A Botanical Surprise in Colville Valley
A local entrepreneur discovers that tobacco can thrive in the limestone soils of the far North, challenging previous assumptions about regional agriculture.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
We were yesterday shown, by Mr. H. P. Isaacs, a fine specimen of the Tobacco Plant, grown in Colville valley. One of the leaves of the plant measured 3 1/2 feet in length and 14 inches in width. The luxuriance of the growth is probably owing to the adaptation of both soil and climate; the soil being limestone and is refreshed during early summer with copious showers and with heavy dews until winter. Tobacco raising, as far North as the 49th parallel, is remarkable, and we believe is something new in the history and culture of this plant.
“Tobacco raising, as far North as the 49th parallel, is remarkable, and we believe is something new in the history and culture of this plant.”
This early experiment with cash crops in the inland Northwest foreshadowed the agricultural diversification that defines the region today, showing how pioneers tested the limits of their environment.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.