comprised in a narrow area in the south-west part of the
island, about twenty-seven leagues broad. Near the western
extremity of the Island of Cuba, on the southern coast, is
found one of the finest tobaccos in the world. Within a
space of seventy-three miles long and eighteen miles wide,
grows the plant that stands as eminent among tobacco plants
as the lordly Johannisberger among the wines of the Rhine.
Shut in on the north by mountains, and south-west by the
ocean, Pinar del Rio being the principal point in the
district. These _vegas_ are found generally on the margins
of rivers, or in low, moist localities, their ordinary size
being not more than a _coballeria_, which amounts to about
thirty-three acres of our measurement. The half of this is
also most frequently devoted to the raising of the vegetable
known as the _platano_ (banana), which may be said to be the
bread of the lower classes. A few other small vegetables are
raised. The usual buildings upon such places are a dwelling
house, a drying-house, a few sheds for cattle, and perhaps a
small _bohio_ (hut), or two, made in the rudest manner, for
the shelter of the hands, who, upon some of the very largest
places number twenty or thirty, though not always
negroes--for this portion of the labor of the island seems
to be performed by the lower classes of whites. Some of the
places that are large have a mayoral, as he is called, a man
whose business it is to look after the negroes, and direct
the agricultural labors; but, as a general thing, the
planter, who is not always the owner of the property, but
simply the lessee, lives upon, directs, and governs the
place.
"Guided by the results of a long experience transmitted from
his ancestors (says a Spanish author), the farmer knows,
without being able to explain himself, the means of
augmenting or diminishing the strength or the mildness of
the tobacco. His right hand, as if guided by an instinct,
foresees what buds it is necessary to take off in order to
put a limit to the increase or height, and what amount of
trimming is necessary to give a chance to the proper
quantity of leaves. But the principal care, and that which
occupies him in his waking hours, is the extermination of
the voracious insects that persecute the plant. One called
_cachaga_ domesticates itself at the foot of the leaves; the
_verde_, on the under side of the leaves; the _rosquilla_,
in the heart of the plant; all of them doing more or less
damage. The planter passes entire nights, provided with
lights, clearing the buds just opening, of these destructive
insects. He has even to carry on a war with still worse
enemies,--the _vivijagnas_, a species of large, native ants,
that are to the tobacco what the locust is to the wheat.
This plague is so great, at times, that prayers and special
adoration are offered up to San Marcial to intercede against
the plague of ants.
"The plant, whose original name was _cohiba_, seems to have
been cultivated first by Europeans on the island in the
vicinity of Havana. The island of Cuba is without doubt
well adapted for the cultivation of tobacco--the soil,
climate, and improved methods of culture all tend to the
production of a leaf tobacco as celebrated as it is
valuable.
[Illustration: Killing bugs by night.]
"Between the 'Lower Valley,' in the Nicotian, not the
geographical, sense of these words, lie the so-called
_Partidos_ which produce the tobacco that is sent to Europe
as _Partido_ or _Cabañas_. The leaf often surpasses that of
the 'Lower Valley' in size and fineness, as well as in the
beauty of the color; but it is inferior in quality. The
tobacco farmers though stalwart fellows are not fond of
work, and too often waste their time at the tavern. Many of
them from thriftlessness are plunged into debt; and scarcely
is the harvest ended when they borrow money from the tobacco
merchant on the following harvest, who thereby obtains the
right to interfere, it may be despotically, with the
management of the crop. Continual embarrassments tempt the
tobacco planters to be dishonest. To cheat their creditors,
they often sell the best part of the crop in underhand
fashion. Such of the tobacco farmers as wish to produce a
great deal of tobacco, without regard to the excellence of
the article, leave the plant to its natural growth, which is
both scientifically and otherwise objectionable, for it is
on a process of thinning and pruning a due diffusion of sap
in the leaves depends, and consequently the quality of the
tobacco."
The tobacco, after being baled, is sent to the Havana market. The
bales of tobacco are carried on the backs of mules or horses to the
city or to the nearest railway station.
[Illustration: Going to market.]
"In the long line or train of mules or horses, the head of
one mule or horse is tied to the tail of the one before it.
On the back of the foremost sits the driver. The hindmost
carries a bell, which enables the driver to know whether any
of the animals have broken loose."
From the description given by Hazard of Cuba, its soil, climate, and
other resources, it will readily be seen by all acquainted with the
tobacco plant that this famous island is well adapted for the
production of a tobacco that for fineness and delicacy of flavor is
hardly rivaled. With the peculiar composition of the soil, and with a
climate well adapted for the perfection of all kinds of tropical
plants and fruits, it can hardly be imagined that any finer variety of
tobacco can be grown than that produced in Cuba and the adjoining
islands. Doubtless the climate of Cuba is nearly the same as when
Columbus discovered the island, and wrote in such extravagant
language its praise. The soil of Cuba is prolific, and the variety of
tropical plants and fruits grown upon the island is quite remarkable.
Nowhere is this seen to a greater extent than in the varieties of
tobacco cultivated. Although there are several kinds and qualities
grown on the island, the mode of culture upon all the _vegas_ is
nearly the same. These _vegas_ or tobacco farms greatly outnumber the
coffee and sugar estates, but are much smaller, and require a less
number of hands to work them. Hazard estimates the number at ten
thousand, while they are constantly increasing as new fields are being
tried and new modes of culture introduced. Russell says of tobacco
culture in Cuba:--
"In regard to climate, it is worthy of observation that
tobacco is only cultivated during winter, when there is
little rain. It grows most luxuriantly in summer with the
increased heat and moisture; but the leaves grown in this
season are devoid of those qualities for which the weed is
esteemed. The conditions of growth are less powerful in
winter, when the temperature is ten degrees lower, and the
fall of rain small. At the same time, there is more sunshine
to impart those aromatic qualities which are so much
relished by smokers of tobacco. In Virginia the torrid heat
and thunder showers during the summer months are by no means
favorable for developing the mild aroma of a good smoking
leaf. Such atmospheric conditions are better suited for
cotton and Indian corn than tobacco, which must have dry
weather and sunshine to produce it in perfection."
No country in Europe is more celebrated for its tobacco than Germany.
The tobacco plant has been cultivated in some parts of Prussia for
nearly two centuries. The tobacco of Germany is used for all purposes
for which the leaf is designed--for cutting, cigars, and snuff. There
are various kinds of German tobacco, the finest being grown in the
Grand Duchy of Baden. The native tobacco of Germany, however, is not
powerful in flavor, and may be smoked continuously to an extent which
would be dangerous and disagreeable if American tobacco were used.
Although it is cultivated in most of the States of Germany, and by a
large number of growers, still the tobacco fields as a rule are small.
The Germans are among the most thorough cultivators of the plant in
Europe, and every operation in the field is done at the proper time
and in the right manner. After it is cured they prepare it nicely in
rolls and carots, the latter for manufacturing into snuff. The tobacco
fields are faithfully tended, and the utmost pains taken to secure
large, well-formed leaves. The fields present a much more even
appearance than similar fields in France, where the tobacco grown is
small and uneven. The South German growers of tobacco are without
doubt the most successful tobacco-growers in Europe, not excepting the
Hollanders, who raise an excellent tobacco for snuff. The time of
gathering the leaves is the occasion of quite a merry-making among the
growers and villagers, and is considered an event of considerable
importance. Fairholt says:--
"The time of harvesting the leaves is an interesting period
for a stranger to visit the villages, which put on a new
aspect as every house and barn is hung all over with the
drying leaves."
[Illustration: German tobacco field.]
German tobacco cures well, and some of the finer sorts make excellent
cigar wrappers and are much esteemed throughout Europe. The following
account of the cultivation and production of tobacco in the different
German States, will give some idea of the amount cultivated and used
in Germany:--
"The aggregate area of land cultivated with tobacco in
Prussia during the year 1871, amounted to 5.925 hectares (a
hectare being equal to 2.47 English acres). It appears that
the extent of tobacco-growing land has, during the last
fifty years, been gradually diminishing in Prussia, and that
accordingly the expectations entertained in the beginning of
that period of a great future development of this branch of
agriculture, have not been realized; for whilst the area of
land planted with tobacco in the year 1825 was 12.374
hectares, it amounted in 1871 to less than one-half this
amount. The reasons for this gradual decline are considered
to be, on the one hand, the growing competition of the South
German growers, and the increase in the importations of
American tobacco; on the other, the fact that the
cultivation of beet-root (for sugar manufacturing) and of
potatoes (for the distilleries) has proved to be a more
profitable business than the cultivation of tobacco. It has,
moreover, been found by many years' experience, that whilst
the quality of the tobacco cultivated in most parts of
Prussia is not such as to enable the growers to compete
successfully with the importers of foreign (particularly of
North American) sorts, the labor attending its cultivation
and its preparation for the market, as well as the
uncertainty of only an average crop, are out of proportion,
as a rule, to the average profits arising therefrom. The
cultivation of the plant has, consequently, gradually become
restricted, chiefly to those districts of the country where
either the soil is peculiarly adapted for the purpose, or
where it is carried on for the private use of the producer."
With regard to the various provinces of Prussia, it appears
that "In East Prussia the extent of tobacco land is only a
limited one, and is confined to the district around Tilsit,
where about two-thirds of the entire cultivation is in the
hands of peasants, who consume their own produce. In West
Prussia (the western portion of the province of Prussia
proper) the cultivation is rather more extensive,
particularly near the town of Marienwerder; the tobacco,
however, is very inferior. The most important districts of
the province of Posen are those of Chodziesz and Meseritz.
In Pomerania, next to Brandenburg the most important
tobacco-growing province of the kingdom, the area of land
cultivated is very large. The principal districts are those
near Stettin. In Silesia the most important districts are
those around Breslau, Ratibor, and Oels. The principal
tobacco-growing province of Prussia is Brandenburg, and here
again, particularly the part of the government district of
Potsdam, which contains the towns of Neustadt, Eberswalde
and Prenzlau. Besides the districts mentioned, tobacco is
grown largely in that of Frankfort-on-the Oder. In the
province of Saxony the chief districts are those of Stendal,
Salzwedel, Nordhausen, Burg, and Wittenburg. Hanover, like
the other western provinces of the kingdom, produces a
superior quality of tobacco to that raised in the eastern
parts of Prussia--the most important district is that of
Munden. The chief tobacco-growing districts of Hesse-Nossau
are situated near the towns of Cassel and Hanau. In Rhenish
Prussia the plant is cultivated, particularly in the
neighborhood of Cleve, Emmerich, Coblenz, Creuznach, and
Saarbruck; the districts first mentioned produce a very
superior quality. The production of tobacco in Westphalia is
extremely small, while in the province of Schleswig-Holstein
the plant is not cultivated at all. In the account given it
will be seen that the tobacco plant holds an important place
among the products of Prussia, and although not as
extensively cultivated as formerly, has not been entirely
driven from the soil by other products which yield a larger
profit to the producer. The plant is cultivated in other
parts of Germany, especially in Bavaria, where large
quantities of tobacco are grown, particularly so in the
Bavarian Palatinate and in Franconia (viz., the districts
around Nuremberg and Erlangen). In the Kingdom of Saxony but
little tobacco is raised, as is also the case in Wurtemberg,
although the soil and climate in parts of this state are
said to be very favorable to the growth of the tobacco
plant; the area of land cultivated is upon the whole, a very
limited one, and in 1871 did not exceed 178.2 hectares. The
Grand Duchy of Baden has at all times been the chief
tobacco-growing part of Germany; as far back as the end of
the Seventeenth Century, special laws for regulation of the
cultivation, preparation, and warehousing of this article
were in force. The most prominent tobacco-growing districts
of Baden are those of Carlsruhe, Mannheim, Heidelburg,
Badenburg, Schwetzingen, and Lahr; the quality of the plant
grown in those parts being a very superior one (among the
various kinds of German tobacco). The produce of the
districts mentioned is therefore applied chiefly in the
manufacture of cigar wrappers, and is exported in
considerable quantities to Bremen, Hamburg, Switzerland,
Holland, and even to America for the use of cigar
manufacture. The prices of the best kinds of Baden tobacco
are consequently also, on an average, much higher than those
realized by other German growers. In the Grand Duchy of
Hesse the plant is cultivated, the chief district being that
around the town of Darmstadt; in the Thuringian States,
tobacco is grown; the most prominent among them as regards
its production is the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. In
Mecklenburg also some tobacco is raised, the most important
district being that of Neu Brandenburg (in
Mecklenburg-Strelitz). In Brunswick only a small extent of
land is used for tobacco growing, the same being situated
near the town of Helmstadt. In Alsace and Lorraine, the
recently acquired provinces of Germany, the cultivation of
tobacco has been extensively carried on for many years, more
especially in the country around Strasburg, Mulhausen,
Schirmeck, and Munster, and to a small extent near Metz and
Thionville."
It is apparent from this account that the German tobacco fields
produce a vast quantity of tobacco, some of which is of excellent
texture and flavor, and well adapted to the taste of European smokers
of the plant.
Ever since the introduction of tobacco into Holland, its cultivation
and its use has been looked upon with favor by the "true-born
Nederlander," who associates the plant with every social enjoyment.
The Dutch, on the discovery of tobacco, were among the first to use it
and encourage its cultivation. In the history of the Dutch colonies in
the Indies it plays an important part. Tobacco began to be cultivated
in Holland about Amersfoot in 1615, and from that time until now, its
culture has increased until it has become one of the greatest of
agricultural products of the country. The plant is grown in the
Veluive (the valley of Guelderland), where the soil is particularly
adapted for the rich snuff-leaf which is manufactured from Amersfoot
tobacco. The Dutch, like the Germans, are excellent cultivators of
tobacco, selecting the richest and the strongest land, and working the
fields of as fine a tilth as possible. The plants do not grow as
rapidly as in America, as they are transplanted into the fields in
May, and are not harvested until the latter part of September or
beginning of October. The plants attain good size--larger than most
of the tobacco of Europe, and a tobacco field in Holland compares
favorably with any in this country. The color of the plants while
growing, is a dark rich green, and they are of a uniform size,
maturing slowly but thoroughly. Connor says of Amersfoot tobacco:
"This tobacco is much esteemed, the fineness of the leaf and its
freedom from fibres fitting it for cigar-wrappers."
[Illustration: Dutch planters.]
The Dutch planters of tobacco are among the happiest cultivators of
the plant in Europe, if not in the world, and unlike the renowned Van
Twiller never "have any doubts about the matter," and believe that
tobacco is absolutely necessary to sustain life. After the evening
meal the planter lights his pipe or calls upon the good dominie, to
have a social chat, discoursing over their favorite beverage the
virtues of two great luxuries. Oftener, however, he passes his
evenings at the village inn, where, surrounded by other comrades, he
discourses as follows of his favorite plant,--tabak:
"That the smoking of tobacco is of infinite benefit, no one
who is impartial and unprejudiced can deny. In a country
like Holland, where the atmosphere is always laden with
heavy and hurtful particles, and where, while people
breathe that atmosphere from above, they feel themselves not
less affected from below by the cold, moist, swampy
soil--the smoking and the chewing of tobacco are the
wholesome prophylactics of which we can make use. To the
Indians and the Negroes, tobacco is almost the only solace
in this transient life. They learn, by means of it, to
support nature, and to encounter valiantly, by its help, all
the tribulations incidental to the human lot. If they are
depressed, they smoke or chew tobacco, and gladden
themselves therewith. If they are exhausted, and the sun and
their hard and inhuman masters appear to conspire to destroy
them, a little tobacco restores their strength, makes them
forget their slavish life, and go vigorously to work again.
In the Thirty Years' War in Germany, the smoking and chewing
of tobacco proved the salvation of many thousands of men,
who by its aid guarded themselves against the deadly effects
of deficient food and of bad meats and drinks. Nothing is so
good, nothing so serviceable to human life, as the smoking
of tobacco--which may well be called a kingly plant, seeing
that the monarchs of the earth are not ashamed to use it.
While tobacco cultivates sociality, and is of great avail in
severe hunger and thirst, it strengthens the body and checks
fluxions, and colds, and slimy humors. Nature has willed it
that men should make use of plants like tobacco, which, by
their heat and sharpness, draw the humors outward, and cause
a slight salivation. Witness, as confirmation of what has
been said, cloves and pepper, which hold sway nearly over
the earth; betel, which to the Hindoos is the remedy for
every disease; the onions and leeks of the Egyptians, who
while building the pyramids and obelisks, spent their money
eagerly on those dainties; and tobacco, which is adopted by
the four quarters of the world.
The justly celebrated British physician, Cheyne, has
remarked that both chewing and smoking of tobacco are
exceedingly serviceable for those who suffer from rheumatic
and catarrhal affections, have a sluggish digestion, or live
a luxurious life. As tobacco has numerous slanderers, so
there are many who know not how to turn tobacco to a good
purpose. Excess and abuse may be found in the smoking and
chewing of tobacco as in other things. Instead of using
tobacco in moderation, there are persons who make themselves
its slaves, and render themselves incapable of the immense
benefit of the enlivening and stimulating effect they would
otherwise owe to it. A little tobacco smoked or chewed
three or four times a day cannot fail to be beneficial. But
the adversaries of tobacco, in order to furnish themselves
with an argument, make tobacco bear all the blame when some
one who has given himself up to an intemperate and luxurious
life, and who is besides a great smoker, becomes the victim
of all kinds of discomforts and sickness. To condemn tobacco
by saying those who begin to chew or smoke it nearly always
suffer from malaise and nausea, is surely preposterous. May
we not in fairness contend that tobacco is essentially
wholesome, that it helps digestion, relieves the mind and
cheers the spirits."
The following humorous account of "Thirsty Tobacco" is a most curious
illustration of the superstitions which spontaneously grow up in the
hearts of the people.
"Soon after the introduction of tobacco into Holland many of
the Dutch were of the opinion that the tobacco plant drank
in moisture greedily and required to be often and abundantly
watered. From this insatiable thirst the belief arose that
tobacco was the cause of rain, brought clouds to the
heavens, and restored the general crops. Once, in the
neighborhood of Amersfoot, the weather was very rainy, and
the crops suffered accordingly. On the tobacco growing round
the town the blame of the calamity was thrown; and it was
resolved to punish tobacco, the sottish rain-drinker and
wicked rain-bringer. A rabble, consisting chiefly of boys
and youths, rushed to the tobacco fields, and scattered
havoc with the ferocity of stupidity. The mad creatures
pulled up the stalks, tore off the leaves, and trampled
leaves and stalks under foot. Before they had done the work
of destruction quite as completely as they desired, soldiers
appeared on the scene. They sternly commanded the rioters to
desist, but the rioters paid no heed either to entreaties or
threats. Thereupon they drew their swords, as if by the mere
flash of these to terrify the rioters, who laughed a laugh
of contempt. Then effectually to frighten the rioters, the
soldiers fired at them with blank cartridges. This harmless
noise drove the mischief-makers to ignominious flight, and
the tobacco plants which were still uninjured were left in
peace."
At what exact time this destruction of "thirsty tobacco" took place we
are left in doubt. It is doubtless a "good joke" got up by some
"ponderous joker" for the amusement of Dutch smokers.
All admirers of tobacco like Holland and its people. It is
emphatically the land of smoke. One is constantly in cloud-land, and
whether in the house or on the street the incense of tobacco is
perpetual, from the good natured dominie who puffs leisurely at many
pipes to the humblest peasant who works modestly among the plants, all
burn the fragrant weed and pay homage to its shrine. Ever since the
Dutch looked upon the plant it has been more to them than king and
courtier. The old Dutch burgomasters "who dozed away their lives and
grew fat upon the bench of magistracy in Rotterdam; and who had
comported themselves with such singular wisdom and propriety, that
they were never either heard or talked of, owed all to the use and
influence of the 'kingly plant.'" Not only are the Dutch prodigious
smokers, but they use the pipe at all places and at all times. On the
way to Church the pipe is lighted, and after service it is the solace
of the evening hour.
[Illustration: Success to Von Tromp.]
In all public places the pipe plays an important part. The traveler is
constantly reminded of the use of tobacco; for even the bridges have
public notices affixed to them requesting all visitors to prevent the
fall of tobacco-ashes on the gravel or grass; and not to knock out
their pipes within bounds of the place. The old Dutch planters were
fond of a "silent pipe," and after the labors of the day gathered
together to drink and smoke to the success of Admiral Von Tromp, whose
exploits in the British Channel carried terror to many a heart. Or,
speculated upon the voyage of the "_Goede Vrouw_" (Good Woman), which
had been fitted out to colonize the new country.
The progress of tobacco-culture in Oceanica, is shown in the following
account which Connor gives of the tobacco plantations of Australia:
"The development of tobacco culture in Australia has been
great and rapid. In these colonies, where only a few years
ago the plant was not known, there are now hundreds of acres
under tobacco. The local manufacture is also keeping pace
with the production of the leaf, and the import of tobacco
into the Australian colonies yearly diminishes in proportion
to the increased consumption of locally grown and
manufactured tobacco. Imported leaf is used in the
manufacture of cigars, those made from colonial leaf being
held in low esteem. Steady efforts are being made by the
cultivators to improve the quality of the produce, and with
every prospect of success, many places in the colonies being
well adapted for the growth of the plant. Colonel De Coin
says Australia is capable of producing very good qualities.
Tobacco has hitherto been grown upon alluvial lands, but a
preference is evinced for lands somewhat less rich but free
from floods. Alluvial land gives a larger crop per acre, but
the flavor is ranker. In 1872 there were 567 acres under
tobacco in New South Wales. The average produce of the
colonies is about 1,300 pounds to the acre. The amount of
produce varied from 976 pounds to the acre in New South
Wales to 2,016 in Tasmania, the climate of this island being
moister and more favorable for tobacco than that of the
other colonies. Manilla and Havana tobacco has been grown
with great success for seed for many years at the Adelaide
Botanic Gardens, and the seed raised has been largely
distributed."
The Australian growers may demonstrate the fact that as good or better
Manilla tobacco can be grown by them than in the Philippine islands.
If the leaf will burn freely, and leave a white, firm ash, the product
will no doubt prove a rival of the leaf grown in Luzon. From the
composition of the soil, it is hardly probable that Havana tobacco
can be grown to perfection; it may, however, resemble in some measure
the Cuban leaf. The climate has much to do with the flavor of tobacco;
more than with the size of the plants or the color of the leaf. Cuba
in this respect has a decided advantage over Australia; and Havana
tobacco will hardly find a rival in Australian leaf, though grown on
the finest soil, and given the most thorough care.
[Illustration: Tobacco field in Algiers.]
So extensive is the cultivation of the tobacco plant, that even the
Arab cultivates it in the burning desert. In Algiers it is an
important product; and through the efforts and encouragement of the
French government its cultivation is assuming large dimensions. Some
portions of Algiers seem to be well adapted for tobacco, the finest of
which is equal to any obtained from America; but a large portion of
the product from that province is of poor quality. It is a favorite
plant with the Arab, and his attention seems to be about equally
divided between his tobacco and his camels. The plant is light in
color and of peculiar flavor, well suited to his taste, and in keeping
with his idea of quality and excellence. The crop is usually
bountiful, notwithstanding the heat of the summer and the absence of
moisture in the soil.
[Illustration: Tobacco field in Africa.]
The tobacco plant is also cultivated in other parts of Africa besides
Algiers. In Egypt and Nubia it is grown to a considerable extent, as
well as by most of the native tribes of the South-west. Among some
tribes it forms an important article of trade, and serves the purpose
of money or its representative. The natives are partial to the plant,
and devotedly attached to smoking. Little patches may be seen near
their huts, on which they lavish their attention and care. In some
parts of Africa tobacco grows to a very great height. Livingstone
gives an account of a variety that attained an altitude much higher
than the American plant. Several varieties are cultivated, some of
them resembling the Shiraz and Latakia, while most of it is said to be
similar to Virginia tobacco, only larger. With careful culture the
plant would doubtless thrive in most parts of Africa, as the soil is
light and the season usually favorable. Though the heat is extreme the
plant flourishes even in the hottest part of the season, and attains a
degree of perfection corresponding to the labor bestowed by the
natives in cultivating. Their manner of curing is simply by drying the
leaves, and is not suited to the taste of any besides themselves. In
Egypt, Algiers, and Nubia, the plant is cultivated with more care, and
a better system of curing is adopted than by the natives of the
interior. Burton gives an account of the cultivation of tobacco by the
natives of East Africa:--
"Tobacco grows plentifully in the more fertile regions of
East Africa. Planted at the end of the rains, it gains
strength by sun and dew, and is harvested in October. It is
prepared for sale in different forms. Everywhere, however, a
simple sun-drying supplies the place of cocking and
sweating, and the people are not so fastidious as to reject
the lower or coarser leaves and those tainted by the earth.
Usumbara produces what is considered at Zanzibar a superior
article; it is kneaded into little circular cakes four
inches in diameter by half an inch deep: rolls of these
cakes are neatly packed in plantain-leaves for exportation.
The next in order of excellence is that grown in Uhiao: it
is exported in leaf or in the form called _kambari_,
roll-tobacco, a circle of coils each about an inch in
diameter. The people of Khutu and Usagara mould the pounded
and wetted material into discs like cheeses, 8 or 9 inches
across by 2 or 3 in depth, and weighing about 3 lbs.; they
supply the Wagogo with tobacco, taking in exchange for it
salt. The leaf in Unyamwezi generally is soft and
perishable, that of Usukuma being the worst; it is sold in
blunt cones, so shaped by the mortars in which they are
pounded. At Karaguah, according to the Arabs, the tobacco, a
superior variety, tastes like musk in the water-pipe. The
produce of Ujiji is better than that of Unyamwezi; it is
sold in leaf, and is called by the Arabs _hamumi_, after a
well-known growth in Hazramaut. It is impossible to give an
average price to tobacco in East Africa; it varies from 1
khete of coral beads per 6 oz. to 2 lbs."
Some of the most beautiful and fragrant tobacco fields in the world
are to be found in Syria. Indeed it may truthfully be said that a
field of Latakia tobacco is hardly inferior in beauty to the large and
fragrant orchards of the olive and mulberry, or the wheat fields on
the terraced sides of Mount Lebanon.
The tobacco plant is cultivated in various parts of Syria and
particularly by the Druses on "The Lebanon," as it is usually called.
[Illustration: Tobacco field in Syria.]
The cultivation of tobacco in Syria, has been a considerable industry,
and the product has acquired a reputation in European markets that has
demonstrated its real value, and a constant demand for this variety of
the plant. Latakia tobacco resembles in flavor the yellow tobacco of
Eastern Thibet and Western China, both of them grown from the same
seed. Latakia tobacco is not sweated like most tobacco, but is first
cured in the sun and then hung up in the peasants' huts to cure until
ready for market. The plants ripen very fast and emit an aromatic
odor, increasing in strength as the plants ripen. For smoking it has
but few superiors. After curing, it is baled and sent to Europe, where
it is manufactured into smoking tobacco. The plants are well
cultivated and watched against the ravages of birds, which seem to
like the young and tender plants especially before they are
transplanted. From the nature of the soil the plants are watered
frequently, and when the leaves are about the size of a large cabbage
leaf are ready to harvest. As the plants ripen the leaves gradually
thicken and take on a lighter shade; the leaf when green is very
thick, but after curing is quite thin and of a bright yellow or brown,
according to the process employed in curing. The peasants take equal
pains in its fumigation, using various kinds of wood according to the
color of leaf they wish to obtain. They usually make two kinds of
leaf, the finest being colored brown and known by the name of
_abowri_. The tobacco is fumigated with two kinds of wood, _gozen_
(pine wood) and _sindian_ (oak), the tobacco fumigated with gozen
having the best smell. The fumigation, however, is said not to be
resorted to expressly for the tobacco, but the mountaineers of
necessity burn much wood in their huts in the winter, and the smoke
improves the tobacco in color, smell, and flavor. All the tobacco
grown about Latakia derives its origin from the same seed, but the
difference between the _abowri_ and the other kinds is owing to the
cultivation of the former about high mountains and with the use of
pine wood in fumigating it. A field of Latakia tobacco presents a
novel appearance, the short straight plants with their ovate leaves
bearing yellow blossoms form a striking contrast to towering seed leaf
rising fully two or three feet higher than the Syrian plant.
Fairholt says that "Latakia tobacco is a native of America but grows
wild in other countries, and is a hardy annual in English gardens,
flowering from midsummer to Michaelmas, so that by some botanists it
has been termed 'common, or 'English tobacco.'" Burton's work on
unexplored Syria is full of passages relating to tobacco and the
custom of smoking.
"The tobacco which is grown on the slopes of the Libanus and
the Anti-Libanus mountains appears to be one of the finest
quality and most delicate flavor. The monks of the convents
are famous for the production of a snuff, which for
pungency, at least, is far superior to the snuffs of Europe.
Personal experience of it convinces us that a great deal of
the pungency of this snuff is due to the addition of some
aromatic herb in addition to the natural acridity produced
by the highly dried tobacco. The cultivation of tobacco in
Syria, will probably increase in proportion to the improved
condition of affairs in Syria, we have little doubt; and we
trust that when agricultural science is better studied
there, Englishmen will have the opportunity of testing the
value and importance of Syrian tobacco products."
Connor says of the tobacco fields of India:--
"In the Bombay Presidency tobacco is largely produced, and
its quality in such districts as Kaira and Khandesh is
superior. In 1871 there were nearly 43,000 acres of land
under tobacco in the presidency, the largest quantities
being grown in Kaira, Khandesh, Belgaum Sattara, Shalopoor,
and Poona. The trade is extensive. The exports of tobacco to
foreign countries amount to several million pounds annually.
Among foreign countries, Mauritius, Bourbon, and
neighboring places, not reckoned as part of British India,
take a large share of the exports. Bombay exports tobacco to
other Indian presidencies. Small quantities of the fine
Guzerat tobaccos find their way by rail into the
North-western Provinces. Numerous endeavors have for many
years past been made to improve the quality of Bombay
tobacco. In 1831 the Resident in the Persian Gulf sent to
the local Government a maund of seed of the 'very finest
tobacco grown in Persia,' and with it he sent some
observations on the mode of cultivating tobacco in the
neighborhood of Shiraz. In 1867 fifteen small packets of
genuine Shiraz tobacco were forwarded for trial in the
Bombay Presidency. Of the seed sown in Kolhopoor, about
eight or nine germinated, and the plants grew to a height of
five feet two inches; of these only four survived. There
were two varieties, one with oblong the other with circular
leaves.
[Illustration: Tobacco field in India.]
"Of the seeds sent to Kandesh, only a few germinated. All
the seed put down in the Victoria Gardens failed. That sent
to Sind, though said to have been carefully sown, also
failed to germinate. The Conservator of Forests had the
seeds sent him sown in beds, and the plants, when a few
inches in height, were transplanted into pots. They grew
with the greatest luxuriance, and produced abundance of
flowers and seed. Some of the seed was sent to the collector
of Kaira, who forwarded a sample of the tobacco grown from
it. The Conservator considered the produce very good, and
the secretary of the Agri-Horticultural Society pronounced
it 'of a superior kind.' The flavor was exceedingly fine,
but it had not been allowed to come to maturity, hence it
was thin and shriveled. It had also been spoilt by rain,
and consequently its market value could not be fairly
tested. The experiment, it is clear, was not conducted with
proper care by most of those to whom the seed was confided,
but the Local Government considered that on the whole the
result was satisfactory, as showing that there was every
probability that Shiraz tobacco, with care and proper
gardening, might be introduced into the Bombay Presidency.
"In August, 1869, the Bombay Government again distributed a
small supply of seed of the Shiraz, Havana, and other
varieties to the superintendents of cotton experiments, and
to the collectors of Kaira, Khandesh, Dharwar, and
Kurrachee, for experimental cultivation. The seeds did well
in the hands of all the superintendents, who reported very
favorably on the plants raised from them. In Sind only the
soil in which the seed was sown proved unsuitable. In
Dharwar all the five varieties germinated, though the
Maryland failed to some extent, and a considerable quantity
of seed of each variety was secured. Of Latakia, only twenty
grains were sent to the superintendent; and the quantity in
each case increased to one pound from the produce of the
plants. These two varieties of tobacco, however, were not so
much admired by the cultivators as Shiraz, Havana, and
Maryland, to which they gave a decided preference. The only
varieties of seed which were available for experiments at
Broach and Veermgaum were Havana and Shiraz. In both places
the plants came up well, and a large quantity of seed was
obtained from them. That sent to Broach arrived a little too
late in the season to admit of an extensive experiment being
made; this indeed appears to have been the case at all the
other places. The seed, however, was of good quality,
germinated freely, and produced excellent plants in a very
short time.
"The first transplanting was made out into a field in an
open piece of land, where they commenced growing vigorously,
but the rains being then over, swarms of small locusts made
their appearance, and ate up the young plants before they
had thoroughly established themselves in the ground. The
second lot was transplanted into a more sheltered patch,
where the progress was all that could be desired, both the
varieties growing rapidly, the Havana especially producing
some leaves of enormous size. The first cutting was
entrusted to a potel, who managed it according to the native
process of curing. The tobacco was so strong, however, that
only old confirmed smokers could manage it. The most
formidable difficulty which presented itself was the
management of the midrib, which in the large leaves was
extremely coarse and juicy. When the leaves were made up
into hands for the purpose of fermentation before the midrib
was thoroughly dry, the result was invariably mould and
discoloration. On the other hand, when dried sufficiently to
insure freedom from mould, the lamina of the leaf became so
brittle that it was crushed to powder at the slightest
touch, and so wrinkled and dry that the heaps did not
ferment at all. Of the varieties supplied, the Shiraz,
Havana, and Maryland attracted most attention and promised
the best results. The great drawback was the curing part of
the process. So far as the cultivation was concerned, there
was every prospect of success; but not so with regard to the
curing."
Robertson says of the curing of the leaf:--
"In my opinion, all efforts to produce good tobacco will be
useless until the services of a competent curer are
obtained."
He considers the fault of all Indian tobacco to lie in the curing. The
leaf itself is good, and it is simply the art of curing that should be
studied.
"I have cured tobacco of different varieties, some of which
would hold a good place in the English market, but the fault
generally found with the tobacco is that it is too full
flavored. Further experiments were carried on in the same
districts with varying results. In Sind the experiments and
their results were insignificant. In Broach they were
somewhat more successful, the superintendent thus
summarising his experience:--'Havana, Shiraz, and other
varieties of exotic tobacco will, with ordinary care and
attention, yield fair and certain crops on ordinary black
land, and presumably on every other kind to be met with in
Guzerat. By the skillful application of manure, leaf of any
desired quality or peculiarity of flavor and texture may be
obtained. The quantity of produce is so great that, should
it be found practicable to cure the leaf well enough to make
it a salable article in the European market, a source of
profit by no means insignificant would be opened up to the
Guzerat ryot. For the native market the country plant is
more suitable, and its cultivation consequently the more
profitable.' In Dharwar the superintendent was enabled to
distribute seed in sufficient quantities to those applying
for it, but found the ryots would not cultivate it on a
large scale, being apprehensive of loss. Native tobacco he
considers less liable to injury than the exotic varieties
during the squally weather prevalent about the time the leaf
is approaching maturity."
Robertson, in replying to the assertion that the tobacco of India
contains little if any nicotine, says:
"It appears to me that there must be some mistake as to the
tobacco containing little or no nicotine. Very many have
tried the tobacco, and pronounce it to be good, with,
however, the fault of being exceedingly strong. Now, the
strength of tobacco comes from its nicotine, and if the
specimens I sent contain no nicotine, whence the strength? I
believe that nothing destroys tobacco so much as moistening
it. How, then, are acetic acid and chloride of soda to be
used in the curing? If the process of desiccation had been
carried on too quickly, the tobacco would have been of
either a green or greenish-yellow color. If too slowly, it
would have been black, like much of the country tobacco. I
perceive that the amount of nicotine in a great measure
depends on the extent to which the leaf is allowed to ripen.
The riper the leaf the more the nicotine. The amount of
nicotine does not appear to depend on the amount of curing.
The soil the tobacco was grown in is a hardish red moorum
soil, containing much iron; probably that may account for
the red coloring matter being so much developed. I intend to
have some of each description of the tobacco leaf analyzed,
and also intend to submit the soil in which it was grown to
the same process. I have had some of the cigars packed up
for some months to test how far they are proof against
insects. None have been attacked by insects. Some Manilla
cigars, some Trichinopoly cheroots, all packed up at the
same time, have, however, been entirely destroyed by
insects.
"It is clear from the reports that both in Guzerat and
Khandesh, Havana and Shiraz tobacco will flourish, and that
they may be introduced without difficulty. The ryots, it is
said, preferred the new kinds to their own, and desire their
introduction, the foreign varieties commanding a higher
price in the market. The chief drawback is the want of
knowledge and appliances for the proper curing of the leaf.
This, indeed, is the great drawback throughout India. In the
district of Kaira the seed is always sown in nursery beds in
the month of July, and transplanting commences about the end
of August, the operation continuing for about two months.
The tobacco planted on the dry soil called 'koormit' ripens
and is fit for cutting in January and February; that which
is grown on irrigated land during March and April. In
Canara, tobacco is generally grown in elevated situations.
The seed is sown in August, and the seedlings are
transplanted in November, the crop arriving at maturity in
three or four months. North Canara derives its supply
chiefly from Mysore, the leaf produced in that province
being said to be less liable to affect the head than that of
the Canara plant."
The Turk and his family love to cultivate tobacco as well as to smoke
it; and give it their attention from seed-sowing until it is sold to
the merchant. The Turk is very particular in cultivating it, as on its
color depends in a great measure its value. He commences work on his
plant-bed in March, sowing the seed about the same time as the
Virginia planters. After the leaves are gathered the same scrupulous
care is taken with them; especially in drying and baling, that the
leaf may be in just the right condition to ferment properly, and be
ready to be assorted by the "tobacco pickers." The Turk presses his
whole family into the cultivation of the plants. The children are
engaged in weeding while he waters the beds or prepares the tobacco
field for the planting of the tobacco. In pruning and picking the
leaves he removes only those that are small--the removal of which will
still further advance the growth of the plants, and is careful to
gather only those leaves that are turning yellow, giving evidence of
their maturity. Says one in regard to the cultivation of tobacco in
Turkey:
[Illustration: Turkish tobacco going to market.]
"The Turk and his family, it will seem, have now been
occupied upon their tobacco crop for nearly a whole year.
The leaf is just becoming a bright light yellow when it
falls into the hands of the merchant, and it is during this
period that the process of fermentation or heating generally
occurs, before which the tobacco can not be shipped. The
bales having been placed in the merchant's store, are left
end up until a fermentation or baking has taken place, the
ends being reversed every three or four days. In the course
of a few weeks a bale is reduced to about two-thirds of its
original size. It is then placed upon its sides to cool.
When it is discovered to be cold it is broken open by the
native tobacco-pickers, and every leaf sorted and
classified. The patience with which this operation is
carried out is truly astonishing. There is a good deal of
difference in their rate of work. One man may pick only
fifty pounds weight a day, while another does twice that
quantity. It is necessary to watch them closely, or they
will put a dirty brown leaf with a pale yellow. They neither
know nor care about the losses that may be incurred by the
merchant, whose samples may be thus spoiled. A bale of leaf
purchased at five piastres per _oque_, when dissected by the
Greek for various markets will be found to contain varieties
ranging in price from 5 to 60 piastres; of these some are
dispatched to Odessa, some to Smyrna, others to
Constantinople, Alexandria, and England--the mixed and
common qualities generally to the latter country, the price
there obtained being the least remunerative to the Greek
shippers. The bales are brought from the interior to the
shipping ports upon mules, each animal carrying two bales;
and it is a pretty sight to witness, say 150 mules at a
time, crossing mountains and rugged paths with their
burdens, followed by perhaps fifty camels laden with cotton,
marching to the merry tinkle of the bells on their necks.
When the tobacco reaches the shipping port the troubles of
the exporter are intensified. The bales are first taken to
the Custom House, and there weighed. The weights thus
arrived at are compared with the quantity received from the
interior, and if there be any material difference the
shipper has to account for it. If any has been sold for
consumption in Turkey, duty has to be paid upon the amount;
and in order that no part of his shipment may be used in the
country, he has to sign a bond that the tobacco shall not be
landed in any other port of Turkey. On the arrival of the
tobacco in England, the landing certificates are forwarded
to Turkey. It is in this way that the trade is retained in
the hands of a few Greeks, who naturally put every obstacle
in the way of the foreigner, whose sole remedy is at last
found to be the payment of the universal 'backshish,' to the
comptroller of customs."
The merchant who buys the tobacco of the planter at a low price, and
thereby takes the profit from him of cultivating it, is preyed upon in
the same manner by the Greek buyers who have the sole monopoly of the
trade. Like Shiraz tobacco, that of Turkey has to be handled
frequently and pass through several stages of curing before it is
ready to be manufactured. In this respect it is unlike most of the
tobaccos of America, but its treatment is not unlike that of the
varieties of the East.
[Illustration: Japan tobacco field.]
The tobacco plant is cultivated with great success in many of the
provinces of Japan, and is exported in large quantities to Europe. The
leaf is excellent, and is in request by many buyers of Eastern
tobaccos. Robertson gives the following interesting account of the
Japan tobacco fields:--
"According to a native account, tobacco was introduced into
Japan in the year 1605, and was first planted at Nagasaki in
Hizen. It is now very generally grown throughout the
country. In the province of Awa, where a great deal of
tobacco is grown, the seed is sown in early spring in fields
well exposed to the sun and duly prepared for its reception.
Well sifted stable manure is strewn over the field, and the
seedlings appear after the lapse of about twenty days. The
old manure is then swept away, and liquid manure applied
from time to time. If the plants are too dense they are
thinned out. The larger plants are now planted out into
fields well prepared for the purpose in rows, with about
eight inches space between each plant, the furrows between
each row being about two feet wide. They are again well
sprinkled with liquid manure, also with the lees of oil at
intervals of about seven days. A covering of wheat or millet
bran is now laid over the furrows. The bitter taste of the
leaf is in a measure an effectual safeguard against the
ravages of insects, but the leaves are nevertheless
carefully tended to prevent damage from such cause. If the
reproduction from seed is not desired the flowers should be
cut off and the stem pruned down, otherwise the leaves will
lose in scent and flavor. In Osumi exceptional attention is
paid to the cultivation of the tobacco plant. The lees of
oil, if liberally used, and stable manure sparsely applied,
have great effect on the plant, producing a small leaf with
an excellent flavor; while, if the opposite course is
followed, the leaves grow to an immense size, but are
inferior in taste.
[Illustration: Transplanting.]
"When the flowers are in full bloom the 'sand' leaves are
picked. After the lapse of twelve or fourteen days the
leaves are gathered by twos. Any leaves that may remain are
afterwards broken off along with the stalk. Any sand
adhering to the leaves is removed with a brush; the stems
having been cut off, the leaves are rolled round, firmly
pressed down with a thin board, and cut exactly in the
centre. The two halves are then placed one on the top of the
other in such manner that the edges exactly correspond, and
being in this position firmly compressed between two boards,
they are cut into fine strips, the degree of fineness
depending on the skill of the cutter. A machine made of
hard wood, but with the vital parts of iron, is used by some
persons for this purpose. The machine was devised about
sixty years ago by a skillful Yeddo mechanic, the idea being
taken from those used in Osaka and Kiyoto for cutting thread
used for weaving into silk embroidery. Since then numerous
improvements have been made in it, and it is now extremely
well adapted for the economization of labor. Another machine
was invented about eight years since, also by a Yeddo
mechanic. It is smaller than the first mentioned, but being
very easily worked is much in use. Tobacco is sometimes cut
in the following crude manner:--The leaves are piled one on
top of the other, tightly compressed into the consistency of
a board, and then cut into shavings by a carpenter's plane.
This is, however, about the worst method, and even the best
tobacco, if treated in such fashion, loses its flavor and
valuable qualities."
[Illustration: Chinese tobacco field.]
In China[67] tobacco is cultivated in the western part of the empire,
and grows almost as large as most American varieties. Chinese tobacco
is usually light in color, of a thin, silky texture, and mixed with
Turkey tobacco, is a considerable feature in the export trade of that
country. The Chinese cultivate the plant like the Japanese, and give
it as much care and attention as they do the tea plant. The leaves are
gathered when ripe, and are dried and well-assorted before baling. The
Chinese planter often raises large fields of the plants, and employs
many hands to tend and cultivate them. We give a cut of a tobacco
field and the planter looking at the field and noting the progress of
the laborers.
[Footnote 67: I saw also great plantations of tobacco,
which they call tharr, and which yield very considerable
profit, as it is universally used in smoking, by persons
of all ranks, of both sexes in China; and, besides great
quantities are sent to the Mongolls, who prefer the
Chinese manner of preparing it before any other. They
make it into a gross powder, like saw-dust, which they
keep in a small bag, and fill their little brass pipes
out of it, without touching the tobacco with their
fingers.--_Bell's Travels in Asia_, 1716, 1719, 1722.]
[Illustration: Tobacco field in Persia.]
In Persia tobacco is cultivated near Shiraz, which gives name to the
variety. The soil is very fertile and richly cultivated. Not only does
the tobacco plant flourish finely, but all kinds of vegetables grow to
perfection. The Persians cultivate the plant principally for their own
use. It is a fine smoking tobacco, and when cured properly is said to
be equal to Latakia. Their mode of curing is unlike that adopted by
any other cultivators of the weed but is very successful, and is no
doubt the proper method of preparing the leaves for use. Their mode of
pressing in large cakes is unlike that of any other growers--but
doubtless adds to the aromatic quality of the leaf which makes it so
popular in the East.
The tobacco field is trenched so as to retain water, while the
plants are set on the ridges where they flourish and mature until the
buds and flowers are broken off. The harvest occurs in the autumn,
when the singular process of curing begins.
Abbott says of the culture and commerce of tobacco in Persia:
"Jehrum, South Persia, is the principal mart for tobacco,
which is brought here from all the surrounding districts,
and disposed of to traders, who distribute it over the
country far and near. These traders are numerous, and many
established here are wealthy; they usually transact their
business in their private houses, without resorting to the
caravansaries of which there are six in the place. There are
many grades and qualities of Shiraz tobacco but that
produced at Tuffres (according to Forster), a town about one
hundred miles to the south-west of Turshish, is esteemed the
best in Persia.
"Of the many varieties of the tobacco plant grown in the
East, that known as Manilla is among the most famous and the
most extensively cultivated. It is grown in several of the
Philippine islands, particularly in Luzon and the southern
group, known as the Visayos. The Philippines are a large
group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, discovered by
Magellan in 1521; they were afterwards taken posession of by
the Spaniards, in the reign of Philip II., from whom they
take their name.
"The islands are said to be eleven hundred in number, but
some hundreds of them are very small, and all are nominally
subject to the Spanish government at Manilla. The
Philippines produce a great variety of tropical products
such as rice, coffee, sugar, indigo, tobacco, cotton, cacao,
abaca, or vegetable silk, pepper, gums, cocoa-nuts,
dye-woods, timber of all descriptions for furniture and the
buildings, rattans of various kinds, and all the agreeable
fruits of the tropics. On the shores are found nacre, or
mother of pearl, magnificent pearls, bird's-nests, shells of
every description, an incredible quantity of excellent fish,
and the _trépang_, or _balatê_, a sea-worm, or animal
substance, found on the shores of the Philippine Islands,
resembling a large pudding. The Chinese esteem it as a great
delicacy and mix it with fowl and vegetables. The
inhabitants practise various kinds of industry; they weave
matting of extraordinary fineness and of the brightest
colors, straw hats, cigar cases and brackets; they
manufacture cloth and tissues of every sort from cotton,
silk, and abaca; they, from filaments taken from the leaves
of the _etuana_, make cambric of a texture much finer than
that of France; and they also manufacture coarse strong
cloth for sails, and ropes and cables of all dimensions;
they tan and dress leather and skins to perfection; they
manufacture coarse earthen ware, and forge and polish arms
of various kinds; they build ships of heavy tonnage, and
also light and neat boats; and at Manilla they frame and
finish-off beautiful carriages; they are also very clever
workers in gold, silver, and copper; and the Indian women
are specially expert in needlework, and in all kinds of
embroidery.
"The island of Luzon is the largest of the Philippines, and
extends from north to south for the length of about six
degrees. It is divided throughout its whole extent by a
chain of mountains, which in general owe their formation to
volcanic eruptions. In the provinces of Laguna and Batangas
there is the high mountain called Maijai, one of the
loftiest in Luzon, which is beyond doubt an ancient crater;
on the summit a little lake is found, the depth of which
cannot be measured. At some period the lava that then flowed
from the summit towards the base, in the neighborhood of the
town of Nacarlan, covered up immense cavities, which are now
recognizable by the sonorous noise of the ground for a great
extent; and sometimes it happens that, in consequence of an
inundation or an earthquake, this volcanic crust is in some
places broken, and exposes to the view enormous caverns,
which the Indians call 'the mouths of hell.' In the district
about the town of San Pablo, which is situated on the
mountain, are found great numbers of little circular lakes
and immense heaps of rotten stones, basalt, and different
descriptions of lava, which show that all these lakes are
nothing else than the craters of old volcanoes. Altogether
the soil to the southward, in the province of Albai, is
completely volcanic, and the frequent eruptions of the
volcano bearing that name may, as the natives say, be
attributed to the same cause as the earthquakes so often
felt in the island of Luzon. Over almost the whole of these
mountains, where fire has played so conspicuous a part,
there is a great depth of vegetable earth, and they are
covered with a most splendid vegetation. Their declivities
nourish immense forests and fine pastures in which grow
gigantic trees--palm trees, rattans, and lianas of a
thousand kinds, or gramineous plants of various sorts,
particularly the wild sugar cane, which rises to the height
of from nine to twelve feet from the ground; in their
interior are rich mines of copper, gold, iron, and coal.
[Illustration: Growing tobacco on the Philippine islands.]
"There are two distinct and strongly marked seasons in the
island of Luzon, namely, the rainy or the wintry season, and
the dry or summer season. For six months of the year--that
is from June to December--the wind blows from the south-west
to the north-east, and then the declivities of the mountains
and all the western side of the island are in the season of
the rains; in the six other months, the wind changes, and
blows from the north-east to the south-west, when all the
eastern parts of the island have the season of winter.
During the rainy season, the incessant fall of rain on the
mountains causes the rivers, both large and small, to
overflow and to become torrents, that rush down upon the
plains, covering them with water, and depositing the broken
earth and slime which they have gathered in their course. In
the dry season, water is supplied for irrigation from
reservoirs, which are carefully filled during the rains.
From these causes it follows that without any manuring, and
with scarcely any improvement from human industry, the soil
of the Philippines is as fertile as any in the world; so
that, without great labor, the cultivator has most abundant
harvests."
The above description of the Philippines by Gironiere gives a faithful
account of the vast resources of the islands. Of the products
cultivated rice and tobacco are the most important. The finest tobacco
plantations are situated in the northern parts of the island of Luzon,
and furnish the finest quality of Manilla tobacco. That grown in the
Visayos is of an inferior quality, and is sold to merchants holding a
permit to purchase at the shipping ports and transport to Manilla for
sale to the government. In the island of Luzon, the greatest quantity
of tobacco is cultivated in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Cagavan.
[Illustration: Tobacco plow.]
Tomlinson in an account of the tobacco of the Philippines says:
"Manilla leaf comes from the three principal districts of the island
of Luzon--Visayos, Ygarotes and Cagayan." The mode of cultivation does
not differ in any great respect from that followed in other parts of
the world. Great seed beds are made on the plantations where the
plants are grown until ready to transplant in the tobacco ground.
Unlike most land adapted for tobacco, large crops are grown without
the aid of any fertilizer whatever. In cultivating the plants,
buffaloes are used, yoked one after the other, going between the rows
several times, and at the last ploughing leaving a trench in the
middle of the rows, for letting off the water. The Indian plow used in
cultivating is exceedingly simple: it is composed of four pieces of
wood which the most unhandy ploughman can put together, with the mould
board and share, which are of cast iron. The lightness and simplicity
of this plough render it easy to be used in every kind of cultivation,
where the plantations are divided into rows, such as those of tobacco,
maize and sugar cane. It is used with great advantage, not only for
cutting down weeds, but also for giving to each row a ploughing, which
is serviceable to the plantation, and which is less costly and
quicker than simple weeding with the mattock.
When the leaves are ripe they are stripped from the stalks and
separated into three classes, according to their size, and afterwards
made into bunches of fifty or a hundred, by passing through them, near
the foot, a little bamboo cane, as if it was a skewer, by which the
bunches are afterwards hung up to dry in vast sheds, into which the
sun's rays cannot enter, but in which the air circulates freely; they
are left to hang there until they become quite dry, and for this, a
greater or less time is required, according to the state of the
weather. When the drying is effected the leaves are placed according
to their quality, in bales of twenty-five pounds, and in that state
they are handed over to the administration of the monopoly. Gironiere
in describing the mode of culture on the tobacco plantations says:
"During the first two months after the transplanting it is
indispensably necessary to give four ploughings to the
ground between the rows of the plants, and every fifteen
days to handpick, or even better, to root out with the
mattock, all the weeds which cannot be touched by the
plough. These four ploughings ought to be done in such a
manner as to leave alternately a furrow in the middle of
each line, and on the sides, and consequently, at the last
ploughing, the earth covers the plants up to their first
leaves, leaving a trench for carrying off all water that may
accumulate during the heavy rains. As soon as each plant has
gained a proper height, its head is lopped off to force the
sap to turn into the leaves, and, in a few weeks afterwards,
it is fit for being gathered."
The tobacco fields or plantations are very large, and together with
the vast sheds for curing, the fields present a beautiful appearance;
the long straight rows with their dark green leaves adding not a
little to the beauty and variety of the landscape. The great growers
of the plant are very careful in cultivating the fields and give the
tobacco frequent hoeings, until ready to be gathered and taken to the
sheds. The planters are obliged to take the utmost pains, as the
product is obliged to be given up to the monopolizing government which
is the sole purchaser, and which, in its great establishment at
Binondoc, employs continually from 15,000 to 20,000 workmen and
workwomen in manufacturing cigars for the consumption of the country
and for exportation.
[Illustration: Spanish planters.]
Manilla tobacco is much esteemed in the islands both by the Spaniards
and the Chinese. The custom of smoking is universal among all classes
and at all times. In the house, on the road and street, the aroma of a
fragrant Manilla is ever borne on the breeze. The Spaniards are the
principal owners of the tobacco fields, and, like their brother
planters on the island of Cuba, are fond of the weed and its more
potent companion. After a luxurious breakfast the planter elevates his
feet for a quiet smoke, and lights either a cigar or cheroot, filling
the room with smoke and with the most fragrant perfume.
Of all the various products cultivated, but few vie with the tobacco
plant in beauty of form and general appearance. By its great variety
of colors in leaves and flowers, it offers a striking contrast with
the more sombre hues of most other plants. When left to grow until
the plants have reached full size, the tobacco field has the
appearance of a vast flower garden, the tiny blossoms exhaling their
fragrance and the entire plant emitting odors as rare and as delicate
as the most fragrant exotic. In the tropics the finest tobacco
plantations are found, as nature is more lavish, not only in the
richness of the soil, but in the variety of the vegetable products.
Here the tobacco plant attains its finest form and most delicately
flavored leaves. The hues of the flowers are brighter and their
fragrance sweeter. In the tropics the tobacco field may be scented
from afar, as its odors are wafted on the breeze. In its native home
it flourishes and matures as readily as the more common kinds of
vegetation, while it affords the planter a larger revenue than many of
the more useful of nature's products.