The Dickinson press., 1889-08-03
WHITE TOBACCO PLANTS.
THEY APPEARED MYsTERlousLY AND
BROUGHT A FORTUNE.

Story of the Origin of the "vThite Bur-
ley" Tobacco, Which Has Almost Driven
Out the Dark varicty-Tho Singular
Good Fortune of Capt. Colt.
Kentucky raises 800, 900, 600 pounds of to-
bacco every year, half of tho crop of the
United States. Most of it is marketed in
this city, About a dozen long leaves arc tied
into what is called q ''hand," and these
hands are compressed in hogsheads varying
from GO to 1000 pounds in weight. Ten
years AGO all this tobacco was of a dark
brown, or LACK color. Now the greater por.
ton of it is Il bright yellow. There has been
n similar change in color at Cincinnati and
other important markets. The dark colored
article sells at from three to seven cents a
pound, tho light from ten to twenty cents a
pound. Tho latter is sweet, the former is
strong and bitter. 1t is II curious story how
the tobacco crop of tho United States came
to change its color.
THE PLANT IN THE FIELD oRNER
Brown county, o., lies opposite Mason
county, Ky, and has long been famous for
tobacco growing. Many years ago there re-
sided i'll that county an industrious and intel
lisrnt 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 hero u little better than
the other. 1t was of a reddish color and was
called Red Burley. How it got the name
"Burlcy'' no ono knows.
In 1862 Capt. Colt had a field of tobacco
just behind his house. Ono day early in the
autumn, when tho plants had attained a
height of a foot OF more, Mrs. Colt remarked
to her husband that slo had seen q very pe-
culiar tobacco plant in the corner of the field.
1t was like none she had ever seen before.
All others, when growing, We're green, but
this was white. Capt. Colt said he would
look Mt it. Accompanied by his wife he went
to the field and examined the peculiar plant.
1t was indeed white, as she had said, and UNI
like any other tobacco. Capt. Colt gave his
worlimen orders to take caro- of it and allow
it to run to seed.
10 raise tobacco ncccssitltcs W. processes
of planting. The seed is sown in Il small bed
just like one for asparagus OF lettuce. In u
short time tiny plants, hundreds of them to
every square foot, grow up. These plants
are drawn out by tho roots. Taken to field
prepared for that purpose, they are set, one
in each, in little hillocks a foot and IL half
apart. One man punches a hole in a hillock
with n stick, another inserts the roots of the
plant and presse; the dirt around them. This
plant takes a second growth and sends up a
stout stalk, with fifteen or sixteen branching
leaves, each of them often two feet long md
a foot broad. This is the tobacco for COIN
mcrce and use. Before it attains maturity
tho farmer cuts Off tho top of tho stalk. 1t
makes the leaves grow broader. If the top is
not cut off it shoots up to 4 height of five or
six feet, blossoms, and produces Il handful of
seed. This is called allowing Il plant to run