72 



ON THE TOBACCO TRADE AND CULTIVATION 



without encroaching on lands required for other produce, as there is a 

 vast surface of reclairnable waste lands. 



The present average annual yield of the district is about eighteen 

 million pounds. The following is a statement of the weight of crops 

 for sixteen years, going back to the earliest period whence any reliable 

 statistics are procurable : — 



Annual Weight of Tobacco Crops. 



Years. 









Weight, 

 lbs. 



Years. 







Weight, 

 lbs. 



1844 .... 9,310,000 



1852 .... 11,250,000 



1845 









8,580,000 



1853 







. 13,750,000 



1846 









8,610,000 



1854 







. 16,000,000 



1847 









10,410,000 



1855 







. 18,250,000 



1848 









9,450,000 



1856 







. 19,500,000 



1849 









9,800,000 



1857 







. 22,000,000 



1850 









10,250,000 



1858 







. 19,000,000 



1851 









9,700,000 



1859 







. 18,500,000 



The rate of production, it is thus seen, has more than doubled within 

 the last sixteen years. 



The tobacco plant of this district, though all produced from the same 

 seed, and belonging to the same species, is classed into two comprehen- 

 sive varieties : the one known as the u Drama leaf," the other, of greater 

 fame, as the " Yenidgeh leaf." The former is the larger and stouter 

 leaf, and possesses more potent narcotic qualities. Its colour is generally 

 of a deep reddish brown. The " Yenidgeh leaf " is smaller and of a 

 slighter texture. The better sorts are of a rich yellow colour, hence its 

 designation " golden leaved." It has a peculiarly delicate aroma, and 

 is less narcotic in its properties. 



The " Drama leaf " is principally grown in the western parts of the 

 sanjack, and from this class the European market is exclusively supplied. 

 The production of these distinctly marked classes seems to be due to 

 some inherent principle in the soil, for the modes of culture and of 

 curing are identical, and there is no perceptible difference in the climate 

 ot the respective districts. The seed of the " golden leaf," if trans- 

 planted to the western districts, may succeed the first year in producing 

 something analogous to its parent, the Yenidgeh tobacco, but the suc- 

 ceeding year it invariably degenerates. The soil is evidently the pre- 

 disposing element in the change, although even the character of the 

 earths does not seem to vary essentially. Quartz is the basis of the 

 geological structure of the country, and the rich alluvial soils partake 

 strongly of the siliceous character. 



As the two great classes of leaf are further subdivided in the trade 

 with reference to their peculiar properties and value, the particular pro- 

 duction of each separate locality requires some description. 



The district of Drama Proper comprises both plain and hill culti- 



