G 



littering shade 



Meanwhile, for the farmers of the Valleys, a ray of 

 hope appeared. It was focused on the word "shade." 



Under federal supervision attempts had been made in 

 Florida to duplicate, or at least approximate, the silken 

 wrapper leaf of Sumatra with seeds from that island. 

 The initial efforts were a failure until the fortunate dis- 

 covery that a desired leaf could be obtained when pro- 

 tected by the shade of trees. Experimentally, coverings 

 of thin, closely spaced slats and, finally, tents of cotton 

 cloth were erected under which tobacco was grown. As 

 a result a "perfect" Florida-grown wrapper was acquired 

 by 1898. 



This was a competitive leaf that could not be re- 

 stricted by a tariff protecting Connecticut farmers. 

 Growers in the Connecticut Valley turned to experts at 

 the Connecticut Agricultural College (founded as an 

 agricultural school by Augustus and Charles Storrs in 

 1881), to those at the Connecticut Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, and to soil authorities of the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



The soil of Connecticut was found to be similar to that 

 part of Florida where Sumatran seeds had developed a 

 fine wrapper leaf. Independent experiments were con- 

 ducted by the specialists. A half acre was sown at Poquo- 

 nock, Connecticut, with Sumatran seeds of one year's 

 growth in Florida. Elsewhere in 1900 a smaller tract was 

 set out with the Floridian seed; other tracts with Havana. 



The Sumatran variety seemed to be what the special- 

 ists were looking for. In 1901 around 41 acres were set 

 under shade supervised by men from the U.S. Bureau of 



42 



