CIRCULAR No. 5, TOBACCO 10. 
S. 29. 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
DIVISION OF SOILS, 
Cooperating with the Connecticut (State) Experiment Station, 
BULK FERMENTATION OF CONNECTICUT TOBAUCO. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The Division of Soils has been interested for a number of years in 
the study of the tobacco soils of the Connecticut Valley and the quality 
of the tobacco produced on them. An historical review shows that the 
quality of the tobacco grown on the present tobacco soils has probably not 
been materially changed in the last fifty years; that the yield peracre has 
increased considerably through improved methods of cultivation and 
more judicious fertilization while the average price per pound is about 
as high at present as it has been for any considerable time during this 
period. The market demands, however, for the ‘‘ style” of wrapper 
leaf have been uncertain and fluctuating between the dark, heavy wrap- 
per of Pennsylvania and the light, thin wrapper of the Connecticut 
Valley. Just now the demand is for the light, thin wrapper. The 
introduction of the Sumatra tobacco in 1864—a thin, light wrapper 
leaf, with rich grain and exceptional style—and the enormous impor- 
tations under a very heavy tariff seem to indicate that the market has 
determined that for some time to come this is to be the style of leaf 
that will be most in favor. 
While there has never yet been an overproduction of desirable 
wrapper leaf in this country, the changing style has repeatedly favored 
one section to the disadvantage of another. The increasing importa- 
tion of the Sumatra leaf and the development of the Sumatra type of 
wrapper leaf in some of our Southern States, which is selling for a 
high price per pound, plainly indicates that the Connecticut farmer 
should change the style of his leaf to conform more closely to the 
market demand if it can be done at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, 
there are undesirable qualities in the flavor of the Connecticut leat 
which should be eliminated if possible, in order to produce a more 
desirable wrapper for the domestic cigar. 
The investigations of the Division of Soils in Connecticut and the 
comparison of these soils and climatic conditions during the actual 
1 
