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No. 88.) ee EB 
There is a sure means to obtain light tobacco without crowding the 
plants and without recourse to a special variety. The nicotine does 
not develop during the growth of the plant parallel with the other 
characters; that is, the proportion does not vary from none in the 
young plants increasing regularly until the harvest. W. Schloesing 
has several times verified this fact by determining the nicotine at va- 
rious times during the period of growth. Here is an example of his 
successive eseeetions , 
Per cent of nicotine I 
in dry leaves. Increase, 
May 25, leaves very young........... 79 
July 18, TIT AV ON ALOR Ar ye tiny sig 's iia, 6 04 1-21 53 per cent 
Pee Ol Cavs: tater) a 3. ee dk 1-93 59. per cent. 
~ Aug. 27, BENGAYS Aaben. oSist twits Sicid. 227 13 per cent 
Sept. Side, Gays later jc. fs sig 3-36 48 per cent 
Pmepbeeon Li Oays later. . i... ens o's 4.32 80 per cent 
It thus appears that during the last period of seventeen days the 
increase of nicotine was oreater than during any previous period of 
the same length (I. S. G. y 
Mr. Schloesing deduces from this that by advancing the harvesting 
we can reduce the percentage of nicotine. 
Judging from the trials at Boulogne the quality of the leaves does 
not suffer by early harvesting. Indeed, in Cuba the leaves for wrappers 
are harvested as soon as they attain their full size, whereas in France 
it is customary to leave them five or six weeks after this time. The 
leaves of the Cuban tobacco contain two to two and a half per cent of 
alkaloid, and those of the French from six to eight per cent when al- 
lowed to reach the season of maturity, so called. In harvesting, im- 
mediately after the leaves attain their size, we lose from one- AN to 
one- -tenth of the weight. 
4 
BURNING QUALITY. 
‘The most important character of a tobacco is its burning quality. 
The pipe or the cigar should remain ignited during the time between 
two natural inspirations of the smoker. Such is the definition of 
burning quality ; ; it is in proportion to the length of time the tobacco 
will remain ignited without the help of the smoker. A tobacco, which 
rolled into a cigar, keeps fire for three minutes, has very good burning 
quality; if it keeps it two minutes, it has fair burning g quality ; if one 
minute, or one-half of a minute, it has poor or very poor burning 
quality, and if less than half a minute, it is said to be without burn. 
ing quality. 
Burning quality is absolutely independent of the variety of to- 
bacco, the thickness,strength or flavor of the leaf, or the climate under 
“which it is grown. It depends upon the proportion of the organic 
salts of potash contained in the leaf, and consequently upon the rich- 
ness in potash of the soil on which the tobacco grows. This fact ex- 
plains why tobacco of good and poor burning quality are found 
among the products of all tobacco-producing countries. It is by ex- 
periments in the laboratory, and by direct test in culture that the 
- ; theory of burning quality has been established. 
Assem. Doc. No. 33. | 30 
