CHAPTEE XVII. 



GENEBAL CONSIDERATIONS OF CIGAE LEAF. . 



The most difficult kind of tobacco to produce in 

 perfection, is the leaf used in the manufacture of cigars 

 of the finest quality. Until the advent of wrappers im- 

 ported from the island of Sumatra, the most popular 

 cigar in the United States was one made with Havana 

 fillers (grown in Cuba), bound with Connecticut binders, 

 and wrapped with the finest selections of Connecticut 

 broadleaf or Connecticut-valley-grown Havana seedleaf. 

 Selections from the cigar-leaf tobacco grown in the 

 Onondaga and Chemung valleys of Central New York, 

 Lancaster and Bucks counties, Pa., the Miami valley of 

 Ohio, and Dane and Rock counties in Wisconsin, have 

 also been used in the place of, or in addition to, Connec- 

 ticut leaf. In some years the crop, in some one or two 

 of these sections, may be superior to that grown in other 

 parts of the cigar-leaf States. Inferior cigar-leaf tobac- 

 cos are largely used in making the cheaper grades of 

 smokers, stogies, etc. Some years part of the crop is so 

 poor in quality as to be unsuitable even for this purpose. 

 In that event, it is usually sold for export to Germany, 

 and used in manufacturing the low grade smoking to- 

 baccos and so-called cigars common in the low countries 

 of Europe. 



Since the advent of Sumatran wrappers, the indus- 

 try has been considerably depressed, because the use of 

 Sumatran wrappers displaced great quantities of domes- 

 tic leaf. This Sumatran leaf is no better in appearance 

 than the best American wrappers, and is destitute of 

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