Chapter XIII: Tobacco Culture (3)

"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.

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.

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:--

"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.