HAVANA TOBACCO. 337 



This famous variety of the tobacco plant is by common con- 

 sent the finest flavored tobacco for cigars 

 now being cultivated. Some, however, 

 consider Paraguay ian, Brazil, and Mexi- 

 can coast tobacco its equals, while, accord- 

 ing to Tomlinson, Macuba tobacco, grown 

 on the island of Martinica, stands at the 

 head of all varieties of the plant. These 

 statements may, however, be regarded as 

 mere opinions rather than acknowledged 

 facts. 



Havana tobacco, according to Hazard, HAVANA TOBACCO 

 " grows to a height of from six to nine 

 feet, as allowed, with oblong, spear-shaped leaves ; the tobac- 

 co being stronger when few leaves are permitted to grow. 

 The leaves when young are of a dark-green color and have 

 rather a smooth appearance, changing at maturity into 

 yellowish-green. The plant grows quickly, and by careful 

 pruning a fine colored leaf is obtained, varying from a straw 

 color to dark brown or black." The plant bears a pink 

 blossom, which is succeeded by capsules not quite as large as 

 those of seed-leaf tobacco. The finest is grown in the Yuelta 

 de Abajo, which, for nearly a century, has been celebrated as 

 a fine tobacco-producing district. When growing, a vega of 

 Havana tobacco forms a most pleasing feature of the land- 

 scape. As the plants ripen, the dark, glossy green of the 

 leaves is succeeded by a lighter shade and a thickening of 

 the leaf. The plant ripens in from eight to ten weeks after 

 being transplanted. The stalk and leaves are not as large as 

 its great rival, Connecticut seed-leaf, but it far surpasses it in 

 flavor. The plant emits a pleasant odor while growing, like 

 most varieties of the plant grown in the tropics. 



YAKA TOBACCO. 



This variety of tobacco, like Havana, is grown upon the 

 island of Cuba, but is unlike it in flavor, as well as in the 

 appearance of the plant. It is well known as an admirable 

 tobacco for cigars, but is not sought after or grown to such 



