AMERICAN TOBACCO TYPES, USES, AND MARKETS AT 
produced in the valley of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts 
and Connecticut. The principal marketing point is Hartford, Conn. 
The average annual production for the last 5 years has been about 
6 million pounds. Georgia and Florida shade-grown is produced in 
north-central Florida and southern Georgia. The principal market- 
ing point is Quincy, Fla. The average annual production for the last 
5 years has been about 3 million pounds. 
Shade-grown tobacco is used principally for cigar wrappers. The 
leaves are small, usually ranging in length from 10 to 16 inches, al- 
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AMA 2209 
FicurE 22.—A typical lath shade in the Georgia-Florida district. 
though some leaves are as short as 8 inches and some as long as 20 
inches. 
Body, texture, elasticity, combustibility, and color are the most 
important elements of quality in tobacco for cigar wrappers. Shade- 
grown tobacco is very thin, is of very fine texture, is elastic, and 
ranges in color from light tan to light brown. It is essential that 
cigar wrappers burn well and evenly, and that the leaves be free of 
injury. The greatest care must be exercised by the growers throughout 
the culture and handling in order to produce tobacco of such quality. 
Production costs are higher for shade-grown than for any other types. 
This type differs from all other types in that it is produced under arti- 
ficial shade. Three kinds of shade are used—slats, cloth, and a combi- 
nation of slats and cloth. In recent years the use of cloth has predomi- 
nated (figs. 21 and 22). 
Shade-grown tobacco is harvested by priming or picking the leaves 
as they ripen, beginning at the bottom of the stalk and removing 
two or three leaves at a time. Usually four primings are made, and 
in sales of the tobacco the priming is stipulated as No. 1 Priming, 
No. 1% Priming, No. 2 Priming, or No. 3 Priming. Each priming is 
handled separately and the leaves are carefully carried to the curing 
barns. When they have wilted sufficiently to permit handling without 
