6 THE CULTURE OE TOBACCO. 



mountain slopes. In this instance, textnre rather than aroma is the 

 feature sou,t,'ht for, and it may be owing to a difference in the 

 quality c)f the soil rather than to difference in elevation. The finest 

 tobacco in the world from the standpoint of aroma is grown in the 

 mountain valleys of Western Cuba. The altitude of these valleys is 

 not at all excessive. The suppo.sition is that high elevatinns are not 

 likely to produce fine tobacco, for heat is an es.sential to the devehip- 

 ment of ai-ouia, and the high altitudes are geneially cool. 



In general, tropical climates will produce aromatic tobaccos, 

 which are the best for cigar fiUeis, and the cooler portions of the 

 temperate climates will produce thin leaves with but little aroma 

 which are adapted for' cigar wrappers. The bulk of the pipe and 

 cliewing t<ibaccos i if the woi'ld are produced in the warmei' portions of 

 the temperate zone. The plant can be gi'own in any place with t-wn 

 months of weather withoiit frdst, but the aroma will depend 

 largely on the teni|jerature and humidity conditions of the district. 



THE TOBACCO PLANT. 



The tdbarcn nf ccimmiTre is prnduced fi^m several different 

 sjiecies i.f the Hi'mix Xintl i^i ii'i , i<i which there are some fifty species. 

 ^\'. tiih<iciiu-i is the s|iei-ies cummonly cultivated in North America. 



X. /■iiKticii niiginally came fi'nm Suuth m' (Central America, 

 where it is grown to a. rertain extent to-da\". It is cultivated also 

 in Germany, Hungary, and Knssia, and pi'obalih- furnishes the 

 Turkisfi and Latakia tobaccos. 



.Y. ri'jii/iiilri furnishes the Yana tobacco of ('ii)ia, which is culti- 

 \ated to a veiy limited extent, the Havana tobarco Ijeing a variety 

 of the .V. t'lhiii-inii. The Shiraz tobacco of Persia, is a produitt <if 

 the species .^'. Pn-K/ra. Many different varieties of the uiore im- 

 jmrtant species have been develo|)ed, and it may be that some 

 varieties aiX' the icsult of ;i, i-ross of two or even more of the 

 species. 



Tobarco is a member of the family ,V,,/,(/,,(,77( , to whirli also 

 belongs the tomato. p(jtato, ],t.|)per, egg ]ilant, ]ietunia, (_'a|ie goose- 

 berry, the datura, and many other ronimon jilants, a fact it is well 

 to remember in the lultivation of tobaoco or in the combating of its 

 enemies; for the insect pests, oi' dise;ises, of one mend.ier"(if the 

 family are often the enemies of other members. 



Selection of A'arieties. 



Before entering into the ])rodurtion (jf tobacco the ])lanter slioul.l 

 give due thought to the selection of the varieties to be grown. 

 (.Questions of soil and climate, as well as of market, should be' taken 

 into consideration, and the variety selei-ted that vill pioduce the 



type desired, as well as the largest jn'oporti if the best i^iades (.f 



that type. By years of careful selection, varieties adaplcTl lo the 

 different conditions of soil ami climate have lieen developed, .nul 

 <int of these a small list slionld Ik^ (lioseii for trial of s\ieli as 'lia\ e 

 proviMl to be the best under tin' same I'oiiditions now confroiitinc" 

 tlie ]ilanter. Ex]:ie)-ience will determine (he ones to be retained as 

 standard croppeis. 



