HAVANA TOBACCO, 387 
This famous variety of the tobacco plant is by common con- 
sent the finest flavored tobacco for cigars 
now being cultivated. Some, however, 
consider Paraguayian, Brazil, and Mexi- 
can coast tobacco its equals, while, accord- 
ing to Tomlinson, Macuba tobacco, grown 
on the island of Martinica, stands at the 
head of all varieties of the plant. These 
statements may, however, be regarded as 
mere opinions rather than acknowledged 
facts. 
Havana tobacco, according to Hazard, 
“grows to a height of from six to nine 
feet, as allowed, with oblong, spear-shaped leaves; the tobac- 
co being stronger when few leaves are permitted to grow. 
The leaves when young are of a dark-green color and have 
rather a smooth appearance, changing at maturity into 
yellowish-green. The plant grows quickly, and by careful 
pruning a fine colored leaf is obtained, varying from a straw 
color to dark brown or black.” The plant bears a pink 
blossom, which is succeeded by capsules not quite as large as 
those of seed-leaf tobacco. The finest is grown in the Vuelta 
de Abajo, which, for nearly a century, has been celebrated as 
a fine tobacco-producing district. When growing, a vega of 
Havana tobacco forms a most pleasing feature of the land- 
scape. As the plants ripen, the dark, glossy green of the 
leaves is succeeded by a lighter shade and a thickening of 
the leaf. The plant ripens in from eight to ten weeks after 
being transplanted. The stalk and leaves are not as large as 
its great rival, Connecticut seed-leaf, but it far surpasses it in 
flavor. The plant emits a pleasant odor while growing, like 
most varieties of the plant grown in the tropics. 
YARA TOBACCO. 
This variety of tobacco, like Havana, is grown upon the 
island of Cuba, but is unlike it in flavor, as well as in the 
appearance of the plant. It is well known as an admirable 
tobacco for cigars, but is not sought after or grown to such 
HAVANA TOBACCO. 
