Raise First Crop Bright Leaf In 1852
Tobacco Has Been
A Costly Crop To
Raise For Years
Cost S154.50 To Produce
Two Acres of the Leaf
Bark in 1880
The following review of tobac
co culture was taken from the
12th United States census:
Although historians disagree as
to the exact original home of the
tobacco plant, it is known to have
been in the Western Hemisphere,
and that tobacco was grown in
this country long before the ar
rival of the first settlers. Colum
bus, Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh,
and other early discoverers found
the natives of the New World
smoking it, and from them the
practice was introduced into Eu
rope. The Indians used tobacco in
their religious, social and com
mercial relations, and made the
pipe an indispensable companion.
Tne plant came into early use
in the colonies, especially Mary
land and Virginia, and for nearly
two centuries it played an im
portant part in their social, eco
nomical, and political develop
ment. In 1621, eleven women
came from England to become
wives of colonists, and their trans
portation was paid at the rate of
120 pounds of tobacco. As early as
1676 the export tax which Eng
land derived from tobacco ship
ped from the colonies had reach
ed 120,000 pounds. Twelve years
later the exportation of this crop
amounted to 18,157,000 pounds,,
r
First Acre Of Tobacco Grown In Martin
County During 1879, Old Records Show
The culture of tobacco was pro
moted on a very small scale and
without notice in this county back
in 1879. According to the United
States Census for that year there
was a lone acre of tobacco plant
ed in this county. The name of
I the farmer could not be learned,
| and there is still some speculation
as to the location of the acre and
! the identity of the farmer who
planted and cultivated the small
crop. The records show that the
production was only 211 pounds.
Tobacco at that time, however,
was gaining a strong foothold in
:the farm program in other coun
\ ties, but the crop attracted very
little attention in the northeast
ern part of the State. The adjoin
ing counties reported that year
the following acreages and pound
ages: Beaufort, 17 acres and 3,263
pounds; Bertie, two acres and 454
pounds; Edgecombe, three acres
and 550 pounds; Pitt County, three
acres and 588 pounds; Halifax, 21
acres and 8,487 pounds, and Wash
ington County, four acres and 885
pounds. It has been a far cry
from that period in tobacco cul
ture down to the present time, the
period experiencing a thousand
fold increase and more in the
acreages, the average per acre
poundage jumping from slightly
more than 200 to around 1,000
pounds in this county.
Caswell County led the state in
tobcaco acreage, but Rockingham
led in poundage in 1879. Caswell
reported 10,174 acres and 4,338,
664 pounds and Granville County
reported 8,941 acre* and 4,606,356
pounds. There were 57,208 acres
f tobacco plaatad that year in
the State, the production amount
ing to 28,984,213 pounds and-av
eraging 472 pounds an acre. The
crop was valued at $3,805,056.
Learning tobacco culture in
Granville and in a few other
counties, the pioneers started
moving into the east some several
years later, and after a slow start
the crop grew in the farmers' fa
vor rapidly. One reason for the
migration to this section was
caused by the Granville wilt. The
farmers there were said to have
planted tobacco after tobacco year
in and year out and the practice
resulted in disease.
while three years after this the
yield of Maryland and Virginia
alone aggregated 36,000,000
pounds. In Maryland it was made
legal tender in 1732 (at the rate
i of 1 penny per pound) for all
debts, including custom dues, and
the salaries of state officers and
1 ministers of the gospel. The yield
1 of tobacco in that year was 30,000
hogsheads for Maryland alone. As
late as 1777 the poll tax levied for
Baltimore county and city was
fixed at 172 pounds of tobacco.
The cultivation of the crop
spread rapidly, and its commer
cial value did not diminish when
the colonies became a nation. In
1790 the shipment was 118,460 \
hogsheads. Alexander Hamilton,1
while Secretary of the Treasury
in the first cabinet, found tobacco
second in importance on the list
of exports (flour ranking first),
constituting 21.5 per cent of the
aggregate value of all exports.
During the time of the early
settlements tobacco was grown in
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland
and New England, but the first
real extension of the industry was
westward to Kentucky and Ten
nessee. In 1785 tobacco produc
tion was of considerable import
ance in northern Kentucky and
ih the adjoining counties of Ohio,
while in the central and southern
portions of Kentucky and Ten
nessee the industry came into
prominence about the year 1810.
The tobacco grown in these local
ities was of the dark export type.
Up to the year 1833, by far the
largest part of the tobacco pro
duced in these states was sent by
boat to New Orleans for shipment
to foreign countries. In 1843 a
warehouse was established at
j Clarksville, Tenn., and soon oth
ers sprang up in Louisville, Ky.,
' and in other towns of these states.
The first crop of "lemon-yel
low" tobacco was produced in
1852 on a sandy ridge in Caswell
County, N. C. This variety was
received with such special favor
that its cultivation rapidly spread
in Caswell County and extended
into Pittsylvania County, Va.
During the Civil War there was,
Tobacco Growth
In Late Nineties
With only a single acre planted
in 1879, Martin County apparent
ly did not take to tobacco culture
without great meditation during
the few succeeding years, and it
ia believed that after that time
there were several years whan
no tobacco at all was grown in
the county. However, tobacco cul
ture gained a foothold about a
dozen years later and by 1898
there were 1,967 acres of the weed
growing in the county. The coun
ty produced 1,353,040 pounds that
year. The acreage was material
ly increased the following year
and in each succeeding period. By
1901, the need for home markets
was felt and Robersonville open
ed a market, Williams ton follow
ing in 1902 to give the county two
markets.
an entire abandonment of it*
production, but after the war at
tention was again called to it as
being very desirable for plug fill
en and wrappers. As flue curing
came into general use at this time
a much superior product was ob
tained. Hie price rapidly rose
with the increase in demand,
causing the cultivation to extend
into other counties in North Car
olina and Virginia and also in
South Carolina and eastern Ten
nessee In 1876 there were 43,066
acres planted in this tobacco,
yielding 20,000,000 pounds. Since
that time it has continued to grow
in popularity and the acreage is
still
$
\1
SAVE VOUR MONEY . . . THE
Building and Loan Way
Whether in war or in peace, it is always vitally necessary that you
save some portion of your income. New constructions are out of
the question but there is nothing to prevent you from making im
provements or keeping in good repair your property. You must
think not only of this year but 1943, 1944 and probably 1945.
You cannot afford to let your property depreciate and never was
it more important that you keep your buildings spic and span.
Our next series opens Saturday, September 5th. You should,
by all means, take a few shares in this series and if you need finan
cial assistance next year or the following year to make improve
ments ne will gladly serve you.
KEEP YOUR HOME IN A-l SHAPE . . WE CAN HELP YOU . .
The Williamston Market Gives
/ojmm tobacc
u
Martin
County Building & Loan Association
WILLIAMSTON, NORTH CAROLINA.