- Ik - 



elastic than filler, and is of finer texture. The purpose of the cigar hinder 

 is to hold the bundhed filler in shape, and a hinder- -natural leaf or recon- 

 stituted — that is uniform in texture makes possihle the use of a very thin 

 wrapper. Wrapper is the highest quality cigar tobacco, as its requirements are 

 exacting. Not only are aroma and hum considered, hut s/rapper must he free from 

 injury and "blemish and have attractive color or "eye-appeal". A smooth, silky 

 texture is a prerequisite, and it must have considerable elasticity. This 

 latter characteristic determines the "yield" --the number of cigars that can he 

 covered with a given quantity of leaf. Wrapper tobacco requires extraordinary 

 care to produce, and it sells for several times the price of either hinder or 

 filler. 



Although the broad designation of cigar tobaccos in the United States 

 is according to their primary use, there are instances of multiple outlets. 

 For example, top grades of filler types have been used as hinders, and a sub- 

 stantial portion of Wisconsin binder and a considerable part of Pennsylvania 

 filler are used in scrap chewing manufacture. 



Filler, binder, and wrapper tobacco are all produced in the continental 



United States, and filler tobacco is produced in Puerto Rico. Cigar tobacco 



is also imported, large for blending with domestic types. The sources of cigar 

 tobacco are considered in the section that follows. 



SOURCES OF CIGAR TOBACCO 



Considered on an unstemmed-weight basis, about two-thirds of the tobacco 

 used in cigar manufacture in recent years has been of domestic origin, and the 

 other one-third has been imported. 



Domestic Production 



The total production of all cigar types of tobacco grown in the United 

 States and Puerto Rico averaged 132 million pounds (farm-sales weight) annually 

 during 1 958-60 • About 6k percent was filler types, 22 percent binder types, 

 and lk percent wrapper types. The combined value of this production at the 

 farm level was nearly $75 million. 



Filler 



Filler types produced in the continental United States consist of Pennsyl- 

 vania, type kl, and Ohio filler, types k2-kk. Puerto Rico produces cigar filler, 

 type k6. The average 1958-60 production of the combined filler tobacco types 

 was 8k million pounds (farm-sales weight), of which Pennsylvania produced 62 

 percent, Puerto RicO, 32 percent, and Ohio, 6 percent. 



Over 90 percent of Pennsylvania, type kl tobacco is produced in Lancaster 

 County (southern Pennsylvania) by some 6,000 growers. The rest is produced in 

 adjoining counties. Acreage controls have not applied to type Ul tobacco, as 

 producers have consistently rejected marketing quotas for their crop. Produc- 

 tion in the last 10 years has ranged from 38 to 5k million pounds annually, hut 

 in recent years has varied fairly narrowly between 51 and 5k million. Pennsyl- 

 vania filler is said to be a tobacco with good blending characteristics, pleas- 

 ant aroma, and mild flavor. 



