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flavor of such leaf is usually better, stronger, and more pronounced 

 than that of tobacco grown in the shade. Flavor and aroma are not 

 considered essential qualities of wrapper tobacco, thinness, elas- 

 ticity, and burning qualities overweighing them. 



The burn of Hawaiian tobacco is exceptionally good, irrespective 

 of whether it is grown in the windward or leeward districts. Burn- 

 ing qualities of the leaf are dependent upon the texture of the soil, 

 its percentage of clay, and its water-holding capacity. The color of 

 the leaf depends upon the time of harvesting and the manipulation 

 in the curing barn. Elasticity is governed in some measure by the 

 period of maturity at which the leaf is harvested. The texture 

 of the leaf — that is, whether it is thin or thick — is governed by the 

 amount of sunshine and the rapidity of growth. The flavor is 

 largely a matter of sunlight. The aroma depends upon the gummi- 

 ness of the leaf. 



In Hawaii the best tobacco districts are in the cloud belts on the 

 slopes of the higher mountains, provided always the rainfall is 

 sufficient. Tobacco of good quality can be grown in the Hamakua, 

 Hilo, Olaa, Puna, Kau, and Kona districts on the island of Hawaii; 

 in Kula, Makawao, and Kool.au districts on Maui, and in similar 

 areas on the islands of Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai. The best 

 districts are undoubtedly on the larger island. The windward cloud 

 belts there supply a larger rainfall than in the Kau and Kona dis- 

 tricts, and will undoubtedly become the best sections for the culti- 

 vation of this crop. 



It is a popular impression that tobacco will not stand wind, but 

 this is undoubtedly an error. The plant has a very strong tap root, 

 so that it is never blown over, and the leaves do not ordinarily whip 

 or break as would be supposed in the case of so large a leaf. The 

 growing tobacco leaf is pliable and not easily injured. 



Hawaii differs in climatic conditions from both Cuba and Sumatra. 

 In Cuba tobacco is grown as a winter crop, being planted from 

 October to December, and harvested in the drier months — from 

 February to April. Tobacco is practically never grown in Cuba 

 during the summer months, which in that part of the world is the 

 season of excessive rains. In Sumatra there are distinct dry and 

 wet seasons. The tobacco is planted at about the end of the wet 

 season, so that it will come to maturity in the early part of the dry 

 season. The Sumatra planting season is from March to May, and 

 the harvesting season from July to September. In Hawaii there is 

 no pronounced wet or dry season, at least not in the windward dis- 

 tricts of the islands. This is an advantage in that planting can be 

 made almost continuously throughout the year. Experience indicates 

 that the spring and autumn plantings should be made of the Cuban 

 and the midsummer crops of the Sumatra types. The Cuban will 



