T 



he bettered leaf 



Tobacco was being produced in e\er-increasing quan- 

 tities in the United States by the late 1820's but none of 

 it was grown specifically for cigars. There had been some 

 experimental crops obtained from Havana seed planted 

 in Florida which had resulted in a curious, spotted leaf 

 that had a brief vogue. But in the States the effective 

 culture of tobacco for use chiefly in cigars began in 

 Connecticut. 



"Shoestring" tobacco, while elastic enough, provided 

 a wrapper of coarse appearance: a white-speckled "cin- 

 namon" blotch. Cigar smokers were doggedly consuming 

 what they were offered by Connecticut manufacturers. 

 They were about to be rewarded for their patience. 



B 



onanza tobacco" 



Their benefactor was an intelligent farmer, B. P. 

 Barber, of East Windsor. Surveying the possibilities, he 

 decided that a variety of Maryland Broadlcaf might very 

 well thrive in the sandy soil of the Connecticut Valley. 

 Either in 1830 or 1833, depending on which historian 

 one accepts, he obtained seeds of the Maryland type. 

 The date is less important than the result. After a num- 

 ber of experimental crops the transplant developed a leaf 

 that was regarded as "elegant." It was hght-bodied, al- 

 most tasteless, and had a fine finish— an ideal leaf in its 

 time for binder. As it continued to improve under good 

 crop management and its pattern became fixed, the leaf 

 acquired characteristics that made it also excellent as a 



33 



