CIGAB,LEAF AT THE WEST AND SOUTH. 449 



been sold, no definite statement of price can be made. 

 It is believed that it will command the same price as 

 the best grades of imported Havana. This company 

 was organized in January, 1896. Since then it is stated 

 to have cleared 100 acres of land, and to have harvested 

 and cured the tobacco from this area. The crop har- 

 vested in June has been fermented, and I smoked cigars 

 made wholly of this stock. It is not yet regarded as 

 ready for manufacture, however. The cure is not com- 

 plete till May, and the tobacco should then " age " a 

 year before it will be at its best. The company itself 

 will double its acreage in 1897, and has opportunity for 

 unlimited extension as soon as capital is secured. 



Many farmers see in this enterprise a very hopeful 

 outlook for men of skill and energy, and are preparing 

 to grow tobacco under contract with this company. The 

 terms of the contract are, in general, these : The farmer 

 provides the land, barns and fertilizers. The company 

 provides the laborers, to be paid by the farmer at the 

 rate of one dollar per day for each working day, and a 

 foreman to handle the men, also paid by the farmer. 

 The work is also supervised by the manager of the com- 

 pany, without charge. The company sweats the tobacco 

 and prepares it for market in the Cuban style, and for 

 this receives one-third of the crop. 



