Tobacco is a tetraploid. Good cigars are made from whole leaves of tobacco. The American Indians used tobacco as a snuff, smoked it in pipes, cigars, and chewed it. Tobacco cultivation started in Virginia in 1612. As the crop was a good source of revenue, cultivation has continued in the Southeastern up to the present .
Tobacco cultivation is complicated.
The addition of nitrogen is important in determining the type product obtained. The plants must be hand tended to remove insects, leaves, and inflorescences. In many areas, single leaves are harvested, although in other areas, the entire upper part of the plant is cut. The leaf material is then cured. During curing, the moisture content is lowered from 80 to 20 percent.