Tobacco in East Tennessee

Summary:

Burley tobacco requires an annual rainfall from forty-two to fifty inches, the greater part of this preferably during the winter and spring months, a curing season in the fall in a climate suitable for uniform coloring and curing, soils that can be made productive, that are well drained and are responsive to intensive cultivation and extensive fertilization, and a population with the patience and vitality to spend in cultivating the crop.

East Tennessee meets these qualifications. For about sixty years, with a concentration in the upper part of the Valley, the cultural pattern has developed around the yearly sequence of the cultivation and marketing of the plant. The burley tobacco market has developed into one of the outstanding industries of the South. It seems evident that as long as there is a demand for cigarettes burley tobacco will be produced in East Tennessee.