THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO. 161 



In a certain portion of Virginia where the farms are small, and 

 the acreage grown on a farm is limited owing to lack of capital and 

 executive ability on the pait of the people, who are but little 

 educated, you will be told that " ther aint no money in 'bacca round 

 yhere." These people destroy half the value of their crop through 

 cai'elessness in handling and grading. Their tobacco is often nearly 

 ruined by mould. If due care were exercised a good living could be 

 made out of the ti.>bacco now lost through neglect. In this section 

 the planter and his family do all the work, and the cost of production 

 is unknown, as no accounts ai'e kept. The careless methods blindly 

 followed by them would make bankruptcy certain in any line of 

 business. 



The neighbourhood f>f Darlington, S. C, gives a good example 

 of what can be done with tobacco. Up to within ten years 

 ago, cotton was the staple crop of all the farmers. In this locality 

 the profits of cotton raising were not very great, the soil being 

 without much fertility, so that but little more than a mere living 

 was made by the planters. By experiment the soil was found to be 

 adapted to the culture of Bi'ight tobacco. The industry was at once 

 entei'ed upon, and, from the beginning, the most up-to-date methods 

 were adopted. Any features of the culture that were letained 

 in the older tobacco districts, through stupid inertia or ancestor- 

 worship, were discarded. During the winter of 1902-3, more than 

 seven million pounds of Bright tobacco were sold on the Darlington 

 market for an average price of fivepence a pound. A portion of this 

 tobacco was produced by ignorant negro planters who placed a low 

 grade of tobacco upon the market, so that the average received by 

 the better planters was more than the figure named. Some received 

 as high as £50 an acre for their crop. Careful planters say that it 

 costs from £8 to £10 an acre to produce and market tobacco, and that 

 they receive during a period of years at least £15 return an acre. 

 It is easy to see in riding about this district that the farmers 

 are prosperous. The old buildings of cotton-planting days are 

 giving way to new ones, and the farms ai-e being rapidly improved 

 and developed. Land that was worth but £2 an acre several years ago 

 is now valued at £10. 



The yield of tobacco per acre is from eight to twelve hundred 

 pounds. Whei'e the cost of production is estimated at £8, the cost per 

 pound of tobacco on a low yield of eight hundred pounds is two 

 and a half pence. Low grades of leaf may sell for twopence a pound, 

 medium at from four to sixpence, and the best grades at fifteen pence. 

 Of the expenditure of £8, from two to three pounds is for commercial 

 fertilizer-, which is an absolute necessity on the light soil. All the 

 -work is done by negroes, who are superior as labourers to the raw 

 African neoro, although they all possess the same general traits and 

 characteristics. A negro is paid from £l. 10s. to £2 a month in 

 money and merchandize, and is allowed a small cabin and garden 

 on the fai'm. The negro's family also works during the busy season. 

 It is estimated that two good negroes and a mule, with extra help at 

 Tilantimj and harve.sting times, is sufficient labour for the culture 

 of ten acres of ordinarj' tobacco in this section. 



The White Burley tobacco of Kentucky is grown on lands that 

 will produce splendid crops of cereals and grass, but the tobacco is 

 TBcarded as the best money-making crop. The lands are valued 

 at ''fro™ '"fi^*-* *'" ^^^ ^'^ acre. The wages and cost of feeding a white 



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