PRESENT STATUS OF TOBACCO INDUSTKY. 5 



be considered as .standards of excellence l)v which all hiirii-u-iade 

 domestic types must be measured. For many years ell'orts have 

 been made to reproduce these foreign types in certain sections of the 

 country, and in some cases these efforts have been largely successful. 

 The history of the tobacco industr}" in this country furnishes abun- 

 dant proof of tile fact that tobacco of any given properties or quali- 

 ties can only be produced imder certain fixed conditions of soil, 

 climate, etc., and all of tlie established tobacco sections produce 

 types which arc recognized by the trade as possessing certain definite 

 characteristics adapted to specific purposes. One section may pro- 

 duce tobacco ''just as good" as another, yet differing from it suffi- 

 ciently to prevent its being used for tlie same purpose. 



THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF TOBACCO. 



As has already been stated, variations in soil and climatic condi- 

 tions combined with differences in methods of production give rise 

 to certain well-defined types, and on these are based present market 

 requirements. The following classification, while not intended to be 

 complete, is fairly representative of the industry as a whole. 



CIGAR TYPES. 



Broadly speaking, tlieie are two principal areas producing cigar 

 tobacco between which lie a group of States producing practically 

 all of the manufacturing and export types. The northern cigar- 

 tobacco area includes a large portion of the Connecticut Valle}' in the 

 States of Connecticut and Massacliusetts; two districts in New York 

 embracing Onondaga and Chemung and Tioga counties, respectively, 

 with portions of adjoining counties in each case; Lancaster and ad- 

 joining counties of Pennsylvania; Montgomery, Miami, and contigu- 

 ous counties of Ohio, and portions of southern and western Wiscon- 

 sin. The southern cigar-tobacco area includes Gadsden County, 

 Florida, and the adjoining county of Decatur, Georgia, with scattering 

 plantations in adjacent counties, small sections in a few counties of 

 southern .Vlabama, and Anderson and Nacogdoches counties, Texas. 



There ai-e three subtypes of cigar leaf corresponding to tlie three 

 components of the cigar, namely, wrapper, binder, and filler. 



WRAPPER AND BINDER LEAK. 



The wrapper, which gives finish to the cigar, is the highest priced 

 tobacco produced, and for it the trade requirements are most exact- 

 ing. Color, burning qualities, grain, texture, and elasticity are all 

 important factors. The product imported from Sumatra is the 

 standard and commands high prices. The bulk of the domestic 

 cigar-wrapper leaf is now produced on the light soils of the Coimecti- 



[Cir. 48] 



