﻿THE CULTURE OE ELUE-CURED TOBACCO. 3 



unfavorable weather conditions, and prices for the brighter types 

 of leaf again became very high, foreshadowing a greatly increased 

 interest and expansion of acreage, more especially in the New Belt 

 section, where the acreage and production fluctuate much more 

 widely than in the Old Belt because of the opportunity for shifting 

 between cotton and tobacco as conditions seem to warrant. 



At the present time, the normal annual production of flue-cured 

 tobacco on a farm-weight basis is estimated to be about 215,000,000 

 pounds. Of this total about 120,000,000 pounds is produced in the 

 Old Belt section and 95,000,000 pounds in the New Belt. 1 The aver- 

 age annual production of tobacco in the United States is now close 

 to 1,000,000,000 pounds, of which the flue-cured type is approximately 

 one-fifth. White Burley is the only other type that has had such a 

 rapid expansion in production and popularity in so limited a period 

 of years. As in the case of Burley, the rapid development of flue- 

 cured tobacco is undoubtedly founded largely on its adaptability for 

 meeting the popular demand for light, mild tobacco in the different 

 forms in which it is consumed. 



All things considered, this flue-cured type of tobacco is unsurpassed in uni- 

 versal popularity and general adaptability to a variety of uses, including granu- 

 lated and cut smoking tobacco, both paper and all-tobacco cigarettes, and plug 

 filler and wrapper ; in fact, it is adapted to all the regular forms in which 

 tobacco is used except standard cigars and snuff. In color and general appear- 

 ance it is very attractive, while its low nicotine content, mildness, aromatic 

 sweetness, fragrance, and good keeping qualities render it very satisfying to 

 the user. 2 



It may also be noted that this type is the only one that has had any 

 decided tendency to expand our exports in recent years. Of the total 

 quantity of flue-cured tobacco produced, about 40 per cent, or around 

 90,000,000 pounds, is exported, and the remainder is used in domestic 

 consumption. 



SOILS OF THE FLUE-CURED DISTRICT. 



Speaking broadly, the current trade differentiations of the flue- 

 cured producing area into the Old Belt and the New Belt sections 

 indicate also a fairly well-defined modification in the character of 

 the tobacco produced in these two sections. The best tobacco soils of 

 both the Old Belt and the New Belt are all light and sandy, but 

 those of the New Belt, in the Coastal Plain, are lighter and more 

 sandy as a class than are those of the Old Belt in the Piedmont sec- 

 tion, and these soils, and especially the subsoils, become progressively 



1 For additional information concerning the general features of the flue-cured type, 

 including a list of the counties producing flue-cured tobacco, with the estimated average 

 quantity of tobacco produced in each, see Bulletin 244, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



2 U, S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bulletin 244, p. 70, 1912. 



