PKODUCTION AND COMMERCE. 223 



7,650,656 lb. in 1850-59; 2,134,711 in 1860-69; 

 3,170,812 in 1870-79. 



West Indies. — The Spanish possessions in the West 

 Indies are well known for their tobacco. The best is 

 produced on the vuelta abajo, or low-lying districts of 

 Cuba, near Havana, which are yearly flooded during 

 the autumn, just before the tobacco is transplanted. 

 To this fact, and the peculiar suitability of the seasons, 

 the excellence of this particular product is attributed. 

 The exports from Havana in 1878 were : — 93,603 bales 

 tobacco, 75,212,268 cigars, 203,581 bundles cigarettes, to 

 the United States ; 6169 bales tobacco, 66,795,330 cigars, 

 5,034,774 bundles cigarettes, to England ; 32,582 bales 

 tobacco, 9,541,498 cigars, 133,008 bundles cigarettes, 

 to Spain ; 582 bales tobacco, 3,861,700 cigars, 8206 bundles 

 cigarettes, to N. Europe; 5671 bales tobacco, 18,327,025 

 cigars, 797,513 bundles cigarettes, to France; 41 bales 

 tobacco, 900,850 cigars 5,709,442 bundles cigarettes, 

 to other countries. The totals for 1878 were 7,078,904 

 kilo, of tobacco, 182,356 thousand cigars, and 12,816,903 

 packets of cigarettes ; in 1879, 6,371,014 kilo, of tobacco, 

 145,885 thousand cigars, and 14,098,693 packets of cigar- 

 ettes. The tobacco exports in 1879 from St, Jago de 

 Cuba were 9658 bales to Bremen, 4015 to the United 

 States (chiefly for Bremen), and 1809 coastwise, total 

 15,477, against 10,249 in 1878. In the island of Puerto 

 Eico, the tobacco-plant thrives well, and the quality, 

 especially in the Eio de la Plata district, is very good. 

 In 1878, the island exported 8 quintals (of 101^ lb.) to the 

 United States, 32,109 to Spain, 4198 to Germany, and 

 18,123 to other countries. 



