CONNECTICUT VALLEY CIGAR LEAF TOBACCO. 159 



Sun-grow7i Tobacco. 



Broadleaf. — The broadleaf variety has a broad, silky leaf, very elastic 

 and possessing a rich grain and color two-thirds of its length from the top. 

 Small veins are also characteristic of the leaf. There is only one principal 

 area in the Connecticut valley adapted to the growth of this variety, — a 

 small tract on the east side of the river between Hartford and Springfield. 



Havana Seed. — The leaf of the Havana seed is smaller and narrower 

 than the broadleaf. It is exceedingly thin and silky, but possesses less 

 elasticity and covering quality; it does not have the rich grain of the 

 broadleaf, and the middle and lower parts are glossy wdth large veins, ren- 

 dering this portion of the leaf undesirable for wrapper purposes. However, 

 the larger part of the leaf can be used for wrappers. The Havana seed 

 j^elds more wrappers to the acre than does the broadleaf. The Havana 

 seed variet.y of the New England area is grown almost entirely on the west 

 side of the Connecticut River. 



The heavier and slightly damaged or unevenly colored leaves of both 

 the Havana seed and the broadleaf varieties are used for binders. Both 

 varieties are principally air-cured, packed in cases weighing about 300 

 pounds, and either force-sweated for ninety daj^s, or left to ferment by the 

 natural process during the spring and summer months. 



Growing Sun Tobacco. 



The Seed Bed. — Both for shade-grown and sun-growm tobacco the young 

 plants are developed from seed in a cold frame or hotbed until they have 

 reached a size suitable for transplanting. The beds are sown from the 

 middle of March to the middle of April. In cold frames from six to eight 

 weeks are required to produce plants of sufficient size for transplanting, and 

 in hotbeds four to six weeks are required. If cloth instead of glass is used 

 to cover the seed beds, eight to ten weeks are required before the plants 

 are large enough to transplant. The usual custom is to transplant them 

 when they have reached a height of 5 to 6 inches. 



Transplanting and Cultivating. — The plants are set in rows 3 feet 3 

 inches to 3 feet 6 inches apart, and from 14 to 20 inches apart in the rows. 

 A machine for transplanting has largely taken the place of the old hand 

 method. When the plants are transplanted with a machine, the distance 

 between plants and the application of water is automatically regulated. 



Cultivation begins about a week after setting, and is continued until the 

 plants become too large to permit of cultivation. Ordinary surface cul- 

 tivation to maintain a loose, fine mulch about the plant is essential, with 

 frequent hoeing to keep down weeds. 



Topping and Suckering. — When the seed buds of the plants appear the 

 plant is "topped." In a week or ten days after topping suckers will 

 appear, starting from the base of the three or four top leaves. These are 

 picked off, or, as the tobacco farmer says, the plant is "top suckered." 

 Later the leaves farther down the stalk begin to throw out suckers, and 



