Imported Cuban leaf is used both as fillers 
and wrappers. The U. S. as already stated 
imports about 26 million lbs. annually. The 
leaf varies in length from 8” to 18”; is a rich 
brown color, and its principal characteristic is 
its fine flavor and aroma, which is unequalled 
by any other tobacco in the world. 
The Sumatran leaf is perhaps more import- 
ant in the U. S. cigar trade than the Cuban 
leaf. It is used exclusively as wrappers, on 
account of its fine light brown color, its elastic 
texture and light weight. The genuine imported 
leaf is much less in weight than that grown from 
Sumatran seed in Florida. About 2 lbs. of 
imported Sumatran leaf will wrap 1,000 cigars. 
Its length is usually from 14 to 20 inches and 
the U. S. imports annually about 7 million lbs., 
valued at about 5 million dollars. The use of 
Sumatran leaf as a wrapper for home-made 
cigars has increased remarkably in the last 
quarter century. In the quinquennium ending 
1885 the number of such cigars was 34 millions. 
In the last quinquennium the number exceeded 
2,000 millions. 
The Sumatran leaf has little aroma or flavor 
and its value is for appearance only. The 
average prices paid by the United States for 
imported cigar leaf in 1914 was: for leaf suit- 
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