"The Sovereign Remedy"
Tobacco was probably first brought to the shores of England from
Florida by Sir John Hawkins in 1565. Englishmen were growing it by the
1570's, and after the return of the daring Sir Francis Drake to England
with a large quantity of tobacco captured in the West Indies in 1586,
the use of tobacco in England was increased substantially. By 1604 its
consumption had become so extensive as to lead to the publication of
King James' _Counter Blast_, condemning the use of tobacco;
nevertheless, six years later the amount brought into Great Britain was
valued at £60,000.
Some of the colonists were probably acquainted with tobacco before they
landed at Jamestown and found the Indians cultivating and using it
under the name of uppowoc or apooke. However, it was not until 1612
that its cultivation began among the English settlers, even in small
patches. Previously their attention had been centered entirely on
products that could be used for food. Captain John Smith wrote that
none of the native crops were planted at first, not even tobacco.
The story of tobacco in Virginia begins with the ingenious John Rolfe.
He was one of the many Englishmen who had come to enjoy the fragrant
aroma and taste of the imported Spanish tobacco; and upon his arrival
at Jamestown in May, 1610, Rolfe found that tobacco could be obtained
only by buying it from the Indians, or by cultivating it. There seems
to have been no spontaneous growth then as now. Owing to the frequent
unfriendly atmosphere between the colonists and the Indians, Rolfe
probably decided to grow a small patch for his own use. He also had a
desire to find some profitable commodity that could be sold in England
and thus promote the success and prosperity of the settlers and the
London Company. Driven by these two motives John Rolfe became the first
colonist to successfully grow tobacco, the plant that was to wield such
a tremendous influence on the history of Virginia.
_Nicotiana rustica_, the native tobacco of North America, was found to
be inferior to that grown in the Spanish Colonies. Botanists state that
_Nicotiana rustica_ had a much greater nicotine content and sprouted or
branched more than that cultivated today. William Strachey, one of the
first colonists, gave the following description of the native plant
grown in 1616:
It is not of the best kynd, it is but poore and weake, and of a
byting tast, it growes not fully a yard above the ground, bearing a
little yellowe flower, like to hennebane, the leaves are short and
thick, somewhat round at the upper end....
In 1611 Rolfe decided to experiment with seed of the mild Spanish
variety. He persuaded a shipmaster to bring him some tobacco seed from
the Island of Trinidad and Caracas, Venezuela; and by June, 1612,
tobacco from the imported seeds was being cultivated at Jamestown. On
July 20, 1613, a Captain Robert Adams landed the _Elizabeth_ in England
with a sample of Rolfe's first experimental crop. In England, this
first shipment was described as excellent in quality, but it was still
inferior to Spanish tobacco. In 1616 Rolfe modestly asserted, "no doubt
but after a little more triall and expense in the curing thereof, it
will compare with the best in the West Indies." The success of Rolfe's
experiment was soon apparent. In 1617, 20,000 pounds of tobacco were
exported from Virginia, and in the following year the amount doubled.
Tobacco did not become the chief staple owing merely to the successful
attempts by Rolfe to produce a satisfactory smoking leaf. As has been
noted, there was a ready market for tobacco in England before the
settlers landed at Jamestown. A second important cause was the fact
that tobacco was indigenous to the soil and climate of Virginia.
Tobacco also had a greater advantage Over All Other Staples in That It
Could Be Produced in Larger Quantities Per Acre. This Was Important
Considering the Labor Required To Clear the Trees and Prepare One Acre
for Cultivation. It Was Soon Discovered That the Amount of Tobacco
Produced by One Man's Labor Was Worth About Six Times the Amount of
Wheat That One Man Could Grow and Harvest. Moreover, Tobacco Could Be
Shipped More Economically Than Any Other Crop; Thus the Monetary Return
Upon a Cargo Was Greater Than for Any Other Crop That Could Be Produced
in the Colony.
One Other Factor Must Not Be Overlooked. One of the Basic Aims of the
English Colonial Policy Was the Development Of Colonial Resources,
Which Would at the Same Time Create a Colonial Market for English
Manufactures in the Colonies. Tobacco Proved To Be Virginia's Most
Valuable Staple, and With Everyone Feverishly Growing the Plant, the
Colony Became an Important Colonial Market. Virginia Purchased English
Goods Delivered in English Ships With Her Tobacco, England Marketed
Much of the Tobacco In Europe and Received Specie Or Goods That Could
Be Sold Elsewhere. This Created a Market for English Manufactures, the
English Merchant Fleet Profited From the Carrying Trade and There Was
No Drain of Specie From England.