16 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 432 



Actually, however, according to root-examination tests, Havana 211 is not so 

 resistant to black root rot as Havana 142, and Havana K2 may not be quite so 

 resistant as Havana 211. 



Type of plant and leaf are very important in the growing, handing, and curing 

 of Havana Seed tobacco and the production of tobacco of a quality that is readily 

 salable. The stems or stalks should be strong enough to support the plants well 

 during growth but not large enough to interfere with successful curing. Probably 

 the actual size of stalks, within such range of sizes as is likely to develop in Havana 

 Seed tobacco, is less important in the successful curing of tobacco than the 

 average length of internodes and the size and strength of midribs of leaves. For 

 the most successful curing, it is essential that the internodes be long enough and 

 the midribs strong enough to hold the leaves considerably away from the stalks, 

 to prevent their matting upon one another and around the stalks during curing. 

 Such height of plants as will produce enough leaves to give a satisfactory yield 

 and produce the leaves far enough apart to permit of satisfactory curing is de- 

 sirable. Greater height than this is not desirable: first, on account of the likeli- 

 hood that winds and storms may cause more damage to the taller plants; and 

 second, on account of the inconvenience that the greater length of stalks may 

 cause in harvesting. The leaves should be borne as nearly upright as possible, 

 for this makes it easier to care for and handle the plants with little breaking of 

 leaves, and especially of the midribs, during topping and suckering, and conse- 

 f]uently with little dropping of leaves during harvest. The leaves should be of 

 suitable shape and size for use in making cigars. They should be smooth and 

 as small veined as possible and have good body. 



Quality in tobacco is comprised of numerous characteristics of the cured leaf. 

 Chief of these are color, body, burn, flavor, aroma, smoothness, veininess, elas- 

 ticity, and absence of either mechanical or curing injury. Shape and size of leaf, 

 named earlier as characteristics of plant type, are also characteristics of quality. 

 There is general understanding of what is desirable in most of these characteristics 

 (f quality. Leaves should be free from injury to facilitate cigar making opera- 

 tions and to avoid waste of materials. In size and shape, they should be wide 

 enough to permit the cutting of cigar binders of proper length and width, and oval 

 enough to permit this to be done well toward the tif . Leaves should have enough 

 body to withstand handling, curing, and sweating or fermenting satisfactorily. 

 They should be smooth and small veined, and a uniform light chocolate color is 

 preferred. Tobacco should be capable of staying lighted while a cigar is being 

 smoked, and burn with a white, non-shattering ash. Flavor and aroma, however, 

 can be judged only by taste and smell; and acceptability for these characteristics 

 is largely a matter of personal perference. All things considered, it is more diffi- 

 cult to know what may probably comprise acceptable quality in tobacco than to 

 know what may comprise acceptable t\pe of leaf and plant and satisfactory 

 yielding capacity. 



Endeavor was made to incorporate into the new strains such essential character- 

 istics of plant and leaf types and quality of cured leaf as would at least equal and, 

 if possible, surpass the desirable characteristics of regular Havana Seed, when 

 the latter is grown under favorable producing conditions. As for type of plant, 

 comparative measurements showed that Havana 211 and regular Havana Seed 

 had stems of about the same thickness. When both strains were topped at 

 corresponding heights, the plants of Havana 211 where somewhat taller than 



