INDUSTRY MAY DEVELOP BEYOND ORIGINAL HOPES
island tobacco growers see continued 9
Tobacco. the thrifty baby of Prince Edward Island's basic
agricultural industry. is due for w or
continued growth. Agriculture Minister Andrew MacRae said recently it could go somewhere close to 500 acres this year— and the development is being watched closely as it could greatly expand the provinces an- nual farm income.
Veteran tobacco men from Ontario said several years ago when the tobacco crop was still in the experimental stage, that the industry ,could double the $50 million annual farm revenue.
Ernest Leitch who came from Ontario to direct the provincial government’s first experiments four years ago. suggested it would run to 100.000 acres and double or triple present farm in- come. Douglas Rolosom, came from the fringe of the On- tario tobacco belt to grow the
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Condhead, P.E.I.
crop here. suggests. the RIM. potential is as great as Ontario's e gross v ue runs to $150 million or more.
PLANT NEEDED .
Dr. Norman MacRae! assoc- iate director for crop research. Canada department of Agricul- ture. has predicted "a future de- velopment far beyond the orig- inal hopes of those who sponsor- ed the experiment".
He foresees a full-scale deve- lopment from growing the crop to the export of the finished pro— duct. That would entail the es- tablishment of a processing plant and a big company has suggested already it is interest- ed in such a move when produc- tion reaches 1.000 acres.
a e The better growers produced
more than 1.250 pounds per acre in the 1901 crop year and they reported good production again last year. despite the wettest
growing season on record. Final figures on quality were not available at the time of writing.
Farmers here are confident so
that they can grow the crop and conditions were unusually un- favorable in the past two sea- sons. twas much too dry in
1961 with drought conditions be-i
ing the w o r st in many years: last year was the wettest in liv- ing memory. with scarcely any heat and an even greater lack of sunshine. two things that nor- mally are most definitely con- sidered n e c e ssities. Ju-ly sun- shine was an alltime low at 141 hours— the longtime average is 245—- September was also an all- time low and August was below
The mean July temperature was 7.2 degrees below the long- time average at 59.2 degrees and other months were well below
normal. Rainfall seemed inces-
sant as wet and cloudy weather
persisted through the entire sea- a
D.S. Viekery, superintendent of the Ontario experimental tobacco farm at Delhi has said the idea is to have no rainfall for the final months, but Island growers took off th e leaves in a month that averaged three to four days rain per week. They rarely saw the sun. never in the vigor which Island people normally experience.
The province's average of 154 to 155 frost free days annually compares with the top Ontario district of Harrow. though P.E.I. does not have as many units of heat. A fte r watching results here last year. though. federal
research officer. Keith LeLach-
eur suggests tobacco people may have to take a new look at the importance they have been
assigning to the heat factor. [firms Researcher LcLacheur'sl some Delcrest, but experiments WAY TO GO {insistance a great deal of study: are testing five other varieties Most people are happy abouti is needed in the immediate fu-l in the search‘ for the best. Fer- tobacco results 0 date, b u t. ture. Experiments he has made‘ tility tests are equally important there’s a realization there is stillI thus far under the Res e a r c hi and soil testing laboratories are agreat deal to learn. Less thaniBranch Canada department ot'la part of the team developing one half of the growers havel algrickulture. include temperature: the Island’s newest cash crop. hoen hitting top product on fig-' c cc 5 at various levels—a n d - “peg, and top people in the indus-. this has proven to be most im-‘j 5 Many ontano people try feel there’s a long way to gel portant— and tests with varie- before the full potential is reach-“ ties and fertility. _ who Tests for c a l c i u in content‘ there
h a v e ‘ hown a keen interest in the de- lvelopment here. Mr. Roloson moved here himself, says are several reasons. One cannot produce tobacco for sale :there unless he can buy a farm Plants (in i that is under the mark e t in g. several farms last fall. Mr. Vic-I scheme, And a [am like he is' kery told growers here. The 0“'l developing here which will cost tario crop has been killed off 10 about 540900.. that include, the days earlier—but several tobac- land, the kilns packing b a “1 co plants left out for experimen- green h o u s e' and dwelling _: tal purposes on several fa r m 5 would cost $100,000 to 5110.000 in
O G.
Mr. Roloson, for example, he: were made from the 1962 plots. lleves manure from a grain {ed A September 24 frost ruined a lot of beef steers will s u p p l yilarge portion of needed fertility. Nothing else is‘ as good, he insists. Many On. tario farmers truck it long dis- tances. he reported. A neighbor. Albert Panley. who like Roloson is one of the better growers. sug-
gests it may not work so well here. There’s more humus in 15- land soil than there is in Ontar- io. he explains.
{here with a high elevation were1 Ontario, he exp‘ams. . l
algbéi¥rgggna month later' The desire here is to keep thei
The Guardian - The Evening Patriot
control of a syndicate or other monied interest. An Ontario syn- dicate purchased options on sev- eral thousands of acres tw 0 years ago but they did not fol- low up with purchases. Growers here now have organized a mar-
half a century ago. Sir Andrew MacPhail, a P.E.I. man who was wide] known as a writer and McGill University s t a U member. grew it experimentally for several years. Former ivo- stock fieldman Harold Clay
keting board to control market- grew his own smoking for sever.
ing—it will automatically con- trol production—so they can pro— tect their industry if future de-
sary.
Visiting tobacco p e 0 pie and; governmental specialists suggest} P.E.l. may achieve through to-i
bacco production the prosperity it has missed through lack of in- dustries. It's the only farm crop that compares with dustry. they have advised. as a produc- er of wealth.
Tobacco growing has b e e n
e d i s a g re e ment c o n-I widely used t h o u g h there is! farmer and not let it fall underl A tobacco manufacturer tried it
REG. BROWN SWISS
sLacx RIVER FARM.
MILKING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT
Situated of Covcheod the Block River Form Is managed by Mr. Ronald Doloff. and is owned by Mr. Rothburn Williord 'of Sch-unto. Rhodo Is.- lond. There ore presently 85 animals or the form. including heifers and calves. and the herd sires.
Mllkhigondstorooo oqulpmontisos modem or romonotho milk is hold or from 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and now. worm milk is added tomcold milkwlthoutony Illofloctsnhus exploding on old thoorythot wormondcoldmllkwouldnotmlx roodvonrogc.
Phone CoVehead - 20
The only Registered Brown Swiss herd on Prince Edward IsIond,the Black River Form cattle" are comprised of foundation stock from the best herds in North America. These pedigreed cattle are of a breed noted for their hardiness and long life, and Brown Swiss cattle hold lthe world’s record for all-time butterfot record of production.
SPECIAL INVITATION
A warm invitatino isexiended to breeders, farmers, and the gener- oI public, to visit the Black River form..... it will be our pleasure to show you our Brown Swiss cattle, our form, and the equipment we
use oooooo
SOME OF THE TOP BROWN SWISS CATI'lI
al years. but this is the fir It
i successful attempt at growing it velopment: make that neces- commercially._
I l
The Hicks variety is m o 5 ti new industry for the a voragel tried several times in the past.1
fig RIVER 1:46,
Wolhollo Soro Lady purchased for $2,100
The purchase of Wolhollo Sara Lady for $2.100 was the second highest selling animal or the recent Con- cord Forms Sale in New York State. Wolhollo Soto Lady is o 2!. 1.000 pound for cow.
I31; I’fius's‘ Sum lilims‘n
DIAL 4-7341 for Z4-HOUR SERVICE
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Page 28-A
rowth in ’63