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Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmar, vile, S-- t' '76 Tobacco Crop Cornes In Tobacco farming is an expensive business, no longer the 'Cadillac crop' it once was, according ta Ontaria tobacco marketing board member Mac Frew of Elizabethville. Besides an enormous capital investment required ta purchase a farm ançl its costly equipment, heating and fertilizer costs keep escalatingevery year. In addition, bringing in the annual crop also requires a large crew of hired labour, which is a major expense for the tobacco farmer. Some growers, like Peter Tax of Bowmanville, import help from, the Caribbean ta harvest their tobacco. Though Mr. Tax would prefer ta give jobs ta, unemployed Canadians, experience hasproven that local labour, on the whole, is not as reliable as his crew from the Barbados. Ripe tobacco leaves are picked or 'primed' from the bottom of the plant upward. During harvest time at' the Tax farm, this self-steering priming machine navigates through the rows of plants while several workers on board rapidly pick the individual leaves. Six or seven rounds of priming are required before ail of the leaves on the tabacco plants are picked. After the crop is harvested, cured in the kilns and sold at the tobacco exchanges, the farmer's return on a-70 cent package of cigarettes is only about four cents. Local growerkPeter Tax, aof1R.t., 4, 1iawmanville, nas 57 acres af vîrginia tobacco planted this year, and the annual harvest is already well under way. The supply of Ontario tobacco is carefully managed by means of a marketing system similar, ta the one used for milk, except that tobacco growers can rent unused quota ta ather farmers. With the demand for Ontario tobacco low9r. this year because of a drap in the export trade, Mr. Tax said that the quota for 1976 is less than haîf the total capacity of each farm. by Liz Armstrong produced in the soutbwestern located north of Bowmanville Late August isthe height of Ontario tobacco beit, North- on the Newcastle town line, the busiest part of the season umberland and Durham grow- the annual barvest is now in for Ontario tobacco growers. ers reaped over $6 million for full swing, witb 14 people And tbough the largest their crop in 1975.- cieyivle nbign share of the province's yield is At the Peter Tax farm,acveyiovdinbngg this year's crop to the kilns for curing. .The annual supply -of to- bacco is carefully managed in order to meet manufacturers' demands. According to a quota set by the marketing board, Peter is allowed to produce 132,000 pounds of tobacco Ithis year, including 37,000 pounds be rents from a farmer in Brantford. '1976 marks the first year that tobacco quotas are to be met by weigbt; in previous years, allotment was calculated by acreage. Since emigrating fromn Hol- land in 1953, Peter bas worked for 24 years producing Ontario tobacco. He started as a hired band, and then sbarecropped for four years in Brantford until 1960, when be purchased bis own farm near Pontypool. In Marcb 1972, Peter, bis wife Joan and their nine cbildren came to the farm nortb of Bowmanville, and this. summer Peter and bis crew of workers are bringing in their 2lst crop of the Virginia leaf. Sopisticated Process Tobacco is one of tbe most sopisticated crops in the world, requiring a great deal of care and attention. While August and Septemn- ber represent the busiest time of the season, it actually take about nine montbs to process the tobacco leaves completely. At Peter's farm, the seeds are germinated in the bouse at the beginning of April. Tbey are placed on cookie sheets between damp clotbs for about a week prior to being trans- planted in the green bouse. There, the minute sprouts are placed in a black 'muck' soil, and fertilized with a 2-6-16 mixture that is bigb in phosphate to ensure proper root development and sturdy growth. Starting the 24tb of May and continuing tbrough the first week in June, the young plants are transferred to the fields, wbere tbey will grow to a beigbt of, three and four feet or more by barvest time at the end of July. As the plants grow, Peter and bis crew carefully culti- vate, hoe and fertilize tbem. This year a total of 1200 pounds of fertilizer was applied to the crup, as excessive rainfalleached the »I#& istacks, anu LwiIIeU round Bel' , n est in a e sandy soul more than usual. . 'f 0 ___ Le I r bales stored outside have an harx estinig system, Mr. Mur- Another task that must be IlO 1 Id i a-à 1 i , average loss of about five ray advises talking to other done during the growth and. percent. On the other hand, farmers. Before a system is harvest of the crop ils re- 5 G the untwined or rolled bales chosen, the whole harvesting moving the suckers from the O u iO can have losses up to 100 operation should be carefully plants. Suckers are unpro-%i Fo percent if left outside because planned out fromn the field to ductive shoots which rob the théir low delsity allows the the cow to ensure that it can be leaves of their strength, and55 rain and snow to penetrate easily accommodated on your they are controlled by spray- rr, I5 ( r n right tbrough,' hie says. farm. ing the crop twice and S m C r removing the larger ones by hand.1 A recently completed study works under a free-style MONEY ON Each plant is also 'topped' by an Ontario agricultural systemi where the cows are before the tobacco flower college bas found that the allowed to go outside, then theQU LT reaches full bloom. Topping is round baler is the most round bales can be used quite Q A IT extremely important to en- efficient and inexpensive easily. " sure a good quality crop, and metho d of harvesting forage To get a fair idea of the D R M U if the flower heads and some crops under 500 tons per year. efcec fec fteF E I of the upper leaves weren't cut However, if a farmer handies harvesting systems, Mr. Mur- F E I off, the remainder of the plant more than Soo tons, the ray examined how long itan ST E OL would produce smnaller, weak- stacker systemi is more eco- would take to harvest 100 tons n T V I er leaves'. nomical. of forage, how many men andB WM N I E U OMR Picked by Hand Mr. C. F. Murray, of New at what rate the crop could be > O M N IL UTM R The lower leaves of a Liskeard College of Agricul- harvested. He found that CAti1 COLLECT tobacco plant ripen earliest, tural Technology,- says thatsqaebl ruid12 and consequently these lare the round bale systemn is not sq-uarbs ihfu reqie 2 Ask Operator for 668-3381 picked or 'primed' first. suitable for all types, of men on the job harvesting the or Dia I11-668-3381 All harvesting is done by farming. "Around baler i5 crop, at a rate of three tons hand, with the help of a unsuitable for dairy farmers e or ohrudblr A LUS~ motorized primriing machine. who keep their cows confine pera our t r ond bleq rs CALLJE 0 moves aiong the rows Of difficult te, unroîl the baes and mn orstwo h e st tOhe ~ L tobacco, five or six men feed it to the cows inside the an-haouto harvest the FOR, PROM PT, COU RT EOUS straddlle seats at the back and barn&. However, if the farmer wsmeamou nt.Hoever, theeRVC pick rap'dly as they go. ___________ wsadfeec nteS VIC The baled tobacco is brought hretn ae ewe h in fromn the fields to a labelled before being shipped round balers and stackers. conveyor belt located near the to the tobacco exchange at Round bales could be barvest- The Pvr-A-Larm -Mode I FRU-1 kiln, and there several work- Delhi. ed at four to 12 tons per hour,I ers spread the leaves out, ;10 per cent of the crop is' while stacks were harvested Residential Self Contairied Fire Unit before they are sewn by taken to market in November, at a rate of six to 15 tons per offers early warning f ire and Ioke detection for machine onto sticks. and that initial shipment is hour. These sticks are then trans- followed by three loads of 25 Another important consider- residential applications in multi-level apartments ferred up a moving belt to bie per cent during the winter ation in the efficiency of the and dwellings. hung at various levels in the months. The remaining 15 per various systems is the amount _______________________ kiln. cent is sold in the springtime. of crop lost through spoilage, power-On __________ Dual-Chamber Carefully Controlled Last year, the final shipment says, Mr. Murray. "Square Ion ization The process of curing the of Peter's tqbacco wasn't sold bales stacked insîde a barn, if Indicating Dtco green tobacco leaves must bie utleryMy hntenw baled at the correct moisture Lap eeto carefully watched or the seedlings were already germ- level, wiîî not deteriorate grower can spoil a whole lot at inating in the green bouse. appreciably. However, if they Auil( ) once, Peter said. A Waiting Gam 'e are stacked outside, losses Auil Wben the kiln is f ufly The tobacco exchanges can could be extensive. Well-made AlIa rm loaded, Peter gradually raises only handle certain quantities the temperature up to a of the crop at one time, s o FotÉACPowl maximum of 110 degrees Peter and other farmers are \uuSeI-Cotaied o ACModel rU- Fahrenheit, and builds the neyer certain until a few days OtSefCnaedor(M e[FU1 hurnidity up to between 9395 i avrcewhn they'll be oe Mounting Screws Only). After about three days, In order flot to give one Operafes on household currenf. Pyro Guardlon invisible products of wben the leaves have turned grower an advantage over- As easy fo insfafi as a lighting fixture. combustion detector bas been designed yeevew th-uiiyi i-aohr optrrnol Sourds the alarm before fhere is any specdfically for Life-Safety applications notieabe smkefla e orhea 1 n residential envirrments. Mobile yellow, he humiity is is- anoher, a omputersandoml oticeabe smoke flame r heaf charged and the temperature chooses the dates each f armer/ No periodic bulb and battery anomnes, aarmvengs are cenfers i lvtdsol o16,wnll transport hi15 rop t h replacemnént necessary! occopancies where the Pyro-Guardion degres.Witin aperod f echane. nd houg ths tm eUnderwrifers' Laborafories, foc. lisfed. should be installed.> three or four days, tbe leaves system leaves producers play- turn a golden brown colour ing a waiting game for a / ~Ol 7 and become extremely brittle, while, it ensures fairness. O l Cash $100 Cash $7 5 - Survey Fee having a texture similar to Peter describes the actual corn flakes. tobacco auction as a gamble to includes standard installation w.ith Oýntario Hydre Inspection) After the kiln load is get. the best, price for the completely dry, the temper- varlous gradesof bis crop. ature is reduced and the In Ontario, tobacco is sold o .W à leaves are steamed to soften by the Dutch Clock system, soI~~(rdL oqe ersnaie tem before transfer to the named after the Duth metbod FeLaoqRepsétti) barn. There the cured leaves where a dlock starts at a high13 MatnR d 1o-avil retain the humidity for ease of price is accepted by a buyer.Tlpoe6396 bandling. Bidding can fluctuate wild- DIOOU LJOnOr SATURDAY INSTALLATIONS AVAILABLE At thîs point in the season ly. During one marketing day the curing process takes about at the Aylmer exchange last a week, but later on the larger year, the same grade of more mature leaves may take tobacco sold for ashigb as ____BY THIE DAY -WEEL as long as 10 days to be $1.14 a pound and dropped to ar RN AC R procesed.low of 51 cents. orting d Gadn Up until this year, a grower OR, MONT H Just as the leaves are picked could reject a price twice one by one, tbey are also before baving to take the AS LOW AS sorted individually. unsold lot of his tobacco homne Sorting and grading usually to wait, bopefully, for a better beings the first week in marketing day. 9 0 October, and the, process This season, the tobacco requires four people to work marketing board bopes toPeda steadily at the job until sbiiehe bidding more. mid-December. Minimum prices have been The leaves are separated established for each grade, into various grades depending n rwr a ny29 KING ST.,EAST on the colour and quality of witbdraw bis tobacco if, he BOWMANVI LLE eacb one. The most e'ommon feels it bas been assigned a grades are bright, dark, and lower grade than it deserves. Hwy. No. 2 East of Liberty green, altbougb occasionally And while the market willPhone 623-4481 some red tobacco is also fourid stili bave its share of ups and"heFinl epe in the crop. downs, the outright gamble in After grading, the leaves tobacco growing bas bee _________________ are packed, pressed and reduced to a calculated risk. Ont~io scool bý saetregulationar Feeiyoanes Mo rist to drive with extra care whenever you see a Public and Safety Information Branch sehoal bus in front af you or coming towards you.MnstyaTrspttinadC mnctis Yau will recagnize the school bus by its chrome-yellow 1201 Wilson Avenue colour. And whenever it flashesits alternating red signal Downsview, Ontario M3M 1J8 lights front and rear, you must stop. In fact, aIl traffic f rom bath d irecti ons m ust sto p. This is true everywhere in Ontario ... on highways', country roads, and city, town or village streets, andMnst fTapoatn regardless of the speed limit. The penalty for disobeying this law is a fine of up ta $100 and 4 demerit points. adCm uiain The only exception îs for motorists going in the JmsSo.WlimDvs opposite direction from the school bus an the ather side Minister Premier of a multi-lane.highway divided by a physicaâl barrier. I " There is samething else you can do, as well, înstruct you r chiId ren ta foîlow the schoal bus safety ru les learned at schaal -ta help the bus driver by behaving quietly andPrvneoO tao by keeping seated until it is time ta leave the bus. rvneo naî