Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-29
WHITE TOBACCO PLANTS.
THEY APPEARED MYSTERIOuSLY AND
BROUGHT A FORTUNE.

ley" Tobacco, Which Has Almost Driven
Out the Dark yariety-The Singular
Good Fortune of Capt. Colt.
Kentucky raises 3Oo, 0OO, 900 pounds of to-
bacco every year, half of the crop of the
United States Most of 1t Is marketed in
this city. About dozen long leaves are tied
into what is called "hand," and these
hands are compressed in hogsheads varying
from COO to 1000 pounds in weight. Ten
years ago all this tobacco was Of a dark
brown, or black color. Now the greater por-
ton Of it is bright yellow. There has been
q similar change in color at Cincinnati and
other important markets. The dark colored
article sells at from three to seven cents q
pound; the light from ten to twenty cents a
pound. The latter is sweet: the former is
strong and bitter 1t Is curious story how
the tobacco crop of the United States came
TO change its color.
THE PLAET IN THE FIELD CORNER
Brown county, O., lies opposite Mascn
county, KY, and has long been famous for
tobacco growing. Many years ago there re-
sided in that county an industrious and intel
ligent German farmer, Capt. August Colt
Capt. Colt raised tobacco 1t all then was
dark and strong and caused Inflammation in
the mouths Of those who chewed it. The
sweet tobacco was brought from Cuba, and
could not be grown anywhere in the United
States. Its seed planted in our soil produced
the strong tobacco peculiar to this country.
There was one kind here little better than
the other. 1t was Of a reddish color and was
called Red Burley. How it got the name
"Burley" no one knows.
In 1862 Capt Colt had field of tobacco
just behind bis house. One day early in the
autumn, when the plants had attained a
height Of a foot or more, Mrs. Colt remarked
TO her husband that she had seen very Pc
culiar tobacco plant in the corner Of the field.
1t was like none she had ever seen before.
All others, when growing, were green, but
this was white. Capt. Colt said he would
look at it Accompanied by his wife he went
to the field and examined the peculiar plant.
1t was indeed white, as she had said, and I'M
like any other tobacco. Capt. Colt gave his
workmen orders to take care Of it and allow
it to run to seed.
To raise tobacco necessitates two processes
of planting. The seed is sown in small bed
Just like one for asparagus or lettuce. In a
short time tiny plants, hundreds of them to
every square foot, grow up. These plants
are drawn out by the roots Taken to field
prepared for that purpose, they are set, one
in each, in little hillocks a foot and half
apart. One man punches a hole in a hillock
with stick, another inserts the roots Of the
plant and presses the dirt around them. This
plant takes second growth and sends up
stout stalk, with fifteen or sixteen branching
leaves, each Of them often two feet long and
a foot broad. This is the tobacco for com
merce and use. Before it attains maturity
the farmer cuts OFF the top of the stalk 1t
makes the leaves grow broader. If tho top is
not cut off it shoots up to height Of five or
six feet, blossoms, and produces handful Of
seed. This is called allowing plant to run
to seed"
Capt. Colt examined the white plant many
times while it was growing to maturity. In
the autumn it blossomed just as any other to-
bacco would when left alone, and after ripen
ing Capt. Colt carefully gathered the handful
of seed it produced. The plant was cut and
hung away by itself In the barn to dry
When it had undergone the latter process it
turned to bright yellow color and contrasted
remarkably in appearance with the other to-
bacco. Capt Colt chewed a piece. 1t was
sweet and left an unusually pleasant taste in
his mouth. He called in a number of his
neighbors, oil old tobacco growers, to ex-
anime the plant and see what they thought Of
IT. They agreed with him that 1t was far
superior to any other tobacco they had ever
seen, but they argued that the plant was
merely freak of nature. The seed from it
would produce tobacco Of the familiar dark
color and strong taste. The captain was in
clined to that belief too, but he said he would
SOW the seed and see.
PLANTS AT s. APIECE.
The following spring Capt. Colt sowed the
seed from the white plant. The little plants
were carefully drawn and reset Then he
awaited with great interest the result. The
plants grew rapidly, and to his intense de-
light the leaves were white He had little
field of the white tobacco, and again in the
autumn he saved all the seed.
When the result OF the captains expert
ments was known everybody in his vicinity
wanted the seed. He refused to part with
any, but the next spring he sold the young
plants for S. apiece. The following autumn
some of the third crop, which was as bright
in color as the original plant, was taken to
market, and it sold for four or five times as
much as the common tobacco. Capt. Colt
named it white Burley"
The farmers in Mason county, KY, expert
mented more eagerly with the new tobacco
than did their neighbors in Brown county,
across the river. They soon produced it In
quantities Most all of it was
shipped to the Louisville market, and White
Burley became famous. For years Its growth
was confined to these two counties. Farmers
thought it was peculiar to the soil there, and
could not be produced elsewhere. Thus the
quantity in the market did not amount to
more than the hundredth part Of per cent.
Of the total crop, and it was regarded as a
rare and fancy brand, such as q rich man
only could afford 70 smoke or chew
Several years ago farmers in various parts |
Of Kentucky decided to set some of the White |
Burley seed and try it, To their great sur
prise and pleasure they grew tobacco Just as
good as that produced in Mason county. The |
following season n greater quantity was
grown. The increase of the supply did not !
diminish the price. All the great tobacco |
of the country wanted the /
White Burnley When their customers became /
to it they would have no other
lind.
Capt. Cott grew rich of his White Burley
tobacco, and many OF Bis neighbors were
likewise fortunate. It can be grown with the
greatest success ali over Kentucky, except in
lie western portion, and is likewise produted
u a small strip Of southern Ohio, where the
irst plant was born 1t can be grown no
where else. Through its agency the Ken
lucky farmer makes nearly twice as much
money as he did half dozen years aso.-
Louisville Letter.
CURIOUS THINGS OF LIFE.
"