170 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



It is, however, a new industry which must be slowly learned 

 by our growers. While much may be acquired from the pre- 

 vailing ideas and practices in Sumatra and in Florida, there yet 

 remains much more which is absolutely necessary to success, 

 but which our growers must learn for and by themselves. 



The adaptation of methods of raising, harvesting and curing 

 the leaf to the special local conditions of labor, and particularly 

 to the peculiarities of our climate during growth, harvest and 

 curing, are essentials to be worked out by our growers, and in 

 which no one but themselves can be experts. 



We are not raising Sumatra tobacco, or Florida tobacco ; we 

 are not in a Sumatra climate, or a Florida climate. To suc- 

 ceed, our farm practice must be that which we find best for this 

 leaf under Connecticut conditions. 



At present there is much more in our favor in experiment- 

 ino; ao'ain with .shade-OTOwino; than when we began. 



First, it is unpopular. The experimenter will be let alone, 

 which is what he needs. 



Second, we know a good deal more about handling the 

 crop and about the loss which comes from handling it too 

 much. We have some of the appliances which we used 

 before, and a good deal of experience ; therefore, it is not 

 an absolutely new thing to us. 



Third, and most important of all, I think, largely through 

 the careful selections which Mr. Shamel has made, we have 

 seed which we have proved by three years' test will give us 

 plants bearing over twenty-one leaves apiece, which are very 

 uniform in shape and size throughout the field, and Avhich, in 

 these particulars, are very nearly like the imported Sumatra. 



We had nothing of the sort when we made our experi- 

 ments in 1900 and the following years, and this fact alone 

 had a great deal to do with the general lack of success. The 

 yield of pole-cured leaf was much smaller than it would have 

 been with this improved seed which I have described ; and, 

 because the plants were of ten or twelve diflFerent types, 

 instead of one, the expense of sorting and the damage and 

 Avaste wrought by sorting were vastly more than they should 

 have been. 



Certain growers have raised small areas of shade-grown 



