1. Tobacco is a native production of America, which was in common use
among nearly all of the Indian tribes, when this continent was
discovered by Europeans. Its original name among the nations of the
islands, was _yoli_; whilst, with those of the continent, it was
termed _petum_. The Spaniards, however, chose to call it _tobacco_, a
term in the Haytian language, which designated the instrument in which
the herb was smoked.
2. This plant was first introduced into Spain, then into Portugal and
France, and, at length, into other countries of the Eastern continent.
Sir Walter Raleigh carried it from Virginia to England, and taught his
countrymen the various methods of consuming it among the natives.
3. The introduction of this nauseous plant into Europe, was everywhere
attended with ridicule and opposition. Hundreds of pamphlets were
published, in various languages, dissuading from its use in the
strongest terms. Even James the First, king of Great Britain, did not
regard it as inconsistent with the royal dignity to take up his pen on
the subject. In his "_Counterblast to Tobacco_," published in 1603,
occurs the following remarkable passage: "It is a custom loathsome to
the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain; and, in the black
fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit
that is bottomless."
4. Pope Urban VIII. excommunicated those who took tobacco in churches;
and Queen Elizabeth also prohibited its use in houses of public
worship. In 1689, an ordinance was published in Transylvania,
threatening those who should plant tobacco with the confiscation of
their estates. The grand-duke of Moscow, and the king of Persia,
prohibited its use under the penalty of the loss of the nose, and even
of life. At present, however, the consumption of tobacco is looked
upon with so much greater indulgence, that all the sovereigns of
Europe, and most of those of other nations, derive a considerable
revenue from the trade in this article.
5. But it is truly astonishing, that a nauseous weed, of an acrid
taste, disagreeable odour, and deleterious qualities, should have had
so great an influence on the social condition of nations; that its
culture should have spread more rapidly than that of the most useful
plants; and that it should, consequently, have become an article of
extensive commerce.
6. Of this plant there are several species, which differ from each
other, in size, strength, and flavour. Some one or more of these
varieties, are cultivated in various parts of the world: but
especially in North and South America, and in the West Indies. It is
one of the staple productions of Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and
Ohio. The whole value of the tobacco, exported annually from the
United States, amounts to about five millions of dollars.
7. The following description of the mode of cultivating this plant,
and preparing it for the tobacconist, is applicable to the state of
Maryland. A little variation in some of the details, would render it
applicable to other parts of the world.
8. A small piece of ground, say one-sixteenth of an acre, is prepared
by burning a large quantity of brush upon it. The surface is rendered
light and even, by means of a hoe and rake; and the seeds, mixed with
ashes, are sown as equally as possible. After they have been covered
with earth, the ground is trodden down with the bare feet. The tobacco
beds are made in March, and the plants become fit for the field in
eight or ten weeks.
9. The field, in which the cultivation of the crop is to be continued,
is ploughed two or three times, and then cross-ploughed into equal
checks, in each of which is made a hill. Immediately after a rain, the
plants are transferred to these hills, in the same manner in which
cabbages are transplanted. While the tobacco is growing, the ground is
ploughed several times, in order to keep it light, and to aid in
destroying the weeds. When the plants are nearly grown, the tops are
lopped or cut off, to prevent them from running to seed, and to cause
the leaves to grow larger and thicker.
10. In July or August, the tobacco-worms begin to make their
appearance, and to threaten the whole crop with destruction. To arrest
the ravages of these insidious enemies, all hands, both great and
small, together with all the turkeys that can be mustered, are brought
into the field. These worms are produced from the eggs of a large
insect, called the horn-bug.
11. The tobacco, when ripe, is cut near the ground, and hung on small
sticks about five feet in length, generally by pegs driven into the
stalks. These sticks are then laid upon poles, arranged at proper
distances from each other in the tobacco-house, shed, or hovel, as the
case may be. It is then suffered to dry gradually in the atmosphere;
or a large fire is made in the tobacco-house, to effect the drying
more rapidly.
12. The leaves are next stripped from the stalks, and tied in small
bunches according to their quality. This can only be done when _in
order_, or rather, when the leaves are rendered tough by the
absorption of moisture from the atmosphere. These bunches, when the
leaves are so damp that they will not break, and so dry that they will
not heat, are packed in hogs-heads by the aid of a large lever press.
The tobacco is inspected in public warehouses, by men who have been
appointed for the purpose by the public authorities.