No. 4.] THE TOBACCO TRADE. 171 



every year since 1901, chiefly, to be sure, of Broad-leaf or a 

 hybrid, which indicates that tliey liave not made a flatfaihire 

 financially^ and that they are not liopeless of the outlook for 

 the method. 



Now, this is no plea for the revival of shade-growing 

 tobacco. I do not advise any one to go into it as other than 

 an experiment. But I do feel that it has possibilities of 

 success in it, and that it may 3^et be a partial solution, at 

 least, of our present difficulties. 



I have not left myself tune to fairly discuss ways of meet- 

 ing the last difficulties, viz., the lack of uniformity of leaf 

 which comes from small plantations, inequalities of soil, dif- 

 ferences in strains of leaf-growu and in methods of fertiliza- 

 tion, tillage and handling. 



These are, in a measure, unavoidable. Tobacco cannot be 

 grown here in hirge areas of uniform soil, for we have few 

 such areas. The averae-e area under a sinsfle manaofement 

 pr()bal)ly does not exceed 8 acres, whereas it is vastly larger 

 in Florida and Sumatra. Our growers have a considerable 

 number of strains, difiering slightly in character, which they 

 hold on to ; and each is willing that all should adopt his 

 strain of tobacco, but is not prepared to admit that any other 

 is as good. There are certainly four or five difterent strains 

 of Broad-leaf and several of Havana. It is worth consider- 

 ing whether it might not be for the general advantage if these 

 were abandoned for the sake of more uniform production. 



I believe in the last ten years we have got together more 

 in the matter of fertilizers than before, and that differences 

 of quality from this source are less than they were. I believe 

 our main defects at present in this regard are the use of too 

 little lime and perhaps a wasteful excess of potash and de- 

 ficiency of humus in the soil. Certainly dealers and manu- 

 facturers assert that one great defect in Connecticuit leaf is 

 the variations in biu'ning quality and in taste, — variations 

 caused by dift'erences in soil and fertilization, which are 

 much greater than in Wisconsin tobacco. 



This is the somewhat sombre view of the situation which 

 I feel that some friend of New Eno-land tobacco growino; 

 ought to present. It is, as I have said, a fast-day sermon. 



