The Tobacco Plant 109 



produced by fermentation, and now the microbe is 

 known to be the cause of the heating and ferment- 

 ing. The fragrance of tobacco is produced by the 

 omnipresent and omnipotent microbe. The Havana 

 flavour is produced by bacteria indigenous to Cuba, 

 that of Manila by a Filipinos microbe, while Virginia, 

 Turkish and all other varieties of tobacco are the 

 work of other microbes. The susceptibility of 

 tobacco plants to local conditions has long been 

 known, Havana plants cultivated in Germany pro- 

 ducing strictly Teutonic tobacco, and inversely the 

 German plant transported to Cuba producing the 

 finest Havana leaf. 



Herr Suchsland shows that these changes are due, 

 not to the climate and soil in themselves, but to the 

 different microbes indigenous to Cuba and Germany. 

 By introducing the bacteria discovered in the fer- 

 mentation of Havana tobacco into a fermenting heap 

 of German-grown leaf, the latter became in all 

 respects as the best-grown Havana leaf The West 

 Indian microbe turns German tobacco into Havana, 

 and the German microbe transforms the fragrant 

 Havana into the weak, hay-like Teutonic weed. A 

 patent for the flavouring of tobacco in this way has 

 been taken out in Germany, and smokers are promised 

 the finest brands of tobacco, flavoured by microbes to 

 order, at nominal prices. 



When sufficiently ' cured ' the leaves are placed to 

 dry. When elastic and dry enough to bear handling 

 and pulling like a kid glove, they are removed from 

 the poles on which they have been spitted. American 

 dealers then strip the leaves of the mid-rib. The 



