B 



A 



urley is king 



The development of tobacco in Tennessee closely 

 parallels that of Kentucky. Both states share the growth 

 of the four main types of tobacco cultivated in that part 

 of the country. But of these types, Burley, though rela- 

 tively new to the industry, is the most widely cultivated 

 in Kentucky and Tennessee. 



Burley was originally a dark air-cured type known as 

 "Red Burley." Today, it is referred to as "White Burley." 

 The latter type made its first appearance in 1864 near 

 the village of Higginsport in Brown County, Ohio. In 

 the spring of that year, a farmer procured from a neigh- 

 boring, Bracken County farmer a small portion of to- 

 bacco seed known as "Little Burley." He sowed part 

 of the seed and when it was ready for transplanting he 

 noticed some white and yellow colored plants. The 

 farmer took these to be diseased or dwarfed and got 

 rid of them. 



The following year, being short of seed, the farmer 

 sowed the same "Little Burley" seed and found a portion 

 of "mutant" plants. In 1866, two hogsheads of this type 

 tobacco were shipped to Cincinnati and sold at a pre- 

 mium price, $58 for a hundred pounds. Burley, as we 

 know it, gained in popularity and spread throughout 

 Kentucky and down to Tennessee. Its position has 

 never slackened. 



bundant fields 



Prior to 1924 Burley production was largely confined 

 to East Tennessee and the total acreage for the state 



