78 DEPARTMENTAL KEPOKTS. 



which will 1)0 of gi-eat impoi-taiice in llie work of this Division upon 

 the tobacco soils of the United States and upon tol>acco investigations 

 wliicli have been planned. 



Our investigations of the soils of the Connecticut Valley, together 

 with the stud}^ of the climatic conditions prevailing there, and the 

 conditions of growth in Florida, Cuba, and Sumatra, convinced nie 

 that a finer commercial grade of leaf should be grown upon some of 

 the soils in tliat State. The comi)letion of the soil map of a portion 

 of the Connecticut Valley, from South Glastonbury, Conn., to South 

 Iladley, Mass., gave a basis for an intelligent line of investigation 

 looking to the improvement of the Connecticut leaf. In December, 

 181)9, IVIr. Floyd went to New Haven, and, in cooperation with the 

 Connecticut experiment station, fermented a lot of tobacco according 

 to the most improved Florida methods, which have been developed 

 from the methods used in Cuba and Sumatra. The products of this 

 experiment were admitted by the growers and dealers to be suj)erior 

 in the uniformity of color to the results obtained bj^ the usual method 

 of case fermentation. It was found, furthermore, that much of the 

 top leaves and trash (ordinarily sold for from 1 to 1^ cents per pound), 

 if properly fermented made fair fillers, which were valued by several 

 firms, who had no knowledge of the origin of the tobacco, at from 18 

 to 40 cents per pound. 



Not being satisfied that the change in the method of fermentation 

 imj)roved the qualit}^ of the leaf as much as the soil and climatic con- 

 ditions seemed to warrant, a further line of experiments was planned, 

 in cooperation with the Connecticut experiment station, on closer 

 l^lanting and x)artial shading of the growing plants. Florida-grown 

 Sumatra seed was also introduced, and the exijeriment is being watched 

 with profound interest by the Connecticut growers and dealers. The 

 plants have made a wonderful growth, the leaves appear x^erfect in 

 form and texture, and the results of the fermentation are awaited 

 with the most lively interest. 



Dr. Loew's work has been a continuation and extension of the work 

 of last year. He has further investigated the oxidase and peroxidase, 

 which are believed to be the cause of tlie fei'mentation of tobacco and 

 of the develoi^ment of the desirable flavor and aroma. The conditions 

 under wliich these act and the x^roducts which they form have been 

 the subject of xn^ofound study. Dr. Loewhas also announced during 

 the year the discovery of a new enzyme, wdiicli°he calls catalase. This 

 enzyme also is believed to XJ^aj' an imx^ortant x^art in the fermentation 

 of the leaf. Investigations are in progress on the relation of this 

 enzyme to fermentation. Several rex^oi'ts liave been issued during 

 the year on the results of this work. In this tobacco work we have 

 liad the hearty cooxjeration of the Division of Vegetable Physiology 

 and Pathology. 



I regret to state that Dr. Oscar Loew, in charge of tlie tobacco fer- 

 mentation investigations of the Division of Soils, has severed his con- 

 nection Avith the Dexsartment to accex^t a x^osition in the Royal Agri- 

 cultural College at Tokyo, .Taxman. His salary will be over four times as 

 large as he was receiving here. This is a loss to the country, as it will 

 be difficult or imx^ossible to find anyone with the proper training and 

 ability to continue the work which Dr. Loew was doing ux3on the 

 imx^ortant xiroblems in the curing and fermentation of tobacco. That 

 this loss is recognized by the tolwicco gi'owers is shown in a recent 

 letter from one of the most x>rominent tol)acco growers and dealers of 

 Pennsylvania, Avho wi-ote that he an1icix)ated a saving to the tobacco 



