CULTIVATIOX OF CIGAR-LEAF TOBACCO IX 



FLORIDA. 



REQUIRE3IENTS OF THE CiaAR-LEAF TRADE. 



The demand of the trade for cigar-leaf tobacco is exceedingly vacil- 

 ating. This is very apparent to the man who goes out on the road to 

 sell tobacco. There is hardly a class of men in any one line of bnsincss 

 so much at variance in their opinions and wants as the dealers in and 

 the manufacturers of cigar-leaf tobacco. In view of the fact that we 

 have not yet arrived at the point in cultivation where any section pro- 

 duces a uniforui lot of tobacco, perhaps this difference of opinion and 

 variety of qualities desired on the part of the dealer and manufacturer 

 is a good thing, as we can be sure that, no matter what we have so 

 long as it is really tobacco, we can find a manufacturer who can and 

 will use it, provided the price is low enough. There are stogies, 

 cheroots, and a world of low-grade cigars consumed each year, and to 

 produce tobacco suitable for these goods we need make no special effort. 

 What we want is to produce a tobacco for a cigar of better grade and 

 higher price. 



All are fairly well agreed that for wrapper purj^oses the Sumatra 

 furnishes the ideal leaf, while for fillers, where quality is needed, 

 the island of Cuba produces the best leaf. As these tobaccos are the 

 standard of quality and st^'le sought after, it should be the aim of each 

 tobacco-growing section to i)roduce as nearly as x)ossible a tobacco 

 that will take the place of these imported goods, both in appearance 

 and quality. The first essential in all cases is that the tobacco, 

 whether wrai)per or filler, burn smoothly and freely. Kext there 

 must be quality; the taste must be pleasant, not rank and strong, 

 nor too mild. When the taste is pleasant, not sharp, the aroma will 

 invariably be good. The cigar that possesses the above qualities will 

 please the smoker and leave him wanting another, and thus the manu- 

 facturer will also be pleased. The wrapper must have style. At i)res- 

 ent the Sumatra is the standard by which all other wrapper leaf is 

 compared, both as to quality and appearance. That means that a 

 wrapper, to be acceptable to the manufacturer of the high-grade cigars, 

 must be light in color, rich in grain, thin in texture, small in vein and 

 stem, very elastic, and of good burning quality. The most desirable 



