The production of flue-cured tobacco continued to expand in 

 North Carolina until today tobacco growers in the state plant more 

 than 400,000 acres annually, or 67 percent of the total grown in the 

 United States. The planted acreage produces an average of 850.000,000 

 pounds of tobacco per year. Flue-cured tobacco has been developed 

 to the point where it is used principally in the manufacture of 

 cigarettes; about 95% is used for this purpose. The growth in the 

 use of cigarettes accounts for the increased production of this type 

 of tobacco. 



There are five different kinds of tobacco grown in the United 

 States. They are: 



1. Flue-cured, used principally in cigarettes. 



2. Burley, used in cigarettes, chewing and smoking. 



3. Fire-cured, used in snuff and chewing. 



4. Cigar filler and binders, used in cigars. 



5. Cigar wrappers grown under shade for cigars. 



If you will notice on any package of cigarettes, you will see 

 the word ' 'blended' ' which means that a certain amount of several 

 types of tobacco are mixed together to make the filler for the ciga- 

 rette. Flue-cured tobacco is the meat or body and mildness of the 

 blend; burley tobacco is added for filler and burning qualities and 

 Turkish for spice or aroma. Most cigarettes contain these tobaccos 

 in different proportions, but in standard brands, the real secret of 

 one blend differing from anothers lies in the flavoring or casing 

 that is put on the tobacco in the blending process. 



The principal flavorings used in the blending process are: rum, 

 glycerin, saccharine, maple sugar, brown sugar, apple honey, white 

 honey and alcohol. So, if you prefer one brand of cigarettes to 

 another, it could be the flavoring that makes the difference. The 

 average proportions of tobacco in cigarette blends are: 



Flue-cured 50% 



Burley 30-40% 



Maryland and Burley. . 6-10% 



Turkish 6-10% 



Tobacco Plant Beds 



The production of tobacco probably seems rather simple to people 

 who have grown up with it, but to others the many steps and processes 

 involved in producing, harvesting and marketing a crop of tobacco 

 may not be quite so simple. 



The first step in producing a crop of tobacco involves the pre- 

 paration of a seed bed during the winter months for the tiny tobacco 

 seed. The seed are so small that it takes 442,970 seeds to make one 

 ounce, or three tablespoonfuls. If all the seed in one ounce should 

 produce strong healthy plants, there would be enough plants to set 

 approximately 64 acres of tobacco. Actually, many of these delicate 

 seed will fall on rough ground and die, others will be killed by the 

 cold weather and some plants will be killed by insects and disease. 

 Therefore, the average grower usually sows about 1/3 of an ounce, or 

 one tablespoonful of seed per 100 square yards of plant bed, and he 

 usually prepares about 100 square yards of plant bed for each acre 

 of tobacco he intends to plant so that he can be assured of having 

 enough plants to set his crop. 



The plant beds, which are sowed in different sections of North 

 Carolina from December through the early part of March, are covered 

 with mesh cotton canvas early in the spring before the seed sprout, 

 to protect the seedling from the cold and frost. After danger of 



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