8 



this difficulty would be in the selection of seed of the vari- 

 -eties which have been grown with success under similar 

 climatic conditions as prevailin the district proposed to be 

 cultivated. 



In this State, with its range of climate from semi-tropi- 

 ■cal to temperate, a wide margin is permitted to the grower, 

 cand seed can be procured suitable to all parts of the State. 

 In tobacco, as in all other crops, the aim of the grower 

 should be to produce the kind which will command the 

 highest price. The most valuable tobaccos are the Cuban 

 ^and Manilla, and they owe their fame mostly to the 

 favorable conditions under which they are grown. These 

 places possess a tropical heat, but at the same time are 

 tempered with the sea breeze, and there are, no doubt, 

 parts of the coastal districts of this State which may pro- 

 duce an article that could favorably compare with these 

 tobaccos. 



Tobacco thrives best in a good rich soil, rich in vegeta- 

 ble mould, but light soil containing a good amount of or- 

 ganic matter and well drained will produce an excellent 

 smoking tobacco, and on such soil the finest leaves are 

 grown. The more clay in the soil the thicker the leaves 

 become, and the aroma becomes less, and is consequently 

 less suited for the iiner qualities of smoking tobacco, al- 

 though the weight of yield may be heavier. 



Black prairie land will probably yield more to the acre 

 than any other kind of land in this State, but the tobacco 

 will not possess so liue a quality — on such soil it grows 

 larger, has coarser stems and a heavier leaf, and is not so 

 ;good for wrappers, or line cut or cigarettes and cigars as 

 the upland tobacco on sandy soils. Though tobacco is a 

 hardy plant and will grow under varied conditions, yet to 

 become a profitable crop, it must not be grown in a situa- 

 tion very different from that to which it is suited by na- 

 ture. It. must he remembered that the plant is a native of 



