No. 4.] THE TOBACCO TRADE. 177 



soon enough, or it gets too woody, takes too much water 

 from the soil, and when tiu'ned under does not promptly rot ; 

 but this Russian vetch rots very quickly. The seed is very 

 expensive now, but we hope we shall be able to raise our own 

 vetch seed. 



Professor Brooks. I Avill say on that point, some years 

 ago, disliking to pay the high prices asked, $5 or $6 a bushel 

 for seed, 1 thought I would see whether we couldn't produce 

 it at Amherst ; but it set very little seed, and, as you know, 

 it continues to bloom throughout the long season and sets 

 very inconveniently, so it would seem to cost. us more to 

 produce it than to buy it. Still, there may be soils which 

 are lighter than the soils at the college farm, where it would 

 not make so ragged a growth and the blooming would be of 

 shorter duration, all would ripen together and set for seed. 

 It is worth further experiment in that direction, I think. At 

 the same time, I believe by concerted effort the seed could 

 probably be imported and placed in the hands of those who 

 would like to use it, at very much less cost. I found when 

 in Germany a few years ago the prices there were quite rea- 

 sonable, — I don't remember just what, but very much less 

 than the prices in this country. 



Mr. J. M. Burt (of Easthampton). I don't know any- 

 thing about raising tobacco, but I would like to ask if you 

 think a young man scraping along and trying to make a dol- 

 lar would do well in that business. Is it a good time now 

 to put up sheds and start in ? Is it as good a time as it was 

 twenty-five or forty years ago,. right here in the valley? 



Dr. Jenkins. I should say a lot depended on the man 

 and the state of the market. If the young man loves tobacco 

 and understands growing it, and wants to grow it, I would 

 say go in and make a success of it. You can make a suc- 

 cess of tobacco, 3'ou can make a success of peddling vege- 

 tables, you can make a success of being a Senator, you can 

 make a success of anything, — if you have the root of the 

 matter in you and are willing to buckle to it ; and I should 

 say the outlook for making a fair living in tobacco is as good 

 now as it was perhaps forty years ago. Probably there is 

 not going to be as large profit for an equal outlay of time, 



