on fine cigars, getting about two wrappers from or near the point of the 

 leaf, where it has a rich grain. The remainder of the leaf being sleek 

 and glossy — looking '• seedy," as the manufacturer would say — can oidy 

 be used on medium aid low-priced cigars. The Zimmer Spanish and 

 Little Dutch jiroduced in Ohio make a good fight for a place in the 

 medium -priced stock and are very acceptable to the smoker oi 5-cent 

 cigars. 



For the i^ast ten years Florida has done much to show what could 

 and should be done. Finding that the trade could not be forced into 

 taking whatever might be produced, it was determined to grow as 

 nearly as possible a tobacco similar both in appearance and quality to 

 that grown on the islands of Sumatra and Cuba. To do this the best 

 seed obtainable was secured from these islands, and, as far as practi- 

 cable, their methods of cultivation, harvesting, fermenting, and manip- 

 ulation were employed. How well these efforts have succeeded may 

 be judged from the fact that Florida fillers, when well cured and baled, 

 bring to-day as high as 45 cents per pound, while wrappers bring from 

 50 cents to ^2 iter pound, according to style and quality. 



This applies to the Cuban variety. So far as the production of the 

 Sumatra type of tobacco in Florida is concerned, there is equal assur- 

 ance of success. Unquestionably bales of that type of tobacco have 

 been grown and packed that the best experts could not distinguish 

 from the imported goods, and some of this, grown under shade, has 

 been sold for 8J: per i^ound. Of course tli3se bales contain tobacco 

 that has been selected with great care, each leaf being i:)erfect. Two 

 pounds of such tobacco would wrap 1,000 cigars, all '-first,'^ and equal 

 to those wrapped with imported goods. This shows that when we 

 ofi'er to the trade the i^roper goods it is willing to pay for them. We 

 have much yet to learn, as the per cent of this finer grade of wrapper 

 has been very small compared with the quantity grown, thus causing 

 the selection and classification of tobacco to be very expensive, as it 

 requires" the assorting of a large quantity in order to obtain a very 

 small percentage of desirable wrapper leaf. However, as before stated, 

 we have met with sufficient success to warrant the belief that in the 

 near future we will produce a leaf that will take the place of the 

 imported Sumatra. What may seem strange regarding the Florida- 

 grown Sumatra is that from the same crop we are able to obtain light 

 spotted leaves that are identical with the imported Sumatra, also light 

 unspotted leaves that closely resemble the finest type of wrapper grown 

 on the island of Cuba, each possessing the rich grain and general 

 aiDpearance of the imported goods. 



All this is written relative to Florida in order to show that a high 

 price can only be obtained when we offer to the trade a tobacco which 

 resembles and will, in a great measure, take the place of the goods 

 imported from Cuba and Sumatra. Undoubtedly Florida is gradually 

 approaching this condition. It is a fact that during the past two years 



