TOBACCO LEAVES 



what a loss to the world of commerce it 

 would be if the Vuelta Aba jo district 

 were suddenly wiped off the map. 



To the matchless soil of this province 

 are due its industrial wealth, its commer- 

 cial value, and its world-wide fame. Other 

 lands are as fertile* other climes as salu- 

 tary, other landscapes as beautiful, but 

 nowhere on the round earth is there a soil 

 like unto that of the Vuelta Aba jo. To 

 that fair district the Cuban turns with 

 deep affection, and every lover of good 

 tobacco with reverence and gratitude. 



Pinar del Rio, the extreme western prov- 

 ince of Cuba, has been aptly compared to 

 a high-heeled boot, which separates the 

 Gulf of Mexico on the north from the 

 Caribbean on the south. The winds which 

 sweep across its hills and valleys have been 

 tempered by the surrounding seas, and 

 give the land a climate so mild and benefi- 



