TOBACCO. 191 



Mr. Allen. — I began to cut this year the 20th of August. 

 I finished the 10th of Septem!)er. I prefer to have my tobacco 

 all hung up in the shed before the 10th of September. That 

 is about late enough to hang up a crop of tobacco in the re- 

 gion where I live. I can not trust it out much later than that. 

 Frosts may come and injure it in the field, and if I hang it up 

 in the shed very much later than that it is likely to be frozen 

 in the shed, and it does not make any difference where it is 

 frozen. 



Question. — Do you agree with Dr. Riggs in regard to ven- 

 tilation ? 



Mr. Allen. — I think he has given a description of an ad- 

 mirable shed. I liave one on a somewhat similar plan. I do 

 not know how it could be bettered. 



Mr. Hart. — What are the general characteristics, as to tex- 

 ture and color, of the best tobacco? 



Mr. Allen. — Well, sir, the doctor answered that question 

 very accurately, I l^ink, whatever may be the fashion with the 

 cigar makers. We raise the wrapper leaf, and the quality 

 which is required is a thin, tough, elastic leaf, the thinner the 

 better, if it is only tough enougii and elastic enough to wrap 

 the cigar. The reason is this. You can take Havana tobacco 

 for the filling of a cigar, and use a seed-leaf for the wrapper, 

 and the wrapper is so tliin that it will not impart any of its 

 peculiar flavor to the cigar, and you would not know you were 

 not smoking a pure Havana cigar. This leaf has become so 

 valuable, on account of its elasticity, that large quantities are 

 taken to the island of Cuba, wrapped around Havana tobacco, 

 and the cigars brought, to this country and sold for pure Ha- 

 vanas, and it would take a very good judge to discover the 

 difference. I do not know that any one could. Our leaf, by 

 reason of this peculiarity, has risen in value very materially, 

 being sought for all over the world. It is carried to Europe, 

 and the market is extending in every direction ; and that is 

 the reason why our tobacco is bringing a higher price this 

 year than formerly. It is not so much because the tobacco 

 crop is poor, or because the market is bare of the article, as 

 because of its intrinsic worth as a wrapper leaf. 



