CIRCULAR No. 5, TOBACCO 10. 



S.29. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



DIVISION OF SOILS, 



Cooperating with the Connecticut (State) Experiment Station. 



BULK FERMENTATION OF CONNECTICUT TOBACCO. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Division of Soils has been interested for a number of years in 

 the study of the tobacco soils of the Connecticut Valley and the quality 

 of the tobacco produced on them. An historical review shows that the 

 quality of the tobacco grown on the present tobacco soils has probably not 

 been materially changed in the last fifty years ; that the yield per acre has 

 increased considerably through improved methods of cultivation and 

 more judicious fertilization while the average price per pound is about 

 as high at present as it has been for any considerable time during this 

 period. The market demands, however, for the "style" of wrapper 

 leaf have been uncertain and fluctuating between the dark, heavy wrap- 

 per of Pennsylvania and the light, thin wrapper of the Connecticut 

 Valley. Just now the demand is for the light, thin wrapper. The 

 introduction of the Sumatra tobacco in 1864 a thin, light wrapper 

 leaf, with rich grain and exceptional style and the enormous impor- 

 tations under a very heavy tariff seem to indicate that the market has 

 determined that for some time to come this is to be the style of leaf 

 that will be most in favor. 



While there has never yet been an overproduction of desirable 

 wrapper leaf in this country, the changing style has repeatedly favored 

 one section to the disadvantage of another. The increasing importa- 

 tion of the Sumatra leaf and the development of the Sumatra type of 

 wrapper leaf in some of our Southern States, which is selling for a 

 high price per pound, plainly indicates that the Connecticut farmer 

 should change the style of his leaf to conform more closely to the 

 market demand if it can be done at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, 

 there are undesirable qualities in the flavor of the Connecticut leaf 

 which should be eliminated if possible, in order to produce a more 

 desirable wrapper for the domestic cigar. 



The investigations of the Division of Soils in Connecticut and the 

 comparison of these soils and climatic conditions during the actual 



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