4 THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO. 



liia;liest nualitv ..f leaf is a tliin s]lt\- soil resting on a red clay or a 

 silty sul.s,,il, ■ The tnbar,, lands of this section contain, on an 

 average, 2.1 per cent, of uioisture. which ivould be too muih for 

 the production of a ^rrapjier leaf. In this region any attempt to 

 grow tobacco on the rich black lauds results in a coarse, heavy, 

 badly flavoured leaf. . r i + 



In Pennsylvania there are twci type.s of tobacco soils, the light 

 alluvial soils similar to those in C'ouuecticut, oa which a fair 

 wrapper leaf is grown, and the heavy clay limestone, ou which 

 heavy crops of cigar tiller are produced. The latter soil contains 

 an avera'.fe of 30 per cent, of clay and 20 per cent, of moisture. 



The Wisconsin leaf is grown on a well-drained dark I'ich loam, 

 underlaid by a heavy silt or clay. This leaf is cliietly used as cigar 

 binders. 



The cigar leaf soil of Western Florida is a light sand loam 

 underlaid by a red clay subsuil, and closely resemlJes the yellow 

 tobacco lands. This soil very successfully produces both the Cuban 

 and the Sumatra tobacco. Sumatra tobacco is grown for the pro- 

 duction of high-grade wrappers, and these soils contain from 8 to 

 10 per cent, of moisture, an amount very similar to that in good 

 wrapper-producing soil elsewhere. Both the Cuban and the .'-iuiuatra 

 tobaccos are also being grown further south in Florida on a somewhat 

 . coarser sand, which contains aliout the same percentage of moisture. 



I'ericpie ti'bacci is gmwii in Louisiana on a deep, gray, fertile 

 loam. This soil is well drained, frialile, and retenti-^'e nf a lucdiuni 

 percentage ..f nmisturc. It imt only forces a ra]ad growth ot the plant, 

 but helps to uivc' to it that u-uniniiness necessary to de\'elop the 

 characteristic I'eiiipie ai'onia. 



It will be noticed that the te:^ture of the tobacC(i grown, and 

 the purpose foi- which it is ada]jti-'(l, is de]ieiident on the moisture- 

 lioldiii^; a\"eragi- of the soil. A soil with a moisture content of over 

 12 per cent, is n(;t adaptt-d to the piodnction of wrappers, How- 

 evei', the textuiv of the soil does not aeeount for ditlerenees in 

 eouibustiliility and in aroma; for these we must look for ibtterences 

 in the eheniieal constituents of the soil, .and variations in climate. 



CLIMATE. 



Few plants are so susceptiWe to climate as is tobacco. Climate 

 largel}' influences the cpiality and aroma in the same way that soil 

 infiuence.s the texture. In a warm climate the tendency of the leaf is 

 to be gummy, resinous and aromatic. In a cooler climate the leaf will 

 become larger, thinner, and almost without aroma. While the ten- 

 dency is for the leaf to become thick in warm climates, this tendene\- 

 may be overcome by other conditions as excessive rainfall. This is 

 the condition in Sumatra, where the leaf is famous for its fineness of 

 te.xture. Tobacco grown in regions of excessive rainfall is washed out 

 and devoid of fine aroma. This is understood in Cuba, where the 

 tiibaei-o i.s not planted until the cessation of the heavy rains. Ci4d 

 rainy weather increases the acidity of the leaf, and this may have a 

 ch:'trimental effect on the curing and fermentation processes" by pre- 

 venting the action of the oxydizing eiizymns. Excessive! v dry 

 weather also prevents the formation of enzymns, and tobacco grown 

 in diy climates is not likely to develop a fine aroma. A moderate 



