SOLANACE.E. XVI. NICOTIAKA. 



463 



on elevated ground, where the temperature alone suits it in 

 these latitudes. 



In the culture of tobacco in America, the plants are reared on 

 beds in spring ; and when they have acquired about 4 leaves, 

 they are planted in the field, in well prepared earth, about 3 

 feet distance every way. Every morning and evening the plants 

 require to be looked over, in order to destroy a worm, which 

 sometimes invades the bud. When 4 or 5 inches high, they are 

 moulded up. As soon as they have 8 or 9 leaves, and are 

 ready to put forth a stalk, the top is nipped off, in order to 

 make the leaves longer and thicker, by diverting all the ener- 

 gies of the plant to them. After this, the buds which sprout 

 from the joints of the leaves are all plucked, and not a day is 

 suffered to pass without examining the leaves to destroy a large 

 caterpillar which is sometimes very destructive to them. When 

 they are fit for cutting, which is known by the brittleness of the 

 leaves, they are cut with a knife close to the ground ; and after 

 lying some time, are carried to the drying-shed, where the 

 plants are hung up by pairs, upon lines having a space between, 

 that they may not touch each other. In this state they remain 

 to sweat and dry. When perfectly dry the leaves are stript, 

 and covered with blankets. Care is taken not to overheat them ; 

 for which reason the heaps are laid open to the air from time to 

 time, and spread abroad. This operation is repeated till no 

 more heat is perceived in the heaps ; and the tobacco is then 

 stowed in casks for exportation. Long. Jamaica, 3. p. 719. 

 In Persia the seed of the Shiraz tobacco is sown in December, 

 in a dark soil slightly manured ; and to protect the seeds, the 

 ground is covered with bushes, which are removed when the 

 plants are 3 or -i inches high ; and during this period the plants 

 are watered every 4 or 5 days, if the weather is dry. They are 

 afterwards transplanted into a well moistened soil, on the tops 

 of ridges made for them. As soon as the flowers appear, the 

 buds are pinched off. After this operation the irrigation is con- 

 tinued, and the leaves increase in size and thickness till August 

 or September, when each plant is cut close to the root, and 

 again stuck firmly into the ground. At this season dews fall at 

 night ; and while exposed to these, the colour of the leaves 

 change from green to the desired yellow colour ; during this 

 stage no water is given, and when they are sufficiently yellow, 

 the plants are taken from the earth early in the morning ; and 

 while they are yet wet with the dew, and heaped on each other 

 in a shed, the walls of which are made with bushes, where they 

 are freely exposed to the wind, while there, and in 3 or 4 

 days, those leaves which were still green, become of the desired 

 pale yellow colour. The stalks and centre of each leaf are now 

 removed and thrown away. The leaves are again heaped toge- 

 ther in the drying-house for 3 or 4 days more, when they are in 

 a fit state for packing. For this purpose the leaves are care- 

 fully spread on each other, and formed into a sort of cake, 4-5 

 feet in circumference, and 3-4 inches thick, great care being 

 taken not to injure the leaves : these cakes are finally packed in 

 bags. The leaf of the Shiraz tobacco is valued for being thick, 

 tough, and of a uniform yellow colour. 



In the manufacture of tobacco, the leaves are first cleansed 

 from any earth, dirt, or decayed parts ; next they are gently 

 moistened with salt and water, or water in which salt along with 

 other ingredients has been dis>olved, according to the taste of 

 the fabricator. This liquor is called tobacco sauce. The next 

 operation is to remove the midrib of the leaf; then the leaves 

 are mixed together, in order to render the quality of whatever 

 may be the final application equal. It is then cut into small shreds 

 for smoking, by a machine like a straw-cutter, or formed into small 

 cords for chewing, or dried and ground for numerous varieties of 

 snuffs. The three principal sorts of snuffs are called Rappees, 

 Scotch or Spanish, and Thirds. The first is only granulated, the 



second is reduced to a very fine powder, and the third is the 

 siftings of the second sort. The large Havannah cigars are pro- 

 bably made from the leaves of N. macrophylla, or Oronoko to- 

 bacco ; the smaller, or Queen's, are said to be made from those 

 of N. repdnda. The Indians of the rocky mountains of North Ame- 

 rica use the leaves of N. quadritaltis and N. nana, and the In- 

 dians on the banks of the Columbia use those of N. multirdhis. 

 N. rustica is the tobacco of Salonica. and probably also that of 

 Latakkia, which is so much esteemed. Manilla has long been 

 celebrated for its tobacco. Niebuhr describes it as very fine. 

 Many smokers prefer Manilla cheroots to any other. The next 

 tobacco which has obtained reputation in England is that of Darab- 

 jird in Pars, (Shiraz,) *V. Persica. Still farther north, the tobacco 

 commonly denominated Turkish, the produce of N. rustica, and 

 grown on the coasts of the Mediterranean, is highly valued in 

 India. There is an excellent kind of tobacco called Arracan, or 

 Martaban. Dr. Ainslie states, that the finest tobacco in India, 

 and perhaps in the world, is grown near the village of Wooda- 

 num, in the northern circars, in some of those low sandy islands 

 formed at the mouth of the river Krishna (from which is made 

 the famous Masulipatam snuff) ; also in the Delta of Godavery, 

 where the soil is particularly rich and fertile. The Chunar and 

 Bhilsa tobaccos are also celebrated in India. 



The active constituents of tobacco are supposed to be an 

 essential oil ; for by long boiling, the decoction and extract of 

 tobacco become inert, and by distillation an oil is obtained from 

 it so active, that small animals are almost instantly killed when 

 wounded by a needle dipped in it. Vauquelin has analysed 

 tobacco, both in its fresh and prepared state. The expressed 

 juice is manifestly acid, and contains a great quantity of albumi- 

 nous matter, supermalate of lime, acetic acid, nitrate and mu- 

 riate of potass, muriate of ammonia, and a red matter soluble 

 in alcohol, and an acrid principle called narcotin, which is aho 

 soluble in alcohol and water. Narcotin is obtained in a state 

 nearest to purity in the distilled water of the infusion of the dry, 

 or of the expressed juice of the fresh plant. 



Tobacco is capable of producing deleterious effects on the 

 living body, whether taken into the stomach in substance or 

 solution, or into the lungs in the form of smoke, or applied to 

 abraded surfaces. The system, however, becomes easily habi- 

 tuated to the action of tobacco ; and many people use very large 

 quantities of it in several ways as a luxury, without experiencing 

 any other bad effect than what arises from their being unable to 

 relinquish it after the habit is confirmed. In medicine it is ex- 

 hibited in various forms ; when chewed, it causes an increased 

 flow of saliva, and sometimes relieves the toothache ; and re- 

 duced to powder, it proves an excellent errhine and sternutatory 

 when snuffed up the nostrils. An infusion of it in water and 

 wine, in small doses, so as to have little effect on the stomach, 

 proves powerfully diuretic, and is employed with great success 

 in dropsy and dysuria. The infusion is also applied externally 

 for the cure of psora, tinea, and other cutaneous diseases. It 

 is employed both in infusion and smoke, in the form of 

 clysters in cases of obstinate constipation. An infusion of 

 the leaves forms a powerful lotion for obstinate ulcers. The 

 oil applied to a wound is said by Redi to be as fatal as the 

 poison of a viper. The decoction, powder, and smoke of 

 tobacco are used in gardening to destroy insects, and in agricul- 

 ture for the same purpose, and to cure cutaneous eruptions in 

 domestic animals. 



J'ar. a, attenuation (Schrank, in Hoppe's bot. zeit. 1807. p. 

 260.) flowers attenuated ; leaves lanceolate, acute, subdecur- 

 rent, attenuated at the base: lower ones large. G- H. Flow- 

 ers red. 



I'ar. p, macrophyllum (Schrank, 1. c.) corollas obtuse, flatly 

 mucronate at the angles ; petioles short, winged, at length 



