"^ O.-THE 

 t UNIVERSITY 



OF 



TOBACCO CULTURE. 



TOBACCO, ITS ORIGIN A^J^HISTORY. 



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The ordinary Tobacco, is Nicotiana Tobacum, a native of South J^Bica. It hasUpeen so 

 long, and so extensively cultivated, that it has become naturalized^ 3iany localitraBj This 

 is especially the case in some of the Southern States, where it spHKs up in 

 and has become thoroughly established as a weed. Tobacco is removable for t 

 with which it is modified by the soil and climate of the locality in which it is produced. 

 Not only are the size and texture of the leaves greatly affected, but the quality, the strength 

 and flavor, are changed to a remarkable extent. The plant, after cultivation for a few suc- 

 cessive years in any locality, assumes the characteristics, and becomes of the quality peculiar 

 to the tobacco of that district. Thus the seeds of the strong Kentucky Tobacco, or the highly 

 flavored Cuban, if it is grown for two or three years in the rich fields of the Valley of the 

 Connecticut, yield a leaf without the strength of the Kentucky and Cuban, and with th'e 

 thin substance and silky texture peculiar t6 the well-known Connecticut Seed-leaf. Aside 

 from the spontaneous growth of this species, there are found in the wild state, in various parts 

 of the country, eight or nine other species, all but one of which are regarded as indigenous. 

 These mostly occur west of the Mississippi, especially towards the Pacific, and several are 

 still in cultivation by the Indians. One species, Nicotiana rustica, is found sparingly in 

 the older States, from New York southward, as a relic of its former cultivation by the tribes 

 of Eastern Indians. Tobacco is produced in various countries of the Old World, and Turk- 

 ish, Shiraz, and other Oriental tobaccos are well-known in commerce, and are often men- 

 tioned as being the product of Nicotiana Chinensis, and N. Persica. Whether tobacco was 

 known to any part of the Old World before the discovery of America, is very doubtful. 

 Those who have studied the subject most thoroughly, are inclined to regard the Oriental 

 tobaccos as having been derived from American species. The botanical name of the genus> 

 Nicotiana, was given it in honor of Jean Nicot, who is thought to have been instrumental 

 in introducing the plant into Europe. Nicot, about the year 1560, was an ambassador from 

 France to Portugal, and while residing at Lisbon, received seeds of the plant from Florida. 

 The name tobacco is said by some to be from a locality in Yucatan, while others claim that 

 it is from tabac, a name of the natives for the pipe they used in smoking the leaf. 



THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO. 



Since these essays first appeared, a large number have written to the publishers, inquir- 

 ing as to the preparation of the leaf to adapt it for use in smoking, chewing, etc. The man- 

 ufacture of a product is an entirely separate branch of industry from that of producing the 

 raw material, and is carried on by different persons. Instruction in the manufacture of 

 tobacco into its various commercial forms, no more of necessity belongs to a work on tobacco 

 culture, than do directions for brewing in a work on raising hops. The manufacture of 

 tobacco is a trade, having its own processes, requiring peculiar machinery, and guarded by 

 its trade secrets, each manufacturer having methods peculiar to himself. 



In order to render the work as useful as possible, we give an account of the general treat- 

 ment of tobacco, which is all that those engaged in the business are willing should be known. 

 The grower of tobacco, after his crop is dried, carries it through a process of fermentation 

 by " bulking " it, which brings it into a condition for market. 



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