The Tobacco Belt of North Carolina

Abstract

N 1939 North Carolina farmers harvested 815,800 acres of tobacco which yielded 821 million pounds enabling North Carolina to maintain its place as the foremost tobacco producing state in the country. Practically the entire crop is of the flue-cured variety so greatly in demand for the blended cigarette industry and the export trade, but a small amount of air-cured tobacco is grown in the western mountainous region. The characteristics of the several types of tobacco grown in North Carolina result from the combination of climatic conditions, soil, curing methods, and type of seed used. Variations in the climatic elements; temperature' rainfall, humidity, drought, sunshine, hail, etc. affect yield and quality of leaf and also influence the prevalence of tobacco diseases. Usually climatic conditions are sufficiently favorable to assure a successful crop. Soil condition appears to be a more exacting requirement than climate. There is a definite correlation between soil type and the characteristics of tobacco quality. Tobacco is rather sensitive to wet or poorly drained soils, and is usually grown on sandy or fine sandy soils because of their superior internal drainage. The mineral content of the soil affects the type and quality of but in the coarser textured soils this is effectively controlled by the application of prepared fertilizers. There are large acreages of soil in North Carolina wvhich are suitable for tobacco production, though not yet devoted to its cultivation. Considering the leading position North Carolina now occupies among tobacco producing states it is interesting to note that tobacco culture was first introduced by migration from the neighboring states of Virginia and Tennessee. The first appearance was in the northern piedmont area along the Virginia state boundary. A heavy, dark, air-cured tobacco was produced which enjoyed favor at home and abroad. In 1852 Eli and Elisha Slade, tobacco farmers of Caswell county, experimented by planting tobacco on light, sandy, infertile soils applying a thin dressing of stable manure. The resulting crop was quite different from the usual tobacco of the time. It was lighter in color and weight and when cured over charcoal fires took on a lemon-yellow to golden-orange color. In addition, it developed a distinctive flavor and aroma. These unusual new qualities won it immediate recognition as a new and desirable type. Thus was developed bright tobacco, the principal type used in the manufacture of cigarettes. At the same time, tobacco production was of importance in the neighboring states of Kentucky and Tennessee and from that direction another type of burley, was introduced into the valley bottoms of the mountainous western part of North Carolina. In 1866 the total tobacco produced in North Carolina was less than 40 million pounds, most of which was