The sun., 1878-04-09

than TYLER and more malignant than
| JOHNSON.
Tobacco Culture of the United States.
To what extent is the cultivation OF to-
bacco expanding in the United States, and
what is the ratio Of our production to that
of other countries 2 These and other intor
estng questions relating to one OF our chief
staples are answered 10y some curious and
valuable statistics collected in late report
Of Mr. ]. b. KILLEBisEw, the Tennessee Com
missioner OF Agriculture.
According 10 a careful estimate prepared
for this report, tobacco Is more generally
used than any other single article OF com
mcrce consumed by man. Coniining our
selves, for instance, 10 narcotics and stimu-
lants, we find it computed that Paraguay
tea is used by 100000 human beings,
coca by 100000, chiccory by 100000,
cocoa 10y jO,OOO,JOO and cofoc by lO0.OO00O0.
The consumers of bctel are set down at
l00,OOO,OOO, those Of hashsh at 300OO0,O00,
and those OF opium, in one or another form,
at 400 100000. Impressive as these figures
are. they are cclipscd 10y the proportions Of
the demand for Chinese tea. which is said to
be used by half billion, while the consum-
ers Of tobacco are not only still more widely
distributed, but present the astonishing ag-
gregate OF sO0.OoOOOo In the brief period Of
three centuries, tobacco, like the potato, has
made the conquest Of the world; and If We
accept but one-half the amount Of per capi-
tn consumption asserted by competent sta
ti~tieians, the total annual demand for the
Virginia weed from the whole population Of
the globe Will still rcpch 262j. Oo0 900 pounds.
or 1912 800 tons. Admitting hat $40 pounds
h. raised to the acre and this as anayrIase
is 20 very liberal allowance the stupcndou-
quantity Of tobacco just estimated would
require upward Of two and a quarter mil
lions OF good land to be kept under culture
Let us see huw much Of the worlds tobac-
co crop la contributed by the United States
| In 1861 We produced more than i3OWOUOO
pounds. hut ten years aftcrward the yield Of
our plantations had dwindlcd 10 about
-oo,0U,lU0. Nh KlLLrBKEw does not state
the exact quantity grown IN any subsequent
| year aud tnl- les the one material omission
imam otherwise fun and useful exhibit but
ii seems that our exports alone in 1870
reached some 22l.OO0,oJo pounds, valued at
moro than t-j,UJ0,on0. We may add that
according to the United States Bureau of
Statistics We sent ont oi the country in the
year ending June 81. io77, leaf tobacco val
uod mt nearly s-JGil,0OU. These iiguioe
would make tobacco rank sixth in the list
uf exported staplor, cotton, blcadstuils,
petroleum, and the precious metals
alone exceeding it in Importance Before
marking the distribution Of our surplus
among foreign customers, it may bc well TO
note how far the latter are able to meet
their respective demands from domestic
sources. Prussia, for example, raises Il
hundred million pounds; Austria-llungnry
about "a much aud France some forty-iiNe
millions. Among the countries which have
an excess for export may be named Brazil,
which sends out upwardoi 3OOOO,ooO pounds ;
Japan, whose shipments have amounted to
4o,oOo,OoO; and New Granada. which can
spare about i2OoooOo. IAe whole average
crop Of the Philippine Islands is set
down at 22,oOoOo0, much Of which
l. exported aud the same may be
said OF Java, whose yield is estimated at 33,
Oo0,OlO. From China, on the other hand,
while the home consumption Is enormous,
the exports are only about 100000; and
even Cuba can spare only about l2,O0o0O0
pounds Of leaf tobacco, although she sends
ont. of course, vast quantity of cigars. ii
We except, indeed, those fine qualities of leai
employed In the manufacture Of Cuban and
some would add Manila cigars IT may hC
said that the tobacco raised in the rcst OF
the world is merely grown to supplement
the American crop, Since no varieties except
those Of the districts named eau vie with II
in richness and llaVor.
nttn4rs thnt In 1879 t1i host pIat tpuol
was Germany, Notwithstanding the large
, quantity grown, a. we have seen, in Prussia
I Our exports Of tobacco to the German en-
/ plre exceeded 5G,ooo,O0J pounds, while Grea
Britain, which produces none, took onl,
T jl,00OOoo To Italy W. sent about 32,oooON
. and to France 2lGOO,OOO, Spain, too, not
I withstanding the inflow from her colonia
r. possessions, required nearly li,000,O0
d pounds Of the American staple, buyini
b for the most part the Virginia and Tonnes
10 sec leaf. 1t is equally curious that tn
y Netherlands, in spite Of the large crop q
- Java, should have drawn almost lI0s0,Oo
- pounds from the United States. Our neX
{ largest customers are the Austrian empire
C. Canada, and Belgium, in the order nance
s In the Same year we exported some 1900
pounds to Cuba, double that amount to Port
s. Rico, and considerable quantitir, TO all tn
h South American republics, We may ais
r mention that the British and French Wc-
d Indies, and even llayt, are relatively I
l. their population very large CONSUMERS ,
h our staple.
II In almost all countries tobacco is made t
4 contribute II notable share of the nationt
revenue. In Germany hitherto the duty O
+ American leaf has been four thalers per ON
n hundred pounds, but BISMARCK now pr,
e poses to largely augment this impQst. !
Is Austria, France, Italy, and Spain tn
" | growth, Importation. manufacture. and sal