I was curious if tobacco was ever a cash crop here in Minnesota, and I found this booklet that describes tobacco farming in the early 20th century. At the time, farmers here (and in WI) grew primarily "cigar-binder" tobacco. Yield averaged 1,250 lbs/ac.
Some of you who grow your own tobacco may find the planting and growing techniques interesting. I didn't want to link straight to a PDF, but you can find the link to it on the catalogue description here:
conservancy.umn.edu
I also found an article that describes the history of the crop in Minnesota. It appears that we grew mostly cigar tobaccos, and the rise of cigarettes killed off our tobacco crop.
Some of you who grow your own tobacco may find the planting and growing techniques interesting. I didn't want to link straight to a PDF, but you can find the link to it on the catalogue description here:
Tobacco growing in Minnesota
conservancy.umn.edu
I also found an article that describes the history of the crop in Minnesota. It appears that we grew mostly cigar tobaccos, and the rise of cigarettes killed off our tobacco crop.
Hoheisel column: Minnesotans grew tobacco as a cash crop
As a professional historian, few things have surprised me — until recently
www.sctimes.com
