CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE. 



107 



issued edicts against its use, but with no better success than those is- 

 sued against coffee and Jesuit's bark, or any of the denunciations 

 against the potato and many other vegetable productions. . All the 

 sovereigns of Europe now derive a large portion of their revenues 

 from tobacco. 



Tobacco is cultivated as far north as Sweden in Europe, and Ver- 

 mont in the U. S., and likewise in the hot climates of S. America, 

 China, Japan, and other parts of Asia. N. rustica, or green leaf, be- 

 ing considered hardier than N. tobacum, it is some cultivated in more 

 northern latitudes. Its growth is prohibited in England, except as a 

 border flower for curiosity, or by gardeners for killing insects, but an 

 enormous revenue is derived from its importation. In Germany and 

 some northern countries, families having gardens, grow sufficient for 

 their own use, but being unable to cure it, they seldom make it into 

 snuff or chewing tobacco. 



Cultivation. Tobacco is commonly raised on beds early in spring, 

 and when the plants have grown 4 leaves, they are transplanted into 

 fields, and placed 2 or 3 feet apart. They are then daily examined to 

 discover and destroy a worm which infests them ; and when 5 or 6 

 inches high, they are hoed or hilled up. After acquiring 8 or 10 

 leaves, and are ready to stalk, the top is taken off that the leaves may 

 become larger. The buds at the joints are subsequently plucked off, 

 and the plant is constantly examined for a caterpillar which appears 

 on the leaves. When the leaves become brittle, the plants are cut 

 even with the ground ; and after laying for a time, they are taken to 

 a shed and hung up in pairs, and separated on poles to dry and sweat. 

 When wholly dry, the leaves are stripped off, tied in bundles, laid in. 

 heaps, and covered with blankets ; care being taken that they do not 

 become overheated, by spreading them out occasionally. When no 

 more heat is perceived they are packed in hogsheads for market. 



Manufactured tobacco includes the three different forms of chewing, 

 smoking, and snuff tobacco. Cut tobacco is used for smoking in pipes 

 and also for chewing. Of this shag is preferred. Returns is a light- 

 er and milder kind and is the shag recut. Bird's-eye is the same, 

 except that the ribs of the leaves are cut with it. Canister is a fa- 

 vorite European, or Spanish smoking tobacco. Roll or twist tobacco 

 is mostly for chewing. Of this there are pig-tail, negro-head, bogie, 

 alloe, cavendish, ladies and Irish twist. Cigars are of various kinds 

 and qualities ; the Havannah and American are distinguished from 

 sheroots, which were originally from the east. Of these the Manillas 

 are the best. Snuffs are made of fermented tobacco, it being laid in 

 heaps for a month and sprinkled for that purpose, by which ammonia 

 is evolved. It is then ground in mills; and all the varieties are pro- 

 duced by different modes of preparation. Snuffs consist of two kinds, 

 dry and moist. The one is dried at a high temperature, lime being 



