Produced by Ted Garvin, Christine P. Travers and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
[Transcriber's note: Obvious printer's errors have been corrected, all
other inconsistencies are as in the original. The author's spelling
has been maintained.
Page 62-63: The part between = obviously did not belong in that place
and has been removed, "From this time forward the Plantation seemed to
prosper, Charles granted lands to all the planters and adventurers who
would till them, upon paying the annual sum of two shillings payable
to the crown for each hundred acres. =direction, appointing the
governor and council himself, and= Before the death of King James,
however, the cultivation of tobacco had become so extensive that every
other product seemed of but little value in comparison with it, and
the price realized from its sale being so much greater than that
obtained for "Corne," the latter was neglected and its culture almost
entirely abandoned."
Page 115: The verse "And can but end with time;" was missing and has
been added.]
TOBACCO:
ITS
HISTORY, VARIETIES, CULTURE,
MANUFACTURE AND COMMERCE,
WITH
AN ACCOUNT OF ITS VARIOUS MODES OF USE, FROM ITS FIRST
DISCOVERY UNTIL NOW.
BY
E. R. BILLINGS.
With Illustrations by Popular Artists.
"My Lord, this sacred herbe which never offendit,
Is forced to crave your favor to defend it."
Barclay.
"But oh, what witchcraft of a stronger kind,
Or cause too deep for human search to find,
Makes earth-born weeds imperial man enslave,--
Not little souls, but e'en the wise and brave!"
Arbuckle.
HARTFORD, CONN.:
AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY,
1875.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1875, by the
AMERICAN PUBLISHING CO.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C.
Is it not wondrous strange that there should be
Such different tempers twixt my friend and me?
I burn with heat when I tobacco take,
But he on th' other side with cold doth shake:
To both 'tis physick, and like physick works,
The cause o' th' various operation lurks
Not in tobacco, which is still the same,
But in the difference of our bodies frame:
What's meat to this man, poison is to that,
And what makes this man lean, makes that man fat;
What quenches one's thirst, makes another dry;
And what makes this man wel, makes that man dye.
Thomas Washbourne, D. D.
Thy quiet spirit lulls the lab'ring brain,
Lures back to thought the flights of vacant mirth,
Consoles the mourner, soothes the couch of pain,
And wreathes contentment round the humble hearth;
While savage warriors, soften'd by thy breath,
Unbind the captive, hate had doomed to death.
Rev. Walter Colton.
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
My social box attends on me;
It warms my nose in winter's snow,
Refreshes midst midsummer's glow;
Of hunger sharp it blunts the edge,
And softens grief as some alledge.
Thus, eased of care or any stir,
I broach my freshest canister;
And freed from trouble, grief, or panic,
I pinch away in snuff balsamic.
For rich or poor, in peace or strife,
It smooths the rugged path of life.
Rev. William King.
HAIL! Indian plant, to ancient times unknown--
A modern truly thou, and all our own!
Thou dear concomitant of nappy ale,
Thou sweet prolonger of an old man's tale.
Or, if thou'rt pulverized in smart rappee,
And reach Sir Fopling's brain (if brain there be),
He shines in dedications, poems, plays,
Soars in Pindarics, and asserts the bays;
Thus dost thou every taste and genius hit--
In smoke thou'rt wisdom, and in snuff thou'rt wit.
Rev. Mr. Prior.
TO
CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER,
_Whose rare, good gifts have endeared him to all lovers of the English
tongue, this volume, historically and practically treating of one of
the greatest of plants, as well as the rarest of luxuries, is
respectfully dedicated by_
The Author.
PREFACE.
Ever since the discovery of tobacco it has been the favorite theme of
many writers, who have endeavored to shed new light on the origin and
early history of this singular plant. Upwards of three hundred volumes
have been written, embracing works in nearly all of the languages of
Europe, concerning the herb and the various methods of using it. Most
writers have confined themselves to the commercial history of the
plant; while others have written upon its medicinal properties and the
various modes of preparing it for use. For this volume the Author only
claims that it is at least a more comprehensive treatise on the
varieties and cultivation of the plant than any work now extant. A
full account of its cultivation is given, not only in America, but
also in nearly all of the great tobacco-producing countries of the
world. The history of the plant has been carefully and faithfully
compiled from the earliest authorities, that portion which relates to
its early culture in Virginia being drawn from hitherto unpublished
sources. Materials for such a work have not been found lacking.
European authors abound with allusions to tobacco; more especially is
it true of English writers, who have celebrated its virtues in poetry
and song. All along the highways and by-paths of our literature we
encounter much that pertains to this "queen of plants." Considered in
what light it may, tobacco must be regarded as the most astonishing of
the productions of nature, since it has, in the short period of nearly
four centuries, dominated not one particular nation, but the whole
world, both Christian and Pagan. Ushered into the Old World from the
New by the great colonizers--Spain, England, and France--it attracted
at once the attention of the authors of the period as a fit subject
for their marvel-loving pens. It has been the aim of the writer to
give as much as possible of the existing material to be had concerning
the early persecution waged against it, whether by Church or State.
These accounts, while they invest with additional interest its early
use and introduction, serve as well to show its triumph over all its
foes and its vast importance to the commerce of the world. This work
has been prepared and arranged, not only for the instruction and
entertainment of the users of tobacco, but for the benefit of the
cultivators and manufacturers as well. As such it is now presented to
the public for whatever meed of praise or censure it is found to
deserve.
Hartford, Conn., 1875.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page
1. Frontispiece. --
2. Tobacco Stalks. 22
3. Tobacco Leaves. 24
4. Bud and Flowers. 25
5. Capsules. (Fruit Bud.) 27
6. Suckers. 28
7. Primitive Pipe. 33
8. Native Smoking. 35
9. Old Engraving. 40
10. The Contrast. 44
11. John Rolfe. 48
12. Virginia Tobacco Field, 1620. 51
13. Buying Wives. 57
14. Growing Tobacco in the Streets. 64
15. Natives Growing Tobacco. 66
16. Destroying Suckers. 69
17. Carrying Tobacco to Market. 73
18. Enriching Plant-Bed. 75
19. Shipping Tobacco. 78
20. Old Engraving of Tobacco. 86
21. Sir Walter Raleigh. 89
22. English Gallants. 90
23. Smoking in the 17th Century. 94
24. Exhaling through the Nose. 97
25. Old London Ale-house. 101
26. Punishment for Snuff Taking. 104
27. Silver Spittoons. 106
28. The Negro Image. 108
29. Tobacco and Theology. 112
30. Weighing Smoke. 117
31. Indian Pipe. 126
32. Sculptured Pipe. 128
33. Pipe of Peace. 130
34. A Model Cigar. 132
35. South Americans smoking. 135
36. A War Pipe. 139
37. Peace Pipe. 140
38. A Tchuktchi Pipe. 143
39. Turk Smoking. 145
40. Old English Pipes. 148
41. French Pipes. 149
42. Pipe Colorer. 152
43. German Porcelain Pipes. 153
44. A Persian Water Pipe. 156
45. Searching for Amber. 160
46. Fancy Pipes. 162
47. Clay and Reed Pipes. 164
48. Fairy Pipes. 166
49. Female Smoking in Algiers. 168
50. African Pipe. 170
51. Egyptian Pipes. 172
52. Japanese Pipes. 173
53. Engraved Boxes. 177
54. Tobacco Jars. 179
55. Tobacco Stoppers. 181
56. Lord and Lackey. 185
57. The Strange Youth. 190
58. Smokers Reading Epigrams. 193
59. The Explosion. 195
60. Theory against Experience. 199
61. A Faithful Attendant. 203
62. Newton and his Pipe. 207
63. Tennyson, Smoking. 209
64. Modern Smokers. 212
65. The Artist. 215
66. The Yankee Smoker. 216
67. A Tobacco Grater. 220
68. Demi-journées. 222
69. James Gillespie. 224
70. Fops Taking Snuff. (From an old print.) 226
71. Horn Snuff-boxes. 227
72. Scotch Snuff-mills. 232
73. Sweeping from the Pulpit. 235
74. Snuff-mill a Century ago. 240
75. Perfuming Snuff. 242
76. Fuegian Snuff-Takers. 244
77. Snuff-Dipping. 247
78. Snuffers. 248
79. Fancy Snuff-boxes. 251
80. Curing a Headache. 255
81. Highlanders. 257
82. Cigars. 260
83. Cigar-holders. 262
84. Life in Mexico. 266
85. Cuban Cigar Shop. 268
86. Tobacco Leaf. 271
87. Wenches Smoking. 274
88. A Moonlight Reverie in Havana. 275
89. By the Sea. 277
90. An American Smoker. 279
91. "Light, Sir?" 282
92. Bringing a Light. 285
93. Making Cigars. 288
94. Havanas. 301
95. Yara Cigars. 303
96. Manilla Cigar and Cheroot. 304
97. Swiss Cigars. 306
98. Paraguay Cigars. 306
99. Connecticut Tobacco Field. 312
100. Home of the Connecticut Planter. 315
101. Negro Quarters. 317
102. The Planter's Home. 318
103. "Burning the Patch." 322
104. Stringing the Primings. 323
105. Worming. 325
106. Ohio Tobacco Field. 329
107. Tobacco Warehouse. 331
108. Kentucky Tobacco Plantation. 332
109. The Kentucky Planter. 334
110. Florida Tobacco Plantation. 336
111. Louisiana Tobacco Plantation. 338
112. Mexican Tobacco Plantation. 342
113. St. Domingo Tobacco Field, 1535. 345
114. A Cuban _vega_. 346
115. Killing Bugs by Night. 348
116. Going to Market. 349
117. German Tobacco Field. 351
118. Dutch Planters. 355
119. Success to Von Tromp. 358
120. Tobacco Field in Algiers. 360
121. Tobacco Field in Africa. 361
122. Tobacco Field in Syria. 363
123. Tobacco Field in India. 365
124. Turkish Tobacco going to Market. 370
125. Japan Tobacco Field. 371
126. Transplanting. 372
127. Chinese Tobacco Field. 373
128. Tobacco Field in Persia. 374
129. Growing Tobacco on the Philippine Islands. 377
130. Tobacco Plow. 378
131. Spanish Planters. 380
132. Mexican Dwarf Tobacco. 384
133. Connecticut Seed Leaf. 385
134. Havana Tobacco. 387
135. Virginia Tobacco. 388
136. Ohio White Tobacco. 389
137. Latakia Tobacco (Syria). 393
138. Orinoco Tobacco (Venezuela). 397
139. Shiraz Tobacco (Persia). 398
140. Spanish Tobacco. 400
141. Japan Tobacco. 402
142. Old Connecticut Tobacco Shed. 406
143. Modern Connecticut Tobacco Shed. 407
144. Stripping Room. 408
145. Modern Virginia Shed. 409
146. Virginia Shed, 150 years ago. 410
147. Ohio Tobacco Shed. 412
148. Persian Tobacco Shed. 414
149. Making the Plant Bed in Connecticut. 418
150. Covering Plant Bed. 424
151. A Tobacco Ridger. 430
152. Drawing the Dirt Around the Foot. 432
153. Transplanting. 433
154. Transplanting. 434
155. American Transplanter. 437
156. The Worms. 438
157. Worming Tobacco. 439
158. Topping. 442
159. Suckering. 445
160. Cutting the Plants. 446
161. Putting on Lath. 447
162. Carrying to the Shed. 448
163. Stripping. 456
164. Hands. 457
165. Stemming. 460
166. Packing. 461
167. Prizing in Olden Times. 464
168. Tobacco Press. 467
169. Firing. 470
170. Spanish Seed Tobacco. 473
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER I.
THE TOBACCO PLANT.
Botanical Description -- Ancient Plant-Bed -- Description of
the Leaves -- Color of Leaves -- Blossoms -- The Capsules
and Seed --Selection for Seed -- Suckers -- Nicotine
Qualities -- Medicinal Properties -- Improvement in Plants.... 17
CHAPTER II.
TOBACCO. ITS DISCOVERY.
Early Use -- Origin of its Name -- Early Snuff-Taking --
Tobacco in Mexico -- Comparative Qualities of Tobacco --
Origin of the Plant -- Early Mammoth Cigars -- Sacredness of
the Pipe -- Early Cultivation -- Proportions of the Tobacco
Trade -- Variety of Kinds -- Tobacco and Commerce --
Original Culture.............................................. 32
CHAPTER III.
TOBACCO IN AMERICA.
First General Planter -- State of the Colony -- Conditions
of Raising Tobacco -- Tobacco Fields, 1620 -- Increase of
Tobacco-Growing -- Restriction of Tobacco-Growing -- Tobacco
used as Money -- King James opposes Tobacco-Growing --
Buying Wives with Tobacco -- Foreign Tobacco Prohibited --
King Charles on Tobacco -- King Charles as a Tobacco
Merchant -- Tobacco Taxed -- Planting in Maryland -- Negro
Labor -- Competition -- Growing Suckers -- Virginia Lands --
Picture of Early Planters -- Large Plantations -- Getting to
Market -- Virginia Plant-Bed -- Maryland Plant-Bed --
Tobacco Growing in New York and Louisiana -- New England
Tobacco -- Commercial Value of Tobacco -- Tobacco a
Blessing...................................................... 47
CHAPTER IV.
TOBACCO IN EUROPE.
Introduction -- The Original Importer -- Wonderful Cures --
How the Herb grew in Reputation -- Difference of Opinion --
A Smoker's Rhapsody -- Old Smokers -- The Queen Herb --
Drinking Tobacco -- Tobacco on the Stage -- Shakespeare on
Tobacco -- Smoking Taught -- Ben Jonson on the Weed --
Curative Qualities -- Modes of Use -- Held up to Ridicule --
Tirades against Tobacco -- Tobacco Selling -- Royal Haters
of Tobacco -- Old Customs -- A Racy Poem -- A Smoking
Divine........................................................ 80
CHAPTER V.
TOBACCO IN EUROPE. -- Continued.
Popular use of Tobacco -- Tobacco Glorified -- Weight of
Smoke -- Anecdotes -- Triumph of Tobacco -- A Government
Monopoly -- Tobacco a Blessing............................... 111
CHAPTER VI.
TOBACCO PIPES, SMOKING AND SMOKERS.
Indian Pipes -- Material for Pipes -- Legend of the Red Pipe
-- Chippewa Pipes -- Making the Peace Pipes -- South
American Pipes -- Cigarettes -- Tobacco on the Amazon River
-- Brazilian Tobacco -- Patagonians as Smokers -- Form and
Material -- Pipe of the Bobeen Indians -- The War Pipe --
Pipe Sculpture -- Smoking in Alaska -- Smoking in Russia --
Smoking in Peru -- Smoking in Turkey -- Moderate Smoking --
Female Smoking -- Early Manufacture of Pipes -- French
Pipes........................................................ 124
CHAPTER VII.
PIPES AND SMOKERS. -- Continued.
Meerschaum Pipes -- Coloring Meerschaums -- The City of
Smokers -- Hudson as a smoker -- Persian Water Pipes --
Turkish Pipes -- Amber Mouth Pieces -- Obtaining Amber --
Its Value -- Variety of Pipes -- History of Pipes -- Ancient
Habit of Smoking -- Buried Pipes -- Jasmine Pipes -- Smoking
in Algiers -- Smoking in Africa -- Defence of Smoking -- Tea
and Tobacco -- Chinese Pipes -- Smoking in Japan -- Tobacco
Boxes -- Tobacco Jars -- Musings over a Pipe -- Sad Fate of
a Chewer -- Triumph of the Anti's -- The Smoker's Calendar
-- Doctor Parr as a Smoker -- Smoking on the Battle-Field --
Literary Smokers -- Doctor Clarke on Tobacco -- Noted
Smokers -- Pleasant Pipe -- A Tobacco World -- Cruelty of
Smokers -- Men like Pipes -- Universal Use................... 150
CHAPTER VIII.
SNUFF, SNUFF-BOXES AND SNUFF-TAKERS.
Its Introduction -- Boxes and Graters -- Mode of Preparation
-- Snuff-Boxes -- A Celebrated Manufacturer -- The Snuffing
Period -- The Monk and his Snuff-Box -- A Pinch of Snuff --
Pleasures of Smelling -- Frederick the Great -- Eminent
Snuff-Takers -- The Story in Verse -- "Come to my Nose" --
Snuff Manufacture -- Preparation of Tobacco -- Grinding the
Leaves -- Flavoring the Snuff -- Profits Made -- Love of
Tobacco -- Chewing and Dipping -- Advantages of Dipping --
The First Snuffers -- Famous Snuff-Takers -- Snuff as a
Pacificator -- A National Stimulant -- Different Tastes --
Rise and Progress of Snuff-Taking............................ 218
CHAPTER IX.
CIGARS.
New York Cigars -- Havana Cigars -- Quality of Havana Cigars
-- Relative Value and Size -- Cigar-Makers -- Cuban Cigars
-- Cigar Manufactories -- Preparation of the Tobacco --
Sorting the Leaves -- Sales, etc. -- Large Factories --
Universal Smoking -- Cigar Etiquette -- Reveries --
Summer-Day Thoughts -- American Smokers -- At Home --
Sentiment -- Ode to a Cigar -- Cigar-Lighters -- Smoking an
Art -- Science of Lighting -- Age of Fusees -- "Home-Made
Cigars" -- Female Cigar-Makers -- A Spicy Article -- How to
Smoke -- Smoking Christians -- Lamb's Poem -- Tobacco
Compliment -- Cigarette Smoking -- Thomas Hood's Cigar --
Lord Byron's Opinion -- Kinds of Cigars -- Selecting Cigars
-- Yara Cigars -- Manilla Cigars -- Swiss Cigars -- Paraguay
Cigars -- Brazilian Cigars -- American Cigars -- Connecticut
Seed Leaf and Havana Cigars -- The Exile's Comfort........... 259
CHAPTER X.
TOBACCO PLANTERS AND PLANTATIONS.
The Connecticut Planter -- Intelligence of Tobacco Growers
-- Best Connecticut Seed Leaf -- Love for the Plant --
Virginia Planters -- A Virginia Plantation -- The
Plant-Patch -- Planting, Topping and Priming -- Suckering --
Crop-Gathering -- Curing and Sorting -- Tobacco Markets --
Ohio Tobacco -- Mode of Cure -- Kentucky Tobacco-Growing --
The Kentucky Planter -- Florida Tobacco -- Florida
Plantation -- Tobacco in Louisiana -- California Tobacco
Lands -- Mexican Tobacco -- Plants around Vera Cruz --
Tobacco in St Domingo -- Cuba Plantations -- Mode of Working
-- Soil and Climate -- Tobacco-Growing in Germany -- Method
of Culture -- Extent of Culture -- Tobacco-Raising in
Prussia -- Tobacco in Holland -- Dutch Planters -- A Plea
for Tobacco -- Tobacco Culture in Australia -- Arabian
Plantations -- Tobacco in Africa -- Syrian Tobacco --
Latakia Tobacco -- Growing Tobacco in India -- Curing
Tobacco in India -- Turks Cultivating Tobacco -- Japanese
Tobacco -- Persian Tobacco -- Tobacco Culture, Philippine
Islands -- Climate of the Islands -- Fragrant Manillas --
Tropical Tobacco............................................. 311
CHAPTER XI.
VARIETIES.
Kinds used for Cigars -- Dwarf Tobacco -- Havana Tobacco --
Yara and Virginia Tobacco -- James River Tobacco -- Ohio
Tobacco -- South American Tobacco -- Celebrated Brands of
Tobacco -- Russian Tobacco -- Columbian Tobacco -- Tobacco
of Brazil -- The Orinoco Tobacco -- Persian Tobacco --
French Tobacco -- Spanish Tobacco -- Japanese Tobacco --
Manilla Tobacco.............................................. 382
CHAPTER XII.
TOBACCO HOUSES.
Tobacco Sheds -- Stripping Houses -- Virginia Tobacco Sheds
-- Ordinary Sheds -- Superior Sheds -- Ohio Sheds --
Kentucky and Tennessee Sheds -- Foreign Tobacco Sheds........ 405
CHAPTER XIII.
TOBACCO CULTURE.
Hot Beds -- Virginia Plant Patch -- Tennessee Plant Bed --
Cuban Plant Bed -- Covering Plant Bed -- Selection of Soil
-- The Soil Affecting Color -- Preparing the Soil --
Virginia Methods -- Burning Brush -- Implements --
Transplanting Plants -- Setting -- Seasons in Mexico and
Persia -- The American Transplanter -- Pests -- Worming --
Backward Plants -- Topping -- Suckers -- Maturation -- The
Harvest -- Cutting -- Hanging -- Cutting time in Cuba --
Harvesting in Virginia -- The Season in other Places --
Curing -- Curing by Smoke -- Yellow Tobacco -- Stripping --
Assorting -- Shading -- Stemming -- Packing -- Casing -- Old
Style -- Resistance to Dampness -- Prizing -- Marking --
Baling -- Certificates -- Firing -- White Rust -- Seed
Plants -- Maturing of Seed -- Second Growth.................. 415
CHAPTER XIV.
THE PRODUCTION, COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO.
Early History of Tobacco -- Cultivation by Spaniards at St.
Domingo -- Annual Product of Cuba -- Amount of Land under
Cultivation in U.S. -- Cultivation in the South -- Annual
Product of Europe, Asia and Africa -- Government Monopoly --
Source of Revenue -- Manufacture of Cigarettes -- Increase
of Tobacco Culture........................................... 478
CHAPTER I.
THE TOBACCO PLANT.
Tobacco is a hardy flowering annual[1] plant, growing freely in a
moist fertile soil and requiring the most thorough culture in order to
secure the finest form and quality of leaf. It is a native of the
tropics and under the intense rays of a vertical sun develops its
finest and most remarkable flavor which far surpasses the varieties
grown in a temperate region. It however readily adapts itself to soil
and climate growing through a wide range of temperature from the
Equator to Moscow in Russia in latitude 56°, and through all the
intervening range of climate[2].
[Footnote 1: The greater number of the species are
annual plants; but two at least are perennial; the
_Nicotiana fruticosa_, which is a shrub, a native of the
Cape of Good Hope, and of China; and _N. urens_, a
native of South America.]
[Footnote 2: Tatham says that the tobacco plant is
peculiarly adapted for an agricultural comparison of
climates.]
The plant varies in height according to species and locality; the
largest varieties reaching an altitude of ten or twelve feet, in
others not growing more than two or three feet from the ground.
Botanists have enumerated between forty and fifty varieties of the
tobacco plant who class them all among the narcotic poisons. When
properly cultivated the plant ripens in a few weeks growing with a
rapidity hardly equaled by any product either temperate or tropical.
Of the large number of varieties cultivated scarcely more than
one-half are grown to any great extent while many of them are hardly
known outside of the limit of cultivation. Tobacco is a strong growing
plant resisting heat and drought to a far greater extent than most
plants. It is a native of America, the discovery of the continent and
the plant occurring almost simultaneously. It succeeds best in a deep
rich loam in a climate ranging from forty to fifty degrees of
latitude. After having been introduced and cultivated in nearly all
parts of the world, America enjoys the reputation of growing the
finest varieties known to commerce. European tobacco is lacking in
flavor and is less powerful than the tobacco of America.
The botanical account of tobacco is as follows:--
"Nicotiana, the tobacco plant is a genus of plants of the
order of Monogynia, belonging to the pentandria class, order
1, of class V. It bears a tubular 5-cleft calyx; a
funnel-formed corolla, with a plaited 5-cleft border; the
stamina inclined; the stigma capitate; the capsule 2-celled,
and 2 to 4 valved."
A more general description of the plant is given by an American
writer:--
"The tobacco plant is an annual growing from eighteen inches
(dwarf tobacco) to seven or eight feet in height[3]. It
bears numerous leaves of a pale green color sessile, ovate
lanceolate and pointed in form, which come out alternately
from two to three inches apart. The flowers grow in loose
panicles at the extremity of the stalks, and the calyx is
bell-shaped, and divided at its summit into five pointed
segments. The tube of the corolla expands at the top into an
oblong cup terminating in a 5-lobed plaited rose-colored
border. The pistil consists of an oval germ, a slender style
longer than the stamen, and a cleft stigma. The flowers are
succeeded by capsules of 2 cells opening at the summit and
containing numerous kidney-shaped seeds."
[Footnote 3: An old English writer in describing tobacco
says:--"When at its just height, it is as tall as an
ordinary sized man."]
Two of the finest varieties of Nicotiana Tobacum that are cultivated
are the Oronoco and the Sweet Scented; they differ only in the form of
the leaves, those of the latter variety being shorter and broader than
the other. They are annual herbaceous plants, rising with strong erect
stems to the height of from six to nine feet, with fine handsome
foliage. The stalk near the root is often an inch or more in diameter,
and surrounded by a hairy clammy substance, of a greenish yellow
color. The leaves are of a light green; they grow alternately, at
intervals of two or three inches on the stalk; they are oblong and
spear-shaped; those lowest on the stalk are about twenty inches in
length, and they decrease as they ascend.
The young leaves when about six inches, are of a deep green color and
rather smooth, and as they approach maturity they become yellowish and
rougher on the surface. The flowers grow in clusters from the
extremities of the stalk; they are yellow externally and of a delicate
red within. They are succeeded by kidney shaped capsules of a brown
color.
Thompson in his "Notices relative to Tobacco" describes the tobacco
plant as follows:--
"The species of Nicotiana which was first known, and which
still furnishes the greatest supply of Tobacco, is the N.
tobacum, an annual plant, a native of South America, but
naturalized to our climate. It is a tall, not inelegant
plant, rising to the height of about six feet, with a
strong, round, villous, slightly viscid stem, furnished with
alternate leaves, which are sessile, or clasp the stems; and
are decurrent, lanceolate, entire; of a full green on the
upper surface, and pale on the under.
"In a vigorous plant, the lower leaves are about twenty
inches in length, and from three to five in breadth,
decreasing as they ascend. The inflorescence, or flowering
part of the stem, is terminal, loosely branching in that
form which botanists term a panicle, with long, linear
floral leaves or bractes at the origin of each division.
"The flowers, which bloom in July and August, are of a pale
pink or rose color: the calyx, or flower-cup, is
bell-shaped, obscurely pentangular, villous, slightly
viscid, and presenting at the margin five acute, erect
segments. The corolla is twice the length of the calyx,
viscid, tubular below, swelling above into an oblong cup,
and expanding at the lip into five somewhat plaited, pointed
segments; the seed vessel is an oblong or ovate capsule,
containing numerous reniform seeds, which are ripe in
September and October; and if not collected, are shed by the
capsule opening at the apex."
In Stevens and Liebault's Maison Rustique, or the Country Farm,
(London, 1606), is found the following curious account of the tobacco
plant:--
"This herbe resembleth in figure fashion, and qualities, the
great comfrey in such sort as that a man woulde deeme it to
be a kinde of great comfrey, rather than a yellow henbane,
as some have thought.
"It hath an upright stalke, not bending any way, thicke,
bearded or hairy, and slimy: the leaves are broad and long,
greene, drawing somewhat towards a yellow, bearded or
hoarrie, but smooth and slimie, having as it were talons,
but not either notched or cut in the edges, a great deale
bigger downward toward the root than above: while it is
young it is leaved, as it were lying upon the ground, but
rising to a stalke and growing further, it ceaseth to have
such a number of leaves below, and putteth forth branches
from half foot to half, and storeth itselfe, by that meanes
with leaves, and still riseth higher from the height of four
or five foote, unto three or four or five cubits according
as is sown in a hot and fat ground, and carefully tilled.
The boughs and branches thereof put out at joints, and
divide the stalk by distance of halfe a foote: the highest
of which branches are bigger than an arme.
"At the tops and ends of his branches and boughs, it putteth
foorth flowers almost like those of Nigella, of a whitish
and incarnate color, having the fashion of a little bell
comming out of a swad or husk, being of the fashion of a
small goblet, which husk becometh round, having the fashion
of a little apple, or sword's pummell: as soon as the flower
is gone and vanished away, it is filled with very small
seedes like unto those of yellow henbane, and they are black
when they be ripe, or greene, while they are not yet ripe.
"In a hot countree it beareth leaves, flowers, and seeds at
the same time, in the ninth or tenth month of the year it
putteth foorth young cions at the roote, and reneweth itself
by this store and number of cions, and great quantity of
sprouts, and yet notwithstanding the roots are little,
small, fine thready strings, or if otherwise they grow a
little thick, yet remaine they still very short, in respect
of the height of the plant. The roots and leaves do yield a
glewish and rosinith kind of juice, somewhat yellow, of a
rosinlike smell, not unpleasant, and of a sharpe, eager and
biting taste, which sheweth that it is by nature hot,
whereupon we must gather that it is no kind of yellow
henbane as some have thought. Nicotiana craveth a fat ground
well stird, and well manured also in this cold countrie
(England) that is to say an earth, wherein the manure is so
well mingled and incorporated, as that it becometh earthie,
that is to say, all turned into earth, and not making any
shew any more of dung: which is likewise moist and shadowie,
wide and roomy, for in a narrow and straight place it would
not grow high, straight, great and well-branched.
"It desireth the South sun before it, and a wall behind it,
which may stand in stead of a broad pair of shoulders to
keep away the northern wind and to beate backe againe the
heat of the sun. It groweth the better if it be oft watered,
and maketh itself sport and jolly good cheer with water when
the time becometh a little dry. It hateth cold, and
therefore to keepe it from dying in winter, it must be
either kept in cellars where it may have free benefit of
air, or else in some cave made on purpose within the same
garden, or else to cover it as with a cloak very well with a
double mat, making a penthouse of wicker work from the wall
to cover the head thereof with straw laid thereupon: and
when the southern sun shineth, to open the door of the
covert made for the said herb right upon the said South
sun."
The most ludicrous part of "The discourse on Nicotian" will be found
in that portion which relates to the making of the plant-bed and
transplanting:--
"For to sow it, you must make a hole in the earth with your
finger and that as deep as your finger is long, then you
must cast into the same hole ten or twelve seeds of the said
Nicotiana together, and fill up the hole again: for it is so
small, as that if you should put in but four or five seeds
the earth would choake it: and if the time be dry, you must
water the place easily some five days after: And when the
herb is grown out of the earth, inasmuch as every seed will
have put up his sprout and stalk, and that the small thready
roots are intangled the one within the other, you must with
a great knife make a composs within the earth in the places
about this plot where they grow and take up the earth and
all together, and cast them into a bucket full of water, to
the end that the earth may be seperated, and the small and
tender impes swim about the water; and so you shall sunder
them one after another without breaking of them." * *
THE STALK.
The Tobacco stalk varies with the varieties of the plant. All of the
species cultivated in the United States have stalks of a large
size--much larger than many varieties grown in the tropics. Those of
some species of tobacco are little and easily broken, which to a
certain extent is the case with most varieties of the plant when
maturing very fast. The stalks of some plants are rough and uneven,
while those of others are smooth. Nearly all, including most of those
grown in Europe and America, have erect, round, hairy, viscid stalks,
and large, fibrous roots; while that of Spanish as well as dwarf
tobacco is harder and much smaller. The stalk is composed of a
wood-like substance containing a glutinous pith, and is of about the
same shade of color as the leaves. As the plant develops in size the
stalk hardens, and when fully grown is not easily broken.
[Illustration: Tobacco stalks.]
The size of the stalk corresponds with that of the leaves, and with
such varieties of the plant as Connecticut seed leaf, Virginia,
Kentucky, Ohio, St. Domingo, and some others; both will be found to be
larger than Spanish, Latakia, and Syrian tobacco, which have a much
smaller but harder stalk. It will readily be seen that the stalk must
be strong and firm in order to support the large palm-like leaves
which on some varieties grow to a length of nearly four feet with a
corresponding breadth. The stalk does not "cure down" as fast as the
leaves, which is thought now to be necessary in order to prevent
sweating, as well as to hasten the curing. Most of the varieties of
the plant have an erect, straight stalk, excepting Syrian tobacco,
which near the top describes more of a semi-circle, but not to that
extent of giving an idea of an entirely crooked plant. The stalk
gradually tapers from the base to the summit, and when deprived of its
leaves presents a smooth appearance not unlike that of a small tree or
shrub deprived of its twigs and leaves.
THE LEAVES.
The Plant bears from eight to twenty leaves according to the species
of the plant. They have various forms, ovate, lanceolate, and pointed.
Leaves of a lanceolate form are the largest, and the shape of those
found on most varieties of the American plant. The color of the leaves
when growing, as well as after curing and sweating, varies, and is
frequently caused by the condition of the soil. The color while
growing may be either a light or dark green, which changes to a
yellowish cast as the plant matures and ripens. The ground leaves are
of a lighter color and ripen earlier than the rest--sometimes turning
yellow, and during damp weather rotting and dropping from the stalk.
Some varieties of the plant, like Latakia, bear small but thick
leaves, which after cutting are very thin and fine in texture; while
others, like Connecticut seed leaf and Havana, bear leaves of a medium
thickness, which are also fine and silky after curing. But while the
color of the plant when growing is either a light or dark green, it
rapidly changes during curing, and especially after passing through
the sweat, changing to a light or dark cinnamon like Connecticut seed
leaf, black like Holland and Perique tobacco, bright yellow of the
finest shade of Virginia and Carolina leaf, brown like Sumatra, or
dark red like that known by the name of "Boshibaghli," grown in Asia
Minor. The leaves are covered with glandular hairs containing a
glutinous substance of an unpleasant odor, which characterizes all
varieties as well as nearly all parts of the plant.
The leaves of all varieties of tobacco grow the entire length of the
stem and clasp the stalk, excepting those of Syrian, which are
attached by a long stem. The size of the leaves, as well as the entire
plant, is now much larger than when first discovered. One of the early
voyagers describes the plant as short and bearing leaves of about the
size and shape of the walnut. In many varieties the leaves grow in a
semi-circular form while in others they grow almost straight and still
others growing erect presenting a singular appearance. The stem or
mid-rib running through the leaf is large and fibrous and its numerous
smaller veins proportionally larger which on curing become smaller and
particularly in those kinds best adapted for cigar wrappers. The
leaves from the base to the center of the plant are of about equal
size but are smaller as they reach the summit, but after topping
attain about the same size as the others. The color of the leaf after
curing may be determined by the color of the leaf while growing--if
dark green while maturing in the field, the color will be dark after
curing and sweating and the reverse if of a lighter shade of green.
[Illustration: Tobacco leaves.]
If the soil be dark the color of the leaf will be darker than if grown
upon a light loam. Some varieties of the plant have leaves of a smooth
glossy appearance while others are rough and the surface uneven--more
like a cabbage leaf, a peculiar feature of the tobacco of Syria. The
kind of fertilizers applied to the soil also in a measure as well as
the soil itself has much to do with the texture or body of the leaf
and should be duly considered by all growers of the plant. A light
moist loam should be chosen for the tobacco field if a leaf of light
color and texture is desired while if a dark leaf is preferred the
soil chosen should be a moist heavy loam.
THE FLOWER.
The flowers of the tobacco plant grow in a bunch or cluster on the
summit of the plant and are of a pink, yellow, or purple white color
according to the variety of the plant. On most varieties the color of
the flowers is pink excepting Syrian or Latakia which bears yellow
flowers while those of Shiraz or Persian and Guatemala are white
while those of the Japan tobacco, are purple. The segments of the
corolla are pointed but on some varieties unequal, particularly that
of Shiraz tobacco. The flowers impart a pleasant odor doubtless to all
lovers of the weed but to all others a compound of villainous smells
among which and above all the rest may be recognized an odor
suggestive of the leaves of the plant.
[Illustration: Bud and flowers.]
When in full blossom a tobacco field forms a pleasant feature of a
landscape which is greatly heightened if the plants are large and of
equal size. The pink flowers are the largest while those of a yellow
color are the smallest. The plant comes into blossom a few weeks
before fully ripe when with a portion of the stalk they are broken off
to hasten the ripening and maturing of the leaves. After the buds
appear they blossom in a few days and remain in full bloom two or
three weeks, when they perish like the blossoms of other plants and
flowers. The flowers of Havana tobacco are of a lighter pink than
those of Connecticut tobacco but are not as large--a trifle larger
however than those of Latakia tobacco. Those varieties of the tobacco
plant bearing pink flowers are the finest flavored and are used
chiefly for the manufacture of cigars while those bearing yellow
flowers are better adapted for cutting purposes and the pipe.
The American varieties of tobacco bear a larger number of flowers
than European tobaccos or those of Africa or Asia. The color of the
flowers remain the same whether cultivated in one country or another
while the leaves may grow larger or smaller according to the system of
cultivation adopted. Those varieties of the plant with heart-shaped
leaves have paniculated flowers with unequal cups. The flower stems on
the American varieties are much longer than those of European tobaccos
and also larger. The season has much to do with the size of the
flowers; as if very dry they are usually smaller and not as numerous
as if grown under more favorable circumstances.
THE CAPSULE.
As soon as the flowers drop from the fruit bud the capsules grow very
rapidly until they have attained full size--which occurs only in those
plants which have been left for seed and remain untopped. When topped
they are not usually full grown--as some growers top the plants when
just coming into blossom, while others prefer to top the plants when
in full bloom and others still when the blossoms begin to fall. The
fruit is described by Wheeler
"as a capsule of a nearly oval figure.
There is a line on each side of it, and it contains two
cells, and opens at the top. The receptacles one of a
half-oval figure, punctuated and affixed to the separating
body. The seeds are numerous, kidney-shaped, and rugose."
Most growers of the plant would describe the fruit bud as follows: In
form resembling an acorn though more pointed at the top; in some
species, of a dark brown in others of a light brown color, containing
two cells filled with seeds similar in shape to the fruit bud, but not
rugose as described by some botanists. Some writers state that each
cell contains about one thousand seeds. The fruit buds of Connecticut,
Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio Tobacco as well as of most of the
varieties grown within the limits of the United States are much larger
than those of Havana, Yara, Syrian, and numerous other species of the
plant, while the color of these last named varieties is a lighter
shade of brown. The color of the seed also varies according to the
varieties of the plant. The seeds of some species are of a dark brown
while others are of a lighter shade. The seeds, however, are so small
that the variety to which they belong cannot be determined except by
planting or sowing them.
[Illustration: Capsules. (Fruit bud.)]
The plants selected for seed are usually left growing until late in
the season, and at night should be protected from the cold and frost
by a light covering of some kind--this may not be absolutely
necessary, as most growers of tobacco have often noticed young plants
growing around the base or roots of the seed stalk--the seeds of which
germinated although remaining in the ground during the winter. Strong,
healthy plants generally produce large, well filled capsules the only
ones to be selected by the grower if large, fine plants are desired.
Many growers of tobacco have doubtless examined the capsules of some
species of the plant and frequently observed that the capsules or
fruit buds are often scarcely more than half-filled while others
contain but a few seeds. The largest and finest capsules on the plant
mature first, while the smaller ones grow much slower and are
frequently several weeks changing from green to brown. Many of the
capsules do not contain any seed at all.
THE SUCKER.
The offshoots or suckers as they are termed, make their appearance at
the junction of the leaves and stalk, about the roots of the plant,
the result of that vigorous growth caused by topping. The suckers can
hardly be seen until after the plant has been topped, when they come
forward rapidly and in a short time develop into strong, vigorous
shoots. Tatham describing the sucker says:
"The sucker is a superfluous sprout which is wont to make
its appearance and shoot forth from the stem or stalk, near
to the junction of the leaves with the stems, and about the
root of the plant, and if allowed to grow, injuring the
marketable quality of the tobacco by compelling a division
of its nutriment during the act of maturation. The planter
is therefore careful to destroy these intruders with the
thumb nail, as in the act of topping. This superfluity of
vegetation, like that of the top, has been often the subject
of legislative care; and the policy of supporting the good
name of the Virginia produce has dictated the wisdom of
penal laws to maintain her good faith against imposition
upon strangers who trade with her."
The ripening of the suckers not only proves injurious to the quality
of the leaf but retards their size and maturity and if allowed to
continue, prevents them from attaining their largest possible growth.
[Illustration: Suckers.]
On large, strong, growing plants the growth of suckers is very rank
after attaining a length of from six to ten inches, and when fully
grown bearing flowers like the parent stalk. After growing for a
length of time they become tough and attached so firmly to the stem of
the leaf and stalk that they are broken off with difficulty,
frequently detaching the leaf with them. The growth of the suckers,
however, determines the quality as well as the maturity of the plants.
Weak, spindling plants rarely produce large, vigorous shoots, the
leaves of such suckers are generally small and of a yellowish color.
When the plants are fully ripe and ready to harvest the suckers will
be found to be growing vigorously around the root of the plant. This
is doubtless the best evidence of its maturity, more reliable by far
than any other as it denotes the ripening of the entire plant.
Suckering the plants hastens the ripening of the leaves, and gives a
lighter shade of color, no matter on what soil the plants are grown.
Having treated at some length of the various parts of the tobacco
plant--stalk, leaves, flowers, capsules and suckers we come now to its
nicotine properties. The tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a
virulent poison known as Nicotine. This property, however, as well as
others as violent is found in many articles of food, including the
potato together with its stalk and leaves; the effects of which may be
experienced by chewing a small quantity of the latter. The New
Edinburgh Encyclopedia says:
"The peculiar effect produced by using tobacco bears some
resemblance to intoxication and is excited by an essential
oil which in its pure state is so powerful as to destroy
life even in very minute quantity."
Chemistry has taught us that nicotine is only one among many
principles which are contained in the plant. It is supposed by many
but not substantiated by chemical research that nicotine is not the
flavoring agent which gives tobacco its essential and peculiar
varieties of odor. Such are most probably given by the essential oils,
which vary in amount in different species of the plant.
An English writer says:
"Nicotine is disagreeable to the habitual smoker, as is
proved by the increased demand for clean pipes or which by
some mechanical contrivance get rid of the nicotine."
The late Dr. Blotin tested by numerous experiments the effects of
nicotine on the various parts of the organization of man. While the
physiological effects of nicotine may be interesting to the medical
practitioner, they will hardly interest the general reader unless it
can be shown that the effects of nicotine and tobacco should be proved
to be identical.
We are loth to leave this subject, however, as it is so intimately
connected with the history of the plant, without treating somewhat of
its medicinal properties which to many are of more interest than its
social qualities. The Indians not only used the plant socially,
religiously, but medicinally. Their Medicine men prescribed its use in
various ways for most diseases common among them. The use thus made of
the plant attracted the attention of the Spanish and English, far more
than its use either as a means of enjoyment or as a religious act.
When introduced to the Old World, its claims as a remedy for most
diseases gave it its popularity and served to increase its use. It was
styled "_Sana sancta Indorum_--" "_Herbe propre à tous maux_," and
physicians claimed that it was "the most sovereign and precious weed
that ever the earth tendered to the use of man." As early as 1610,
three years after the London and Plymouth Companies settled in
Virginia, and some years before it began to be cultivated by them as
an article of export, it had attracted the attention of English
physicians, who seemed to take as much delight in writing of the
sanitary uses of the herb as they did in smoking the balmy leaves of
the plant.
Dr. Edmund Gardiner, "Practitioner of Physicke," issued in 1610 a
volume entitled, "The Triall of Tobacco," setting forth its curative
powers. Speaking of its use he says:
"Tobacco is not violent, and therefore may in my judgement
bee safely put in practise. Thus then you plainly see that
all medicines, and especially tobacco, being rightly and
rationally used, is a noble medicine and contrariwise not in
his due time with other circumstances considered, it doth no
more than a nobleman's shooe doth in healing the gout in the
foot."
Dr. Verner of Bath, in his Treatise concerning the taking the fume of
tobacco (1637) says that when "taken moderately and at fixed times
with its proper adjunct, which (as they doe suppose) is a cup of
sack, they think it be no bad physick." Dr. William Barclay in his
work on Tobacco, (1614) declares "that it worketh wonderous cures." He
not only defends the herb but the "land where it groweth." At this
time the tobacco plant like Indian Corn was very small, possessing but
few of the qualities now required to make it merchantable. When first
exported to Spain and Portugal from the West Indies and South America,
and even by the English from Virginia, the leaf was dark in color and
strong and rank in flavor. This, however, seems to have been the
standard in regard to some varieties while others are spoken of by
some of the early writers upon tobacco as "sweet."
The tobacco (uppowoc) grown by the Indians in America, at the time of
its discovery, and more particularly in North America, would compare
better with the suckers of the largest varieties of the plant rather
than with even the smallest species of the plant now cultivated. At
the present time tobacco culture is considered a science in order to
secure the colors in demand, and that are fashionable, and also the
right texture of leaf now so desirable in all tobaccos designed for
wrappers. Could the Indians, who cultivated the plant on the banks of
the James, the Amazon and other rivers of America, now look upon the
plant growing in rare luxuriance upon the same fields where they first
raised it, they could hardly realize them to be the same varieties
that they had previously planted.