CULTIVATION. The variety of tobacco planted depends upon soil, climate, and market demands. The different types of tobacco are grown upon a wide range of soils differing mainly in their physical characters. Wet soils composed largely of clay produce large heavy plants that cure to a (lark brown or red. Light sandy soils produce plants having a light thin leaf curing to a bright red, mahogany, or fine yellow. The influence of soil, climate, and manures on the quality of the produce is almost beyond what is known in any other cultivated plant. ln the more northern re gions the seed is sown in a hot-bed and protected from frost by cheese cloth. The young plants are very tender and require frequent watering with weak liquid manure. They will he ready for transplanting in five or six weeks. For cigar tobacco the plants are grown rather close, 14 inches in Florida giving leaves of desirable size, quality, and appearance. For manufacturing tobacco the distance should be greater. Cultiva tion should be frequent and shallow and should cease when the plants begin to button. Where the production of seed is not desired the plants arc topped to prevent flowering, that their whole strength may be directed to the leaves except in the case of that grown for cigar wrappers when a thin leaf is the more valued. Fertilizers af fect the quality of tobacco more than the yield. barnyard manure produces a rank growth but poor qu'ality. Potash is the most important ele ment to be supplied in growing tobacco, and the best forms are the carbonate and the sulphate. Nitrogen is best supplied in cottonseed meal, bone meal, and dried blood.
When the leaves begin to turn yellow the plants are ready to harvest. This is usually done by cutting down the stalk near the ground. In the better grades of cigar tobacco the leaves are primed off, beginning with the lower as they ripen. a process requiring more labor, but giving a more uniform and valuable product. The time
generally chosen for cutting is in midday, or when the sun is powerful. The cutting is done by hand, and only such plants are chosen as are ready. If the plants are very large, the stalk is often split down, to facilitate the drying. They are then removed from the field to the to bacco-honse, around which are erected light scaf folds, from which the plants are suspended with out touching each other. After drying the leaves are removed from the stalks and tied up in bundles called hands. The losses in curing are about 85 per cent. of weight at cutting. After curing tobacco goes through the process of fer mentation or ageing. This consists primarily of a reduction in the per cent. of nicotine and the development of aroma. The action is caused by unorganized ferments or enzymes inherent in the leaf and may extend through a period of a few weeks or of two years, depending upon the method of handling. In the slow fermentation the tobacco is packed in eases and stored in ware houses. In a quicker and better method, as practiced in Cuba and the cigar districts of the United States, the tobacco is piled under suit able conditions of moisture and the process of fermenting is hastened by the boat developed. The tobacco is repiled when the temperature rises to a certain point. and so continued until the proper flavor and aroma are developed. To bacco for cigarettes is cured by heating it for a short time in large ovens. The product is of light color and a small nicotine content and without the agreeable aroma of cigar tobacco.
Tobacco, owing to the high rate of duty when in any manufactured form, is mostly imported in the leaf ; hut small quantities are brought in, chiefly for rei;xport, in various states of manu facture.