concerning the state and progress of the ripening leaf; yet
care must be used to cut up the plant as soon as it is
sufficiently ripe to promise a good curable condition, lest
the approach of frost should tread upon the heels of the
crop-master; for in this case, tobacco will be among the
first plants that feel its influence, and the loss to be
apprehended in this instance, is not a mere partial damage
by nipping, but a total consumption by the destruction of
every plant. I find it difficult to give to strangers a full
idea of the ripening of the leaf: it is a point on which I
would not trust my own experience without consulting some
able crop-master in the neighborhood; and I believe this is
not an uncustomary precaution among those who plant it. So
far as I am able to convey an idea, which I find it easier
to understand than to express, I should judge of the
ripening of the leaf by its thickening sufficiently; by the
change of its color to a more yellowish green; by a certain
mellow appearance, and protrusion of the web of the leaf,
which I suppose to be occasioned by a contraction of the
fibres; and other appearances as I might conceive to
indicate an ultimate suspension of the vegetative
functions."
[Illustration: Cutting the plants.]
After the plants have ripened the operation of cutting or
HARVESTING
begins. The cutter passes from plant to plant cutting only those
plants that are ripe. In harvesting a light hatchet or saw may be
used or a tobacco cutter which is the better and not as liable to
injure the leaves. The plants may be cut either in the morning (after
the dew is off) or just at night, providing there are no indications
of frost. Lay the plants carefully on the sides to avoid breaking the
leaves. If the plants are cut during a very warm day they should be
examined from time to time as they are liable to "sun-burn," an injury
much dreaded by the planter, as sun-burnt leaves are useless for cigar
wrappers.
[Illustration: Putting on lath.]
After the plants are wilted on one side they are turned so that the
entire plant will be in good condition to handle without breaking.
Harvesting should be performed in the most careful manner. At this
time the leaves are very brittle and unless the cutter is an
experienced hand much injury may be done to the leaves. The stem of
each plant is severed as near as possible to the ground and afterwards
if hung on lath they are divided longitudinally to admit the air and
dry them sooner. When the plants are to be hung on lath they may be
wilted before "stringing" or not, at the option of the grower. Most
growers are of the opinion now that the plants should be harvested
without wilting at all, stringing on the lath as soon as cut and
carrying them immediately to the shed.
When wilted in the field there is often much damage done to the leaves
whether they are sun-burnt or not. Oftentimes the ground is hot and
the plants in a few hours both on the under and upper sides become
very warm and almost burnt by the rays of the sun. For this reason the
manner of hanging on lath is the better way and in New England is fast
displacing the old method of hanging with twine. When hung in this
manner five or six plants to the lath are the usual number unless they
are very large. When placed or strung on the lath the plants are not
as liable to sweat or pole rot, owing in part to the splitting of the
stalk, which causes the rapid curing of the leaves as well as the
stalk itself. A new method of hanging tobacco has been introduced of
late in the Connecticut valley by means of tobacco hooks attached to
the lath. This mode is considered by many growers the safest way, and
by others as no better than the more common way of hanging simply on
the lath.
[Illustration: Carrying to the shed.]
In Virginia in "ye olden time," the following method of harvesting was
adopted:--
"When the plant has remained long enough exposed to the sun,
or open air, after cutting, to become sufficiently pliant to
bear handling and removal with conveniency, it must be
removed to the tobacco house, which is generally done by
manual labor, unless the distance and quantity requires the
assistance of a cart. If this part of the process were
managed with horses carrying frames upon their backs for
the conveniency of stowage, in a way similar to that in
which grain is conveyed in Spain, it would be found a
considerable saving of labor. It becomes necessary, in the
next place, to see that suitable ladders and stages are
provided, and that there be a sufficient quantity of tobacco
sticks, such as have been described to answer the full
demand of the tobacco house, whatsoever may be its size;
time will be otherwise lost in make-shifts, or sending for a
second supply.
"When everything is thus brought to a point at the tobacco
house, the next stage of the process is that termed hanging
the tobacco. This is done by hanging the plants in rows upon
the tobacco sticks with the points down, letting them rest
upon the stick by the stem of the lowest leaf, or by the
split which is made in the stem when that happens to be
divided. In this operation care must be taken to allow a
sufficient space between each of the successive plants for
the due circulation of air between: perhaps four or five
inches apart, in proportion to the bulk of the plant. When
they are thus threaded upon the sticks (either in the
tobacco houses, or, sometimes, suspended upon a temporary
scaffold near the door), they must be carefully handed up by
means of ladders and planks to answer as stages or
platforms, first to the upper tier or collar beams of the
house, where the sticks are to be placed with their points
renting upon the beams transversely, and the plants hanging
down between them. This process must be repeated tier after
tier of the beams, downwards, until the house is filled;
taking care to hang the sticks as close to each other as the
consideration of admitting air will allow, and without
crowding. In this position the plants remain until they are
in condition to be taken down for the next process."
In Cuba about the beginning of January the tobacco is ready for
cutting. If the harvest is good, all the leaves are taken from the
plants at once. Tobacco consisting of those leaves is called Temprano,
or "Early Pipe." If, on the contrary, the harvest is not good, the
immature leaves are left to grow. Tobacco formed of these leaves has
the name of Tardio, or "Late Pipe." In every respect, appearance
included, the Temprano is much superior to the Tardio. In the purchase
of tobacco, it is a principal thing to ascertain how much or how
little Temprano a parcel contains. Moreover, there are what may be
called bastard leaves, which grow after the leaves proper have been
gathered.[79] Tobacco made from these bastard leaves is easily
recognizable, the leaves being long and narrow, of a reddish color,
and a bitter taste.
[Footnote 79: Second crop, or Volunteer tobacco.]
The mode of harvesting tobacco in Virginia at present is thus
described by a Virginia planter:--
"In bringing to the barn place the tobacco on scaffolds near
the barn-door, so that it can be readily housed in case of
rain. As Bright Wrappers and Smokers pay so much better than
dark tobaccos, it is advisable, whenever practicable, to
coal-cure all that ripens of a uniform yellow color. The
quality of the leaf will determine the hanging: 'Shipping'
should be hung seven to nine plants to the stick four and a
half feet long. To cure the plants properly requires some
experience, great care, and much attention. The plants
should not be 'cut' until fully ripe. Be careful in cutting
to select plants of a uniform size, color, and quality,
putting six or seven to the stick. Let the plants go from
the cutter's hands on to sticks held in the hands of women
or boys; and as soon as the sticks are full, place them
carefully on wagons and carry them to the barn. Place the
sticks on tiers about ten inches apart, and regulate the
plants on the sticks.
"It is impossible to lay down any uniform system or give
specific instructions. General principles will be suggested
to guide the planter amid the changeableness of seasons and
variableness of material to be operated upon."
In Turkey--
"The planters calculate always fifty-five days from May
12th, for their crops to be ready for gathering. When the
leaves show the necessary yellow tips, they are carried to
the house, and there threaded into long bunches by a large,
flat needle, about a foot long, passed through the stalk of
each."
In Ohio the process of harvesting tobacco for cutting is thus
described by a grower:--
"When thoroughly ripe, having stood two or three weeks
longer than is necessary for cigar leaf, it is ready to cut.
This is done with a knife made for the purpose. It resembles
a wide chisel, except that the handle and chisel are at
right angles. Before cutting, the stalk is split down
through the center. Being ripe, it splits before the knife,
and following the grain the leaves escape unharmed. This
splitting is done in as little time as is necessary to cut
the stalk off in the ordinary way. Split it to within about
three or four inches of the ground, and cut it off in the
ordinary way with the same knife. Cut it off and hang it
over one of your sticks that you have driven slanting into
the ground near you. Cut and put six stalks on the stick,
and then lay it down on the ground to wilt, taking the usual
care to prevent sun-burn. When it is sufficiently wilted,
haul to the shed and hang it up."
In the East Indian Archipelago,
"as soon as the leaves are fully grown
they are plucked off, and the petiole and a midrib are cut
away. Each leaf is then cut transversely into strips about a
sixteenth of an inch wide, and these are dried in the sun
until a mass of them looks like a bunch of oakum."
In Persia, when the plants are ripe they are cut off close to the
root, and again stuck firmly in the ground. By exposure to the night
dews the leaves change from green to yellow. When of the proper tint,
they are gathered in the early morning while wet with dew, and heaped
up in a shed, the sides of which are closed in with light thorny
bushes, so as to be freely exposed to the wind.
In Japan, the leaves are gathered in the height of summer. When the
flowers are of a light tint, two or three of the leaves nearest the
root are gathered. These are called first leaves, but produce tobacco
of second quality. After the lapse of a fortnight, the leaves are
gathered by twos, and from these the best tobaccos are produced. Any
remaining leaves are afterwards broken off along with the stem and
dried. These form the lowest quality of tobacco. After gathering, the
leaves are arranged in regular layers and covered with straw matting,
which is removed in a couple of days. The leaves are now of a light
yellow color. They are then fastened by the stem in twos and threes to
a rope slung in a smoke room, and after being so left for fourteen or
fifteen days, they are dried for two or three days in the sun, after
which they are exposed for a couple of nights in order that they may
be moistened with dew. They are then smoothed out and arranged in
layers, the stems being fastened together, pressed down with boards,
and packed away in a dark room. D'Almirda says that in Java, the
leaves are gathered and tied up in bundles of fifteen, twenty or
thirty, and suspended from bamboo poles running across the interior of
the shed, where they are left to dry for twenty days or more,
according to the state of the atmosphere.
As soon as the plants have been hung in the shed the process of
CURING
begins. If fully ripe at the time of harvesting, the plants will "cure
down" very fast and take on a better hue than when they cure less
rapidly. During cool weather the doors and ventilators should be left
open that the plants may have a free circulation of air and cure the
faster. When, however, the weather is damp, they should be closed, to
avoid sweating and pole rot. When a light leaf is desired, the tobacco
shed should be provided with windows to let in plenty of sunlight,
which has much to do with the color of the leaf. When a dark leaf is
desired, all light should be excluded.
The time necessary for the curing of the plants will depend upon the
ripeness of the plants as well as the weather during curing. There are
three kinds or methods of curing, viz: air curing, sun curing and
firing, or curing by flues. Air curing is the curing of the plants in
sheds or barns. Sun curing is the process of curing in the open air,
while "firing" is the process of curing by "smoke," the common method
employed at the South and to some extent at the West. This is the
common way of curing cutting leaf, while air curing is the manner of
curing cigar leaf. Tatham, already quoted, gives the following account
of the process as performed in Virginia of
"SMOKING THE CROP."
"From what has been said under the head of hanging the
plant, it will be perceived that the air is the principal
agent in curing it, but it must be also considered that a
want of uniform temperature in the atmosphere calls for the
constant care of the crop-master, who generally indeed
becomes habitually weather-wise, from the sowing of his
plants, until the delivery of his crop to the inspector. To
regulate this effect upon the plants he must take care to be
often among them, and when too much moisture is discovered,
it is tempered by the help of smoke, which is generated by
means of small smothered fires made of old bark, and of
rotten wood, kindled about upon various parts of the floor
where they may seem to be most needed.
"In this operation it is necessary that a careful hand
should be always near: for the fires must not be permitted
to blaze, and burn furiously; which might not only endanger
the house, but which, by occasioning a sudden over-heat
while the leaf is in a moist condition, might add to the
malady of 'firing' which often occurs in the field."
In Virginia the manner of curing tobacco at the present time, is thus
described by a planter.
"For curing tobacco the simplest method is
sun-curing or air curing and the one most likely to prove
successful. The tobacco barn should be so constructed as to
contain four, five or six rooms four feet wide, so that four
and a half feet sticks may fit, all alike. Log barns are
best for coal curing. All should be built high enough to
contain four firing tiers under joists covered with shingles
or boards and daubed close. Fire with hickory all rich,
heavy, shipping tobacco.
"As soon as the barn is filled kindle small fires of coals
or hickory wood, about twenty fires to a barn twenty feet
square, four under each room. Coal is best, but hickory
saplings, chopped about two feet long, make a good steaming
heat. The successful coal-curer is an artist, and all
engaged in the business are experimenters in nature's great
laboratory." A North Carolina planter gives an interesting
account of curing tobacco yellow. "Curing tobacco yellow,
for which this section is so famous, is a very nice process
and requires some experience, observation, and a thorough
knowledge of the character and quality of the tobacco with
which you have to deal, in order to insure uniform success.
Much depends upon the character of the crop when taken from
the hill. If it is of good size, well matured and of good
yellowish color, there is necessarily but little difficulty
in the operation. As soon as the tobacco is taken from the
hill and housed, we commence with a low degree of heat, say
95° to 100° Fahr., 'the yellowing' or 'steaming' process.
This is the first and simplest part of the whole process,
and requires from fifteen to thirty-six hours, according to
the size and quality of the tobacco, and this degree of
heat should be continued until the leaf opens a lemon color,
and is nearly free from any green hue. When this point is
reached, the heat should be gradually raised to 105° in
order to commence drying the leaf, and here lies the whole
difficulty in curing (I mean in drying the leaf). The last
degree of heat indicated, should be continued five or six
hours, when it should again be gradually raised to 110°,
when it should be maintained at this point, until the tail
or points of the leaves begin to curl and dry. Indeed it
will probably be safest for beginners to continue this
degree of heat until one-third of the leaf is dried.
"The temperature may then be gradually increased to 115°,
and kept for several hours at that point, until the leaf
begins to rattle when shaken, then again raise the heat to
120°, at which point it should be continued until the leaf
is dried, after which the temperature may be increased to
150° or 160° to dry the stem and stalks; the latter should
be blackened by the heat before the curing is complete.
Ordinarily it requires from two and a half to five days to
cure a barn of tobacco, dependent entirely upon the size and
quality. Put seven or eight plants on each stick and place
them eight inches apart on tier poles. In the yellowing
process the door of the barn should be kept closed to
exclude the air. When this point is reached for drying the
leaf, the door may be opened occasionally, and kept open for
twenty or thirty minutes at a time, especially if the
tobacco gets into a "sweat," as it is called, or becomes
damp and clammy.
"The temperature is raised in the barn by cautiously adding
coal from time to time to the fires, which should be placed
in small piles on the floor, in rows, allowing about five
feet between each pile, which should at first contain a
double handful of coal. In adding coal, you will soon learn
the quantity necessary to be applied by the effect produced.
Avoid raising the heat hastily after the drying is
commenced, lest the leaf should be scalded and reddened; on
the other hand, it should not be raised too slowly for fear
of 'raising the grain,' or the leaf becoming spongy and
dingy. Both extremes are to be avoided, and the skill
required is attained only by experience and observation. We
usually cut tobacco the latter part of the week, house it
and suffer it to remain until the first of next week, that
we may not violate the fourth commandment."
In California tobacco is cured by the method known as the "Culp
process" from the name of its patentee. When the plant lies in the
field, Mr. Culp's peculiar process begins which is described as
follows:
"Tobacco had long been grown in California, even before
Americans came. He had raised it as a crop for fifteen
years; and before he perfected his new process, he was able
usually to select the best of his crop for smoking tobacco,
and sold the remainder for sheep wash. One year, two
millions of pounds were raised in the State, and as it was
mostly sold for sheep wash, it lasted several years, and
discouraged the growers. Tobacco always grew readily, but it
was too rank and strong. They used Eastern methods, topping
and suckering, and as the plant had here a very long season
to grow and mature, the leaf was thick and very strong. The
main features of the Culp process are, he said, to let the
tobacco, when cut, wilt on the field; then take it at once
to the tobacco house and pile it down, letting it heat on
the piles to 100° for Havana. It must, he thinks, come to
100°, but if it rises to 102° it is ruined. Piling,
therefore, requires great judgment. The tobacco houses are
kept at a temperature of about 70°; and late in the fall, to
cure a late second or third crop they sometimes use a stove
to maintain a proper heat in the house, for the tobacco must
not lie in the pile without heating. When it has had its
first sweat, it is hung up on racks; and here Mr. Culp's
process is peculiar.
"He places the stalk between two battens, so that it sticks
out horizontally from the frame; thus each leaf hangs
independently from the stalk; and the racks or frames are so
arranged that all the leaves on all the stalks have a
separate access to the air. The tobacco houses are frame
buildings, 100x60 feet, with usually four rows of racks, and
two gangways for working. On the rack the surface moisture
dries from the leaf; and at the proper time it is again
piled, racked, and so on for three or even four times. The
racks are of rough boards, and the floor of the houses is of
earth. After piling and racking for three weeks, the leaves
are stripped from the stalk and put into 'hands,' and they
are then 'bulked' and lie thus about three months, when the
tobacco is boxed. From the time of cutting, from four to six
months are required to make the leaf ready for the
manufacturer. "Piling" appears to be the most delicate part
of the cure, and they have often to work all night to save
tobacco that threatens to overheat."
In Mexico the leaves are hung up on bast[80] strings, dried in the
shade and then sent to the chief depots, where, when they have
undergone fermentation, they are sorted, and tied up in bundles. In
Persia, the plants are carried to the shed and heaped, and in four or
five days the desired pale yellow color is further developed. The
stalks and center stem of each leaf are now removed and thrown away,
while the leaves are heaped together in the drying house for another
three or four days, when they are fit for packing.
[Footnote 80: The inner bark of the lime-tree.]
[Illustration: Stripping.]
In Turkey the bunches of leaves are exposed to the sun to dry, and
some months' exposure is necessary before they are sufficiently
matured for baling. Rain sets in at a later period, and the tobacco
becoming moist and fit for handling, is then removed from the
threads, and made into bundles or "hands" of about sixty leaves each
and tied around the stems.
After the leaves are thoroughly cured they are in condition for
STRIPPING.
The leaves of the tobacco are easily affected by the humidity of the
atmosphere and during damp weather every opportunity is improved by
the grower for taking down the tobacco preparatory to stripping. After
taking down from the poles the plants should be packed in order to
keep moist until stripped. The tobacco should not be removed from the
poles when it drips or the juice exudes from either the stalk or the
leaves. If stripped in this condition the leaves are apt to stain and
thus become unfit for wrappers. The operation of stripping consists in
taking the leaves from the stalk and tying them in bundles or hands
with a leaf around the base of the hand. Each "hand" or bunch should
contain at least eight leaves and from that number to twelve. If the
plants are large the leaves of one stalk will form a hand; a poor leaf
is used for binding as it can not be used for the same purpose as the
leaves around which it is bound.
[Illustration: Hands.]
The old planters of tobacco in Virginia called this operation of
taking off the leaves and tying them up "stripping and bundling" which
is here described.
"When the plants of tobacco which are thus hanging upon the
sticks in the house have gone through the several stages of
process before the time of stripping, and are deemed to be
in case for the next operation, a rainy day (which is the
most suitable) is an opportunity which is generally taken
advantage of when the hands cannot be so well employed out
of doors. The sticks containing the tobacco which may be
sufficiently cured, are then taken down and drawn out of the
plants. They are then taken one by one respectively, and the
leaves being stripped from the stalk of the plant are rolled
round the butts or thick ends of the leaves with one of the
smallest leaves as a bandage, and thus made up into little
bundles fit for laying into the cask for final packing."
Hazard gives the following method of assorting and stripping tobacco
in Cuba:--
"Among the Cubans, the leaves are divided into four classes:
first, _desecho_, _desecho limpio_, which are those
immediately at the top of the plant, and which constitute
the best quality, from the fact that they get more equally
the benefit of the sun's rays by day and the dew by night;
second, _desechito_, which are the next to the above; third,
the _libra_, the inferior or small leaves about the top of
the plant; and fourth, the _injuriado_, or those nearest the
root. Of the _injuriado_ there are three qualities; the best
is called _injuriado de reposo_, or 'the picked over,' and
the other two, firsts and seconds (_primeros_, _sequndos_).
"Tobacco of the classes _desechito_ and _libra_, of which
the leaves are not perfect, is called _injuriado bueno_,
while all the rest, of whatever quality, that is broken in
such a manner as to be unfit for wrappers are called
_injuriado malo_. Amongst the trade in place of the above
names, the different qualities are simply designated by
numbers."
Meyer, a German writer who resided several years in Cuba, gives
another classification, making ten classes altogether, while Hazard
mentions only four general classes.
After the leaves are stripped from the stalk the process known as
ASSORTING
commences. Assorting tobacco is doing up in hands the various
qualities and keeping them separate. In the Connecticut valley the
growers make usually but two kinds or qualities excepting only when
the crop is poor when three qualities are made, viz: Wrappers,
Seconds, and Fillers. The Wrappers are the largest and finest leaves
on the plant and should be free from holes and sweat as well as green
and white veins. The leaves selected for this quality come from the
middle and even the top leaves of the plant. The Seconds are made up
of leaves not good enough for Wrappers and too good for Fillers. Such
leaves sometimes are worm-eaten and of various colors on the same
leaf--one part dark and another light. The fillers are the poorest
quality of leaves to be found on the plants, and consist of the "sand"
or ground leaves, one or two to each plant. Some of our largest
growers in assorting the leaves keep each color by itself, an
operation known as
SHADING.
This is a very delicate operation and requires a good eye for colors
as well as a correct judgment in regard to the quality of the leaf.
This mode of assorting colors in stripping is similar to that of
shading cigars, in which the utmost care is taken to keep the various
colors and shades by themselves. In shading the wrappers only are so
assorted, and may be "run into" two or three shades depending on the
number of shades or colors of the leaf. The better way is to make only
two qualities of the wrappers in shading--viz., light and dark
cinnamon "selections." Shading tobacco does not imply that it is
carried to its fullest extent in point of color as in shading cigars,
but simply keeping those general colors by themselves like light and
dark brown leaves. Cutting tobaccos before being used are subjected to
a process known as
STEMMING.
Tatham gives the following account of the process of stemming in
Virginia a century ago:--
"Stemming tobacco is the act of separating the largest stems
or fibres from the web of the leaf with adroitness and
facility, so that the plant may be nevertheless capable of
package, and fit for a foreign market. It is practised in
cases where the malady termed the fire, or other casual
misfortune during the growth of the plant, may have rendered
it doubtful in the opinion of the planter whether something
or other which he may have observed during the growth of his
crop, or in the unfavorable temperature of the seasons by
which it hath been matured does not hazard too much in
packing the web with a stem which threatens to decay. To
avoid the same species of risk, stemming is also practised
in cases where the season when it becomes necessary to
finish packing for a market is too unfavorable to put up the
plant in leaf in the usual method; or when the crop may be
partially out of case. Besides the operation of stemming in
the hands of the crop-master, there are instances where this
partial process is repeated in the public warehouses; of
which I shall treat under a subsequent head.
[Illustration: Stemming.]
"The operation of stemming is performed by taking the leaf
in one hand, and the end of the stem in the other, in such a
way as to cleave it with the grain; and there is an
expertness to be acquired by practice, which renders it as
easy as to separate the bark of a willow, although those
unaccustomed to it find it difficult to stem a single plant.
When the web is thus separated from the stem, it is made up
into bundles in the same way as in the leaf, and is laid in
bulk for farther process. The stems have been generally
thrown away, or burnt with refuse tobacco for the purpose of
soap-ashes; but the introduction of snuff-mills has, within
a few years back, found a more economical use for them."
As soon as the tobacco has been stripped it is ready for
PACKING.
[Illustration: Packing.]
It is necessary to pack the "hands" after stripping in order to keep
it moist, or in nearly the same condition as when stripped. Select a
cool place, not too dry or too damp, but one where if properly
protected, the tobacco will remain moist. It should be packed loosely
or compact, according as the hands are moist or dry. It may be packed
in the center of the floor so that it may be examined from either
side, or against the sides of the packing house, as may be thought
best. Hand the tobacco to the packer, who presses the hands firmly
with his knees and hands, laying the tobacco in two tiers and keeping
the pile at about the same height until all is packed. If possible
pack all together, that is, each kind by itself, as it is better to
have the wrappers or fillers all together rather than in several
places, as the moisture is retained better than when it is packed in
small piles or heaps. Use in packing a plank or board, placing it
against the front of the tier and bring the ends of the hands up
against it. This will make the tobacco look much better and also
render the process of packing firmer.
The tobacco may be packed any height or length desired, according to
the quantity, but usually from three to four feet high will be found
to be convenient while the length may be proportioned to the height or
not. Tobacco may be packed by the cord or half cord so as to be able
to judge of the quantity--good large wrappers averaging a ton to the
cord. Seconds and Fillers will not contain as many pounds to the cord
as wrappers. After the tobacco is packed, cover first with
boards--planed ones are preferable,--or even shingles--and press
firmly, especially if the tobacco is dry, then cover with blankets or
any kind of covering, adding plank or pieces of timber if additional
pressure is needed. It can now remain packed until sold or cased, and
will hardly need to be examined unless packed while very damp or kept
packed until warm weather.
Wailes says of planting by the early planters of tobacco in
Mississippi:--
"The larger planters packed it in the usual way in
hogsheads. Much of it, however, was put up in carrets, as
they were called, resembling in size and form two small
sugar-loafs united at the larger ends. The stemmed tobacco
was laid smoothly together in that form coated with wrappers
of the extended leaf, enveloped in a cloth, and then firmly
compressed by a cord wrapped around the parcel, and which
was suffered to remain until the carret acquired the
necessary dryness and solidity, when together with the
surrounding cloth, it was removed, and strips of lime-bark
were bound around it at proper distances, in such a manner
as to secure it from unwrapping and losing its proportions."
In Turkey, after the tobacco is made into bundles or hands, it is
piled against the walls inside the dwelling rooms and a carefully
graduated pressure put upon it until ready for baling. In Java, when
the tobacco is ready to pack the leaf is examined, and if found quite
brown, it is tightly pressed and packed up either in boxes or matting
for exportation, or in the bark of the tree plantain, for immediate
sale.
The next process on the tobacco plantation is that of
PRIZING, CASING, AND BALING.
The term prizing originated in Virginia, and as performed by the early
planters, is thus described by an old writer on tobacco culture:--
"Prizing, in the sense in which it is to be taken here is,
perhaps, a local word, which the Virginians may claim the
credit of creating, or at least of adopting; it is at best
technical, and must be defined to be the act of pressing or
squeezing the article which is to be packed into any
package, by means of certain levers, screws, or other
mechanical powers; so that the size of the article may be
reduced in stowage, and the air expressed so as to render it
less pregnable by outward accident, or exterior injury, than
it would be in its natural condition.
"The operation of prizing, however, requires the combination
of judgment and experience; for the commodity may otherwise
become bruised by the mechanic action, and this will have an
effect similar to that of prizing in too high case, which
signifies that degree of moisture which produces all the
risks of fermentation, and subjects the plant to be
shattered into rags. The ordinary apparatus for prizing
consists of the prize beam, the platform, the blocks, and
the cover. The prize beam is a lever formed of a young tree
or sapling, of about ten inches diameter at the butt or
thicker end, and about twenty or twenty-five feet in length;
but in crops where many hands are employed, and a sufficient
force always near for the occasional assistance of managing
a more weighty leverage, this beam is often made of a larger
tree, hewn on two of its sides to about six inches thick,
and of the natural width, averaging twelve or fourteen
inches. The thick end of this beam is so squared as to form
a tenon, which is fitted into a mortise that is dug through
some growing tree, or other, of those which generally abound
convenient to the tobacco house, something more than five
feet above the platform. Close to the root of this tree, and
immediately under the most powerful point of the lever, a
platform or floor of plank is constructed for the hogshead
to stand upon during the operation of prizing. This must be
laid upon a solid foundation, levelled, upon hewn pieces of
wood as sleepers; and so grooved and perforated that any wet
or rain which may happen to fall upon the platform may run
off without injuring the tobacco. Blocks of wood are
prepared about two feet in length, and about three or four
inches in diameter, with a few blocks of greater dimensions,
for the purpose of raising the beam to a suitable purchase;
and a movable roof constructed of clap-boards nailed upon
pairs of light rafters, of sufficient size to shelter the
platform and hogshead, is made ready to place astride of the
beam, as a saddle is put upon a horse's back, in order to
secure the tobacco from the weather while it is subjected to
this tedious part of the process.
[Illustration: Prizing in olden times.]
"That part of the apparatus which is designed to manage and
give power to the lever is variously constructed: in some
instances two beams of timber about six feet long, and
squared to four by six inches, are prepared; through these,
by means of an auger hole, a sapling of hickory or other
tough wood, is respectively passed; and the root thereof
being formed like the head of a pin to prevent its slipping
through the hole, the sapling is bent like a bow, and the
other end is passed through the same piece of wood in a
reversed direction, in which position it is wedged. These
two bows are in this manner hung by the sapling loops upon
the end of the prize beam or lever; and loose planks or
slabs of about five or six feet long being laid upon these
suspended pieces of timber, a kind of hanging floor or
platform is constructed, upon which weights are designed to
act as in a scale. A pile of large stones are then carted to
the place, and a sufficient number of these are occasionally
placed upon this hanging platform, until the lever has
obtained precisely the power which the crop master wishes to
give it by this regulating medium.
"The prizing or packing by the old planters must have been a
tedious affair, and far different from the quick work made
by the screw-press now owned by all well to-do planters. The
size of the hogsheads containing the tobacco was regulated
by law to the standard of four feet six inches in length,
but the shape of the cask varied according to the fancy of
the cooper, or roughness of his work. At this period (a
century ago), the tobacco hogshead was made most generally
of white oak; but Spanish oak, and red oak, were sometimes
used, when the usual kind could not be so readily commanded.
Now the hogsheads are made of pine, but are nearly as rough
as those made by the colonial growers.
"Tobacco, if well packed, and prized duly, will resist the
water for a surprising length of time. An instance is
recorded in strong proof of this, which occurred at
Kingsland upon James river in Virginia, where tobacco, which
had been carried off by the great land floods in 1771, was
found in a large raft of drift wood in which it had lodged
when the warehouses at Richmond were swept away by the
overflowing of the freshets; an inundation which had
happened about twenty years before this cask was found."
Tatham gives the following account of a similar instance:--
"On the sixth of October, 1782, I myself was one of a party
who were shipwrecked upon the coast of New Jersey, in
America, on board the brigantine Maria, Captain McAulay,
from Richmond in Virginia, and laden with tobacco. Several
hogsheads, which were saved from the wreck were brought
round to Stillwill's landing upon Great Egg harbor; and
amongst them some which had lost the headings of the cask,
and the hoops and staves, were so much shattered by the
beating of the surf, that it was not thought worth while to
land them, and they were just tumbled out of the lighter
upon the beach, and left to remain where the tide constantly
flowed over them for several weeks, so that the outside was
completely rotten, and they had the appearance of heaps of
manure. In this very bad condition, I still persisted in
trying to save what I supposed might remain entire in the
interior of the lump, and at last prevailed so far over the
ignorance and prejudice by which I had been ridiculed, as to
effect an overhauling and repacking of this damaged
commodity and to save a proportion thereof very far beyond
what I myself had expected. Some of the heart of this was so
highly improved, that I have seldom seen tobacco equal to it
for chewing, or for immediate manufacture; and what was
repacked was sold to a tobacconist in Water Street,
Philadelphia, at a price so little reduced below the
ordinary market, that the man very frankly told me, that if
he could have had the whole drowned tobacco in a short time
after it was saved from the wreck, he would have made no
difference in the price but would rather have preferred it
for immediate manufacture, as it would have spared him, some
little labor in a part of the process."
Prizing tobacco applies to the packing of tobacco in hogsheads all
such leaf being used for cutting purposes, cigar leaf being either
cased or baled. In some sections about 800 pounds net is packed in one
parcel, while in others 1000 pounds and sometimes even 1500 and 1800
pounds. "Seed leaf" tobacco in this country is all packed in cases
instead of hogsheads, each case containing from 375 to 400 pounds net.
It is necessary that all kinds of tobacco should be pressed in some
kind of package before it is ready to be manufactured. There are
exceptions, however, as in the case of Latakia tobacco, which is
simply hung in the peasant's huts through the winter to be fumigated
and to acquire the peculiar flavor this tobacco has. Tobacco in good
condition to case must be damp enough to bear the pressure in casing
without breaking and crumbling, while it must not be too moist or it
will rot in the case. The number of pounds to the case will vary
according to the size of the leaf, as well as the condition of the
tobacco.
When ready to case the "hands" are packed in the case, laying them in
two tiers. The case being nearly full the contents are then subjected
to a strong pressure until it is reduced to one half its bulk, then
another layer is placed in the case and again pressed, and succeeded
by as many as are required to fill the case. The tobacco should be
packed evenly in layers with the ends of the leaves touching one
another or even crossing, and the whole mass presenting a smooth and
even appearance. The "wrappers" should be cased by themselves and "the
seconds" and "fillers" together or separate at the option of the
packer. The tobacco should be cased hard so that the mass will rise
but little when the pressure is removed. As the fillers are usually
dry they must be moistened before casing or subjected to a very strong
pressure. After packing the cases should be turned on their sides, and
the grower's name marked on each case, also the kind of tobacco,
whether wrappers or fillers, together with the number of pounds and
the weight of the case. This is necessary to ascertain the quality of
leaf produced by each grower, as well as to protect the buyer against
all fraud in packing and casing.
[Illustration: Tobacco press.]
The cases may be piled one upon another, but should be kept from the
rays of the sun and in a dry room, so that the sweating of the leaf
may be sufficient to fit it for use. It is necessary that the season
during sweating should be warm, in order to secure a good sweat. It
will commence to "warm up" sometime in April or May, and will be ready
to sample or uncase about the first of September. After "going through
a sweat," the leaf takes on a darker color, and loses the rank flavor
which it had before. It is better to let the tobacco dry off before
being used or taken from the case. "Baling" is packing tobacco in
small bundles or packages containing from one hundred to two hundred
pounds, and is the manner of putting up tobacco for export in Cuba,
Paraguay, Algiers, Hungary, Mexico, Syria, the Philippines, China,
Sumatra, Japan, Java, Turkey, and in some other tobacco-growing
countries. In Cuba after being formed into hands or "_gavillos_" and
four of these tied together with strips of palm-leaf so as to
constitute a "_manoja_," fifty or eighty of them are packed together,
making what is called a "_tercio_" or bale, the average weight of
which is two hundred pounds. Hazard says of the number of pounds
produced on the _vegas_:
"A _caballeria_ of thirty-three acres of ground produces
about nine thousand pounds of tobacco, made up in about the
following proportions: four hundred and fifty of _desecho_,
or best; one thousand eight hundred pounds _desechito_, or
seconds; two thousand two hundred and fifty pounds of
_libra_, or thirds; and four thousand five hundred pounds of
_injuriado_. From these figures, taking the bale at one
hundred pounds, and the average price of the tobacco at
twenty dollars per bale, (though this is a low estimate, for
the crops of some of the vegas are sold as high, sometimes,
as four hundred dollars per bale,) an approximate idea may
be formed of the profit of a large plantation in a good
year, when the crops are satisfactory."
In Mexico, after being baled, the tobacco is sent to the government
factories, where it is not weighed until two months afterwards. The
price is high, varying from twelve to twenty-eight dollars per crate;
and is paid in ten monthly installments. In Persia, when the tobacco
is fit for packing, the leaves are carefully spread on each other, and
formed into cakes four or five feet round, and three to four inches
thick, care being taken not to break or injure the leaves. Bags of
strong cloth, thin and open at the sides, are provided, into which the
cakes are pressed strongly down on each other. When the bags are
filled they are placed in a separate drying house, and are turned
every day. Water is then sprinkled on the cakes, if required, to
prevent them from breaking. The leaf is valued for being thick, tough,
of a uniform light yellow color, and of an agreeable aromatic smell.
In Turkey, the tobacco after remaining in the dwelling-room of the
house a sufficient time, is ready for baling. The bales average in
weight about forty _oques_ (110 English pounds). The covering of the
bales is a sort of netting made by the peasants from goat's hair; it
is elastic and of great strength. Vamberry says of packing tobacco in
European Turkey:
"The tobacco is packed in small packets (_bog tche_), and
only after it has lain for years in the warehouses of the
tobacco merchants, is it honored by the connoisseurs of
Stamboul with the title of 'Aala Gobeck.' This sort of
finely-cut tobacco resembling the finest silk, is held in
equally high estimation in the palaces of the Grand
Seignior, in the seraglio, and in the divan of the sublime
Porte, where the privy council debate the most important
affairs of the empire, under the soothing influence of its
aromatic vapors."
In St. Domingo and the United States of Colombia, South America, the
bales are called _Serous_, and in Holland and Germany, Packages.
Tobacco is sent to market in bales of various sizes and made of
various materials. In Cuba, the tobacco is bound with palm leaves. In
South America it is packed in ox hides. From the East it comes in
camel's hair sacks or "netting made from goat's hair," while from
Persia, tobacco is exported in sacks of strong cloth. Manilla tobacco
is shipped in bales containing four hundred pounds net. It is covered
first with bass and then with sacking, made of Indian grass tied
around with ratan. Each bale contains a printed statement, of which
the following is a copy:
PROVINCIA DE CAGAYAN,
PARTIDO DE CITÁ. _Cosecha de 186._
Clas de conteine 40 manos de tabaco
aforado por la junta de aforo y enfardelado
por el que subscribe. Tuguegarao de
de 186.
_El Gobernadorcillo caudillo._ V.{o} B.{o}
_Vicente Lasan_. El Interventor de aforo.
The tobacco plant while growing is easily affected by a wet season,
while it is also liable to injury by the opposite extreme of heat or
drought. If a drought occurs soon after the plants are transplanted,
their growth and development is greatly hindered. When, however, the
plants are nearly grown, a severe drought affects the plants but
little, the large palm-like leaves forming a kind of canopy and
keeping the earth moist and cool. During a wet season, and sometimes
when the plants have been set in damp soil, they are affected by
"brown rust," or, as it is called at the South.
FIRING.
[Illustration: Firing.]
It is supposed to be caused by very damp weather, and is much dreaded
by all growers of the weed, as it is sometimes quite common, and on
low soil affects the crop to a considerable extent. It spots the leaf
with hard brown spots that often fall out, producing holes fatal to
the value of the crop. The lower leaves on the plant are more likely
to be injured than those higher on the stalk. The spots vary in size;
sometimes they are as large as a three cent piece, but more frequently
about the size of a small pearl button. At the South, rust or "firing"
is much more common than in the Connecticut valley, and often whole
fields are badly affected by the malady. Some seasons hardly any rust
can be discovered on the leaves, and if any spots are found they are
fixed and do not spread.
Small plants are more liable to be injured than large ones, and not
unfrequently nearly every leaf is covered with the spots. Many
theories have been advanced in regard to the cause of rust and how to
prevent it. It usually occurs just before, or after, topping, and if
the plants are ripe enough to harvest, they should be cut before the
rust spreads to any great extent. It makes its appearance very
suddenly, and if the weather be favorable (damp), spreads rapidly,
often in a few days injuring the plants to a great extent. There are
two varieties of rust or "firing," brown and white; and while the
former is dreaded by the grower, as it injures the quality of the
plant, the other is regarded with special favor, as it gives value to
the leaf.
The white rust,[81] as it is termed, is a small white speck (often
noticed on cigars), making its appearance on the leaves of the plant
towards the latter part of its growth, and usually found on the top
and middle leaves. It is usually found on the best, and more
frequently on light than dark tobacco. Unlike the brown rust, the
white does not fall out, but is as firm in its place as any part of
the leaf; sometimes the spots are as white as chalk, and again they
will be of a yellowish shade, though lighter in color than brown rust.
The lighter the color the better their effect on the leaf upon which
they are found. Leaves thus "spotted" make the finest of wrappers, and
light-colored leaf thus affected brings the very highest price. It is
well known to manufacturers of cigars that such leaves burn well, and
almost invariably make a light ash. Good judges of cigars always pick
for those thus affected, and watch with interest the ash of the cigar,
noting the color as well as the flavor.
[Footnote 81: Florida tobacco is noted for the white
rust found on the leaves.]
Some seasons this kind of rust is quite common, and it is supposed to
be caused in the same way as the brown, although there are some
growers who think that it is produced by altogether different causes.
There is, however, a marked difference in the appearance of the leaves
thus spotted; the white rust is not usually as thick upon the leaf,
and is more generally found along the sides of the leaf, while the
brown rust is found more in the center than along the sides. Tobacco
of a light cinnamon color thus "marked" is considered the most
valuable, and could the planter obtain such a crop at option, he could
realize the very highest price for it. Large growers who find much of
their tobacco "spotted" in this manner, would do well to keep such
leaves by themselves, and sell direct to the manufacturer. Both kinds
of rust are more commonly seen on the plants during a wet than a dry
season, and particularly if the plants have grown rapidly during the
latter part of the time.
Formerly buyers of leaf tobacco were more interested in leaf of this
description than now; and some of them, more anxious than others, made
liberal offers to any grower of tobacco who could ascertain how such
tobacco could be obtained. It is hardly probable that any method of
culture could be devised so as to obtain such leaf; it seems to be a
freak of nature, depending somewhat on the soil as well as the
humidity of the atmosphere, and without doubt is beyond the control of
the grower. Various theories propounded and experiments tried have not
met with any success that we are aware of. Some growers are of the
opinion that light manure spread on moist soil will tend to produce
leaf affected with white rust, while others affirm that such leaf is
common on high ground when manured with light fertilizers. It is a
matter of doubt whether such leaf can be obtained by any preparation
of soil, or any system of cultivation whatever.
SEED PLANTS.
The selection of large, well-formed plants for the maturing of the
seeds, is of more importance than most growers are aware of.[82] Not
only should the altitude of the plant be taken into account, but also
the size and texture of the leaf.
[Footnote 82: Liancourt says of the selection of seed
plants in Virginia:--"The seed for the next year is
obtained from forty to fifty stalks per acre, which the
cultivator lets run up as high as they will grow,
without bruising their heads."]
If a variety foreign to the soil (on which it is cultivated) is grown,
then particular pains should be taken to select seed plants resembling
those cultivated in its native home.
In cultivating foreign varieties, even the first season plants may be
seen that do not resemble the majority, but are seemingly trying to
accommodate themselves to the soil and climate, and in consequence
resemble in a measure the variety commonly cultivated. Growers of
Havana tobacco in the Connecticut valley can testify to this, and
especially to the increased size of the plants. There are, however,
growers of Havana tobacco, who claim that it will never deteriorate in
quality, and that seed from Havana is not required in order to secure
the delightful flavor of the _Vuelta de Abajo_ leaf. Our experience is
the reverse of this, and applies more directly to the flavor of the
leaf than the size, color, or texture. In the Connecticut valley
Havana leaf retains in a remarkable degree the texture and color of
leaf, but not the flavor. Fresh or new seed is required from time to
time. Sieckle says on the choice of seed:--
[Illustration: Spanish seed tobacco.]
"The selection of seed is one of the principal conditions
for raising good tobacco, especially when intended for the
manufacture of cigars. In the United States now and then
Havana seeds are planted. The tobacco raised therefrom
generally resembles the real Havana in shape and color of
leaves. But in order to reproduce approximately also the
fine taste and flavor of genuine Havana tobacco, it would be
required to impart to the soil exactly the components which
constitute the famous tobacco-ground, viz.: the soil of the
above-mentioned _Vuelta de Abajo_ in Cuba. We say
approximately, because the climate is a thing that can be
neither transplanted nor fully equaled by artificial means.
Havana seed propagated in the United States usually
degenerates very soon, even in the course of two or three
years. In other countries the experiment has been made to
acclimate foreign seeds, for instance, Havana, by crossing,
respectively changing the sexes and giving the male
influence now to the foreign, then to the home plant."
In the Connecticut valley the cultivation of Havana tobacco is
increasing year by year, and it promises to become the principal
variety cultivated. All of the leading qualities of Connecticut seed
leaf, such as color, strength, and texture, are preserved, while the
flavor is as fine as that of much that is imported. The plants
selected for seed should be allowed to fully ripen, when the leaves
may be stripped from the stalks, that the capsules may receive all the
strength of the growing and maturing plants. The seed plants should be
left standing some six or eight weeks after the other plants have been
harvested. If the nights are very cold and frosty, the top of the
plants may be covered with a light cloth or paper to protect the seed
buds.
When the capsules are of full size and brown in color, the top may be
broken off and hung up in a dry, cool place to cure, after which the
seeds should be taken from the capsules. To do this, the end of the
seed buds may be cut, when most of the seeds will fall out if the buds
are fully ripe and dry. A southern planter gives the following account
of the curing and management of seed plants:--
"There are four classes of tobacco grown in Virginia and
North Carolina, viz.: Shipping, filling, smoking, and
wrapping; and it is important that planters desiring to
raise either one of these should choose the kind of seed
best adapted to each particular class. The Pryor makes the
heaviest, richest shipping, and can only be grown to
perfection on alluvial or heavily manured lands. The
Frederick or Maryland grows larger, but is not so rich and
waxy. The Oronoko is far preferable for fillers, smokers or
wrappers, being sweeter in flavor, finer in fibre and
texture, and more easily cured yellow. This is the kind best
adapted to our gray soils, giving best returns. The product
is not so large as on black or brown lands, yet with skill
in curing and management, the difference in product is more
than made up in quality.
"The Oronoko, therefore, is the only kind suited to our gray
lands, and of this there are several varieties, the two
most in favor being the yellow Oronoko, and the Gooch or
Pride of Granville. The first is the kind that gave
character to the Caswell (North Carolina) yellow tobacco
more than twenty years ago, and is still preferred by a very
large number of planters who grow the finest yellow smokers
and wrappers. The latter is preferred in Granville county,
North Carolina, that produces the finest yellow tobacco
grown on this continent, or, perhaps, in the world. This
latter is clearly an Oronoko tobacco, very much resembling
the former, except that the leaf grows rather broader, and
by some is considered sweeter. These two kinds have been
grown with special reference to their adaptation to
producing the finest quality of wrappers, smokers, and
fillers. I am satisfied that the art of curing and
management have not only been very far advanced toward
scientific perfection, but that in perfecting the kinds of
seed grown much improvement has been made. For instance, in
the saving of seed, by adopting the plan of turning out the
forwardest plants growing in the best soil, and afterwards
observing to cut off all the heads of plants that ripen up
coarse, narrow or ill-shaped, or of a green color on the
hill, and saving only those heads that ripen yellow in color
and of a smooth and fine texture, much has been done to
improve the kind. Besides, the most important point in the
saving of tobacco seed is to cut off all the lateral shoots,
leaving only three crown shoots to perfect seed, thereby
securing larger pods and more perfect seed that always ripen
in good time, and are more reliable for seed beds and the
production of early, vigorous plants.
"By following this mode of saving seed with special
reference to the growth of a particular class of tobacco, in
a few years the seed is not only greatly improved, but as
like begets like in the vegetable as in the animal kingdom,
becomes _sui generis_--the first of its species. The writer
can bear testimony to the above facts and desires that
others may profit thereby. Where any plant attains its
highest perfection, there is the place to secure the best
seed. The home of the tobacco plant is in Virginia and North
Carolina, and the growth and perfection of the kinds here
cultivated have reached a point unattained any where else.
The West and South would do well to procure their seed from
us, and then save and propagate after the instructions above
given."
SECOND GROWTH.
The first account we find of raising a second crop of tobacco on the
original field, is found in the early history of the Virginia colony;
who, not satisfied with the vast amount cultivated in the usual
manner, allowed a second growth to spring up from the parent stalk and
thus obtained two crops from the same field in one year. The inferior
quality of this growth at length caused its prohibition by law, as
described elsewhere in this work. Of late, however, this "new
departure" in tobacco culture seems to have attracted some attention,
particularly in the Southern States, where numerous experiments have
been made, and in some instances with complete success. In Mexico and
also in Louisiana and California, two and even three crops are
gathered, thus adding to the profit of the grower, but hardly to the
fertility of the tobacco fields. Whatever the fertility of the tobacco
field may be, or the care and attention given to the second crop by
the planter, it can not equal the first crop, and must from the nature
of the case be quite inferior in size, texture, and flavor of leaf.
Doubtless the varieties grown in the tropics will be much finer than
the varieties grown in a more temperate region. There are many reasons
why a second and third crop can not be equal to the first in the
qualities necessary for fine leafy tobacco. In the first place, the
soil will hardly produce a second crop of the size and texture of leaf
that will compare with the first growth: the leaves will be small and
resemble the top leaves of the original plant rather than the large,
well-formed leaves of the center. Again, the season will hardly be
favorable (unless in the tropics), for a second growth, which has much
to do with the quality of the leaf and which alone ensures large,
well-matured plants.
In the Connecticut valley but one crop can be grown of seed leaf, and
even this when planted late is frequently overtaken by the "frost
king" whose cold breath strikes a chill to the heart of the tobacco
grower who has been so unfortunate as to have but a few plants;
especially if his fields were "set" late in the season, or with
"spindling" or "long shank plants" which come forward slowly and
forbid all thought of a second growth, and sometimes give small hopes
of even the first.
In Virginia and North Carolina the experiment has been tried of
covering the stumps or trunk of the plants with straw, followed by
plowing on both sides of the rows, thereby covering them to a depth of
several inches, in which condition they are left until spring, when
the covering is removed and the suckers or sprouts shoot forth and
grow with great rapidity. This novel experiment may succeed so far as
the growth and maturing of the plants is concerned, but will hardly
add to the reputation of "Virginia's kingly plant" or to the profit of
the growers, as the product must necessarily be small if the labor of
transplanting is avoided.
Beyond all question, experiments with the growth and culture of the
tobacco plant are among the most interesting and valuable, and afford
the planter the most pleasure and instruction of all similar trials
with the products of the vegetable kingdom. These experiments at once
develop not only the rare qualities of the plant, but its various
forms and habit of growth. They show as well as its adaptation to all
countries and climes, and the preservation of its qualities when grown
in regions far remote from its native home. The florist finds no more
pleasure in the cultivation of the rarest exotic than the tobacco
planter in testing some new variety of tobacco, and noting its varied
qualities and adaptation to his fields. By trying new varieties, some
of the finest qualities of the plant have been developed, and many
other of its excellences still further advanced. In the United States
numerous trials and experiments are constantly being made to still
further perfect the various kinds already cultivated, as well as to
test other varieties and note their qualities and adaptation to the
soil. Already far advanced, the culture of the plant has not yet
reached its highest point. The adaptation, soil, and fertilizers, are
now attracting much attention, and further study of these elements
promises to "bring out" qualities of leaf hitherto overlooked, or at
least but partially developed.