44 



pound, while wrappers bring from 50 cents to $2 per 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 assurance of success. Unques- 

 tionably bales of that type of tobacco have been grown and packed so that the best 

 experts could not distinguish from the imported goods, and some of this, grown 

 under shade, has been sold for $4 per pound. Of course, these bales contain tobacco 

 that has been selected with great care, each leaf being perfect. 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 offer to the trade the proper goods it is 

 willing to pay for them. We have much yet to learn, as the percentage of this finer 

 grade of wrapper has been very small compared with the quantity grown, thus caus- 

 ing the selection and classification 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, Ave 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. 



In order to improve the tobacco and adapt it to the trade demands 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 possess 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 quan- 

 tity necessary, and the proper cultivation had to be found out by numerous experi- 

 ments. At first it was thought that but little fertilizer of any kind should be used. 

 The tobacco was set out early, given a distance in the drill of about 24 inches, and 

 topped low; that is, not more than 12 or 14 leaves were allowed to each stalk. The 

 result was that the plants produced large, coarse, undesirable leaves. The next step 

 was to give the tobacco less distance in the drill; 18 inches were tried. The result 

 was better, but not satisfactory. From time to time changes were made until now 

 the plant is given 14 inches, the fertilizer is doubled, and the tobacco is topped 

 higher, allowing at least 16 leaves to each stalk. The result is that the leaves are of 

 the desirable size and finer in quality and appearance. 



For a long time the cultivation was continued until the time of harvesting, but 

 this was decidedly wrong. The writer has seen fields of tobacco plowed that were 

 ripe and ready to be harvested, and in consequence the tobacco turned green and 

 started a new growth. This generally increases the yield, but almost totally destroys 

 the quality of the tobacco. At present the cultivation stops as soon as the plants are 

 topped. 



When the Sumatra seed was first introduced into Florida, the land selected, the 

 amount of fertilizers used, and the methods of cultivation and harvesting employed 

 were the same as those practiced in growing the Cuban variety. With this treatment 

 Sumatra proved to be an absolute failure; many abandoned the seed, while others 

 continued to experiment. It was soon found that the soil had to be exceedingly 

 rich, the growth quick; that low topping was ruinous; and that each stalk should 

 have from 24 to 30 leaves, according to the strength of the soil. When the land was 

 exceedingly rich it was found best not to top at all, but to allow the plants to go to 

 bloom. Then the leaves would be of desirable size, thin and smooth; whereas if' 

 topped the leaves would curl and thicken. This tobacco is also crowded into the 

 drill, the plants being given only from 12 to 14 inches. The growth is rapid; the 

 top leaves soon serve as a shade for the middle and lower leaves, and the results have 



