CHAPTER XXV 

 TOBACCO 



638. Origin and History. Tobacco is one of the com- 

 paratively few important cultivated plants which are natives 

 of the New World. At the time of the discovery of America, 

 it was grown by the Indians over a large part of both conti- 

 nents. It was taken to the Old World by the early explorers, 

 and its use soon spread among the people there. For many 

 years, tobacco was a common medium of exchange among the 

 settlers in Virginia and some of the other colonies. It was 

 even made legal tender in some of them, and values were 

 commonly reckoned in pounds of tobacco instead of in dollars 

 and cents. Much of the early development of Virginia and 

 Maryland was due to the cultivation of this crop, which was 

 the most profitable one grown by the colonists and the only 

 one which they exported in any quantity. Later, it was 

 carried into Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio by the early 

 settlers, and these states have always remained prominent 

 in its cultivation. 



Tobacco is a very different plant from any of our other 

 field crops, being grown for the sedative principle contained 

 in its leaves rather than for the production of grain, forage, 

 or fiber. It is one of that class of plants which produce a 

 soothing effect on the nerves when chewed or smoked, as do 

 the opium poppy and the betel nut. The natives of South 

 America used tobacco for chewing and for snuff, while those 

 of North America used it only for smoking. All three uses 

 were adopted by Europeans, and tobacco has since come into 

 common use throughout the world. 



