21 



discouraged and reduced their acreage, until, as before stated, in 1880 

 there was less than 100 acres planted in tobacco in the entire State. 



•'OLD FLORIDA'" TOBACCO. 



The variety of tobacco grown in Florida before the civil war, and 

 especially famous for its beautifully spotted wrappers, was known simply 

 as Florida tobacco, being unlike any type produced in any other part of 

 the country. When the industry was revived in 1889 and 1890, many of 

 the old planters had seed of what was known as " Old Florida," which 

 they again planted. But the style had changed: Sumatra, with its 

 bright rich gloss, had established itself; -'Old Florida" proved to be a 

 back number and the farmers had to give it up. In the year 1884-85 

 several farmers of small plantations obtained seed from the island of 

 Cuba and a number of small patches of it were grown. It was this 

 tobacco that revived the industry. Some of the tobacco grown from 

 the Cuban seed fell into the hands of a large cigar-manufacturing con- 

 cern of New York, which made it into cigars. The qualitj^ of these 

 cigars proved so'satisfactory, that men were at once sent to Florida to 

 study further the possibility of producing a tobacco that would meet 

 the requirements of the trade. After going over the old tobacco sec- 

 tions of the State they became confident that the attempt could be 

 made a success, and they purchased and equipped plantations in Gads- 

 den County. This concern was followed by several other companies, 

 all of which now own and operate large farms, each having established 

 large and well-equipi^ed packing houses in or near Quincy, the county 

 seat of Gadsden County. These firms, in addition to the tobacco they 

 grow, also buy extensively from local farmers. 



EXPERIMENT> IX IMPROVING TOBACCO. 



In order to improve the tobacco and adapt it to the trade demands, 

 these concerns have indulged in all sorts of experiments, some of which 

 have proved quite expensive. However, they have met with such a 

 degree of success as to warrant them in continuing the experimental 

 work. There were many questions to be settled. First of all. what 

 seed should be used. To settle this question seed was obtained and 

 tried from every part of the country. This point, however, was soon 

 determined and now there are only two varieties grown in the 

 State — Sumatra and Cuban — the Sumatra giving the style required for 

 the wrapper and the Cuban giving the filler qualities nearest the 

 requirements of the trade. As each of these tobaccos possesses the 

 quality and style needed, the kind of soil best suited to each was the 

 next point to be settled: then the proper fertilizer, the quantity neces- 

 sary, and the proper cultivation had to be found out by numerous 

 experiments. At first it was thought that but little fertilizer of any 

 kind should be used. The tobacco was set out early, given a distance 



