but we must take into consideration 

 the very small number of members of either 

 body of Congress who directly represent to- 

 bacco growing districts ; and it is a hard mat- 

 ter to get those who are in no manner inter- 

 terested, to see it in the same light that we do. 

 " Those from this, Chester and York coun- 

 ties, in this State, possiby do ; Senator Came- 

 ron does. Are there any more in the State ? 

 So it is in New York, Ohio, Connecticut and 

 Missouri ; and these five States are all that 

 are really interested in the matter. The to- 

 bacco growers south do not grow seed leaf; 

 consequently they are not afraid of Sumati-a. 

 So that it can be seen at a glance that it is up 

 hill business with a few members to get an 

 early hearing. 



" It strikes us that to any intelligent grower 

 the view to be taken is this, that we must 

 grow what is wanted and what the manufac- 

 turer must have. Is there any probability that 

 Sumatra would scare our farmers now if we 

 had raised Havana seed last year ? Have any 

 of our farmers who did grow it last year 

 regreted it ? Is there a crop of any size in this 

 county that has not been sold and at a good 

 price ? 



" One thing has already been demonstrated, 

 and that is that it can be grown here better 

 than any other section, both as to quality and 

 size. Besides this it takes less care and can 

 be grown on poorer ground than seed leaf. It 

 is true the yield may not be as large to the 

 acre, but the difference in price will more 

 than make up the loss in yield, and it will al- 

 ways find buyers. 



" The Wisconsin and New York growers 

 have made it a success, and it is a well known 

 fact that the large crop of it in Wisconsin in 

 '81 had a very bad effect on this market that 

 year. 



"All these things taken into consideration 

 we think Lancaster county should take front 

 rank in the matter as she did in seed leaf, as 

 it is a well established fact she can beat the 

 world raising it." 



The Manufacturers' View of It. 



Many cigar manufacturers, too, declare 



that if the Lancaster county raisers will turn 



their attention to Havana, they need have no 



fear of Sumatra competition, for the cigar- 



makers must have the native product. The 

 cigar manufacturers of New York are for freer 

 trade in foreign tobacco and enlarged markets 

 for their goods. They say the use of Havana 

 fillers is a necessity. Seed leaf can't possibly 

 compete with them undrr any circumstances. 

 Nor can it compute with Havana wrappers. 

 With the duty off of Havana tobacco the 

 markets of the world would be offen to Amer- 

 ican cigar manufacturers. A duty on Havana 

 tobacco instead of protecting American to- 

 bacco growers in reality protects Cuban culti- 

 vators of the weed. There is no question of 

 the superiority in Ami rican methods of man- 

 ufacturing cigars, and as Havana tobacco is 

 indispensable to a good cigar, if we could ob- 

 tain it without duty, we could compete with 

 the world." 



"But" said the reporter, if we admitted 

 Havana free of duty, we should also have to 

 admit Mexican, Sumatra and all other kinds 

 of foreign tobaccos." 



" Very well ; suppose they were all admit- 

 ted, what injury would ensue i The Ameri- 

 can tobacco farmer might 'kick,' but in the 

 end he would not be injured. Through hav- 

 ing foreign tobacco free of duty we would 

 gain a large export business, and just that 

 much more seed leaf would bo required. Of 

 course, it is understood that we caimot get 

 along without seed leaf tobacco. As long as 

 cigars are made in this country that will be 

 needed." 



" The American growers of tobacco might 

 not object to the admission of Havana, but 

 they certainly would to Sumatra." 



" I do not believe any real competition with 

 Sumatra tobacco exists. Whenever Ameri- 

 can growers of tobacco will properly cultivate 

 their crops they will be preferred to Sumatra. 

 The preference is given to the latter only 

 when the native plant is of too poor an ap- 

 pearance to use for wrappers. Price has 

 nothing to do with it. As a proof of this, 

 look at the readiness of sale with which good 

 Havana seed meets. It is one of the remark- 

 able idosyncracies of the average American 

 tobacco farmer that notwithstanding good 

 Havana seed tobacco always commands a 

 good price, you cannot induce him to culti- 

 vate it to any extent. But whether Ameri- 

 can tobacco farmers grow Havana seed or 

 common varieties of seed leaf, if they will 

 only give their tobacco proper attention they 

 need have no fear of competition with for- 

 eign tobaccos. From a politico economical 

 standpoint I think it bad policy to tax raw 

 material, and this view is being generally en- 

 tertained by American Statesmen." 

 The Local Market. 

 The Lancaster market remains unusually 

 dull, and dealers say it will remain dull until 

 the Sumatra question is satisfactorily ar- 

 ranged. It is thought very little will be done 

 for a month or six weeks. During the past 

 week about 100 cases of '81 were disposed of 

 and 50 or 60 cases of '82 in small lots! No 

 sales of '83 have reached us, but a few lots of 

 Havana seed, previously bought, have been 

 delivered at the warehouses and are reported 

 to be very fine. Dealers are doing all they 

 can to induce farmers to plant this variety of 

 tobacco next season. They say it is exactly 

 suited to our soil and season, and growers 

 who tried it last year will plant much more of 

 it the comini 





