and clay, recognized on the map as the Triassic stony loam and the 

 Holyoke stony loam. The other soils are derived from a .shallow 

 glacial lake, which is supposed to have spread out during glacial 

 times over the present valley from a dam somewhere below the present 

 city of Hartford. Into this lake sediment was brought by rivers and 

 streams. The sediment was sorted over and spread out more or less 

 evenly over the bottom of the lake. As is usual in such cases, the 

 deeper and quieter portions of the lake received the finer sand and 

 clays, while the coarse sand and gravels were deposited near the 

 shore line and near the mouths of rivers. After the lake was drained 

 by the breaking of the glacial dam the Connecticut River and its 

 tributaries commenced cutting a series of terraces through the valley. 

 These terraces are not everywhere fully preserved nor can they be 

 followed readily for any considerable distance, but in certain parts 

 of the valley they are very plain, and there are abrupt escarpments 

 of from 10 to 40 feet, which show the different stages of the lake and 

 of the river. 



The temperature of the Connecticut Valley during the growing 

 season varies from 56 F. in May to 61 F. in September, with an 

 average of 70 in July, which is the hottest month of the year. The 

 mean maximum temperature of the months varies from 69 in May 

 to 82 in July, with a mean daily variation during the season of 20. 

 There is on an average about 4.5 inches of rainfall during each 

 month of this growing season, while the mean, relative humidity 

 during June, July, and August is about 70 per cent. 



TOBACCO. 



The most interesting and most promising feature in the agricul- 

 ture of the Connecticut Valley is the tobacco industry, which has 

 given a world-wide reputation to the valley and has provided work 

 and sustenance for a large number of people. 



Tobacco was introduced into the Connecticut Valley as a recog- 

 nized farm crop in the early part of this century. It was early rec- 

 ognized that the product differed greatly in its qualities from the 

 Maryland and Virginia tobaccos ; it had less nicotine, less body, and 

 was not well adapted to pipe smoking or to chewing. The first 

 domestic cigars are reported to have been made in the Connecticut 

 Valley about the year 1802. It may, therefore, be considered the 

 home of the domestic cigar tobacco as it is of the domestic cigar 

 manufacturing. 



The Connecticut tobacco has taken its place especially as a light 

 wrapper leaf. When dark, heavy wrappers are in style, the Con- 

 necticut tobacco is not in such favor as the Pennsylvania crop for 

 wrapper purposes. The torn, coarse, or inferior leaves are used as 

 binders, while the trash and waste from the barn and cutting tables 

 are mainly exported to England. 



There are two principal varieties of tobacco grown in the Con- 

 necticut Valley, namely, " Seed leaf" and " Broad leaf." The latter 

 is grown almost exclusively on the eastern side of the Connecticut 

 River, principally in a small area of the Podunk fine sandy loam. 



It will not be necessary in this circular to discuss the peculiarities 

 of the Connecticut tobacco, as these have been pointed out in other 

 publications of the Department of Agriculture. 



