CURING AND FERMEXTATION OF CIGAR LEAF 



TOBACCO. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The production of tobacco adapted to the different market demands 

 has become a prominent factor in national economy. Of particular 

 importance is the ijroduction of superior cigar leaf tobacco. The filler 

 leaf of a cigar must above all things liave a good flavor, good aroma, 

 and good burn. In the wrapper leaf, however, still other qualities come 

 in, such as elasticity, pliability, size, shape, color, size of the veins, 

 the fineness and peculiar grain of the Havana type, aud the smooth 

 silkiness of the Sumatra. 



Little is known of the chemical properties of the leaf, especially of 

 those which contribute to the flavor and aroma. It is ijrobable that the 

 actual amount of nicotine is relatively unimi)ortant, and it is certain 

 that the excellence of the leaf and its adaptation to market demands 

 is not dependent, except in a very general way, u^^on the amount of 

 nicotine. It has long been known that certain of the potassium salts, 

 especially potassium chlorid. can uot be used at all for the production 

 of high types of cigar tobacco, as they give the leaf a poor burn. It is 

 furthermore an old experience of tobacco growers that excessive nitrog- 

 enous manuring tends to produce a large leaf, of inferior quality, con- 

 taining an increased amount of nicotine. If the prime object of tobacco 

 culture were the production of nicotine, as the prime object in raising 

 sugar l)eets is the production of sugar, then the rational procedure 

 would be to furnish an excess of nitrogenous manures, but nicotine 

 alone does not make a good cigar tobacco any more than alcohol 

 alone would make a good wine. The substances producing the flavor 

 and aroma, therefore, although probably present in minute quantities, 

 are much more important than the actual percentage of nicotine found 

 in the cured leaf. 



Whitney ^ has shown that tobacco suited to our domestic cigars is 

 grown only upon certain soils and under certain climatic conditions. It 

 appears, therefore, that the leaf capable of being converted into a cigar 

 leaf through the ordinary processes of curing and fermentation must 



• Bull. No. 11, Division of Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



9 



