CULTURE AND CURING IN PENNSYLVANIA. 161 



The fourth and last estimate is made by Mr. M. D. Kendig, of Creswell, and is as follows : 



DB. 



Making seed-bed and caro of plants $3 00 



Plowing one acre twice 5 00 



Manure, 15 tons, at &4 per ton 60 00 



Harrowing and preparing the ground 4 00 



Planting 4 00 



Harrowing and hoeing three times 8 00 



Topping, worming, and suckering 9 00 



Harvesting 5 00 



Use of barn, wagon, laths, etc. (interest on value) 15 00 



Taking down and stripping 17 50 



Rent of land (interest on value) ' 12 00 



Taking to market 3 00 



145 50 

 CB. 



1,300 pounds of tobacco, at 20 cents $260 00 



150 pounds of tobacco, at 8 cents 12 00 



300 pounds of tobacco, at 4 cents 12 00 



284 00 



Net profit 138 50 



Cost per pound, 8.3 cents. 



Taking the foregoing estimates and grouping them as the basis of a calculation, and including the poor crop, we 

 find that the cost of growing a pound of tobacco in this county is 7.68 cents. It is considerably less in other portions 

 of the state, as a reference to the other counties will show. This is owing to the cheaper lands, cheaper barns, 

 and various other items that enter into the general account. None of the foregoing calculations give an idea of the 

 amount of money that has in a favorable season been realized from an acre of Lancaster county seed-leaf tobacco. 

 In 1879, when the crop was unusually heavy and the prices were very high, $300 was no unusual sum to be realized 

 from a single acre. The best result heard of was from 15,800 plants, set out on 3 acres of ground, which produced 7,G81 

 pounds of merchantable tobacco, or nearly half a pound to the stalk. This crop was sold at 25 cents through, the 

 fortunate owner receiving $1,920 25, or $640 08 per acre. The expenses of growing it are not known, but the net 

 profits could hardly have been less than $450 per acre. This certainly shows high farming. 



THE YIELD PEE ACEE. 



The average yield of 1879 per acre, as shown by enumerators' returns, was 1,409 pounds. From 1,800 to 2,400 

 pounds were grown to the acre by many planters, while 2,000 pounds was not regarded as a very heavy crop among 

 good planters. At the present rate of production, Lancaster county, if its whole area was planted with tobacco, 

 would grow nearly double the entire crop of the United States. 



The crop of 1879 was good as well as large. Although there was an extraordinary development of leaf 40 to 

 50 inches in length having been common its rapid growth toward the close of the season resulted in giving it 

 that soft, pliable, silky character so much sought for by cigar manufacturers. The average price realized by the 

 growers was also large, having been about 15 cents. All this is the more surprising, as the early part of the season 

 was very unfavorable on account of drought, and several hailstorms did damage in some parts later in the season. 



INSPECTION OF TOBACCO. 



All tobacco is sold strictly upon its merits. No public system of inspection is desired at the present time, but 

 there is a system of voluntary inspection, which has been found to work admirably. After the work of casing the 

 crop is done the tobacco is carefully stowed away in the large packing establishments, where it is allowed to undergo 

 the final process of sweating. When that operation is completed, which is in August and September, experts are 

 brought out from New York, who perform the work of sampling. Every case is opened, and a number of "hands" 

 are drawn from it, from which a fair average is selected. The samples are marked with the number of the case, and 

 the sampler's signature is attached, and nearly all transactions are made on that basis. These samplers receive 

 35 cents per case for such service, and when a case of tobacco is found not to correspond with the sample he is held 

 responsible for any damage or loss that may bo sustained. 



STALKS AS FEETILIZEES. 



Tobacco stalks are considered an excellent fertilizer. They are cut into short pieces, and then either thrown 

 on the manure pile or plowed under. Lard scraps are also used by some. In 1878 General Simon Cameron and 

 his neighbor, Colonel Duffey, both large tobacco-growers, used 50 tons of lard scraps on their tobncco lauds with 



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