The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-10
FOUR BILLION CIGARS,
THE NUMBER AMERICANS slloKE
EVERY YEAR

OhOk0 IL
copyright 1880
NEW YORK, Nov. 9.-"Four billions Of
cigarsl Yes sir; that's the annual consump-
ton of the lovers of the weed in this coun-
try. just think how huge pile of tobacco
that would make. Why. it would take half
dozen expert counters three years to
count 'em. And yet. well, they are not
what should they be, and the smoker has
himself to blame for it,"
The speaker was T. Fl. Delano, the editor
of Tobacco, the recognized journal of the
trade in New York.
Themselves to bIamep was increduously
asked.
Precisely. Half the number of smokers
who use cigars smoke TO please the eye,
rather than the lips and the palate They
prefer nice, smooth, silky looking wrapper
on their cigars, to a rough aud apparently
coarser wrapper; and they make the choice
irrespective of the smoking qualities of the
two; for it Often happens that the handsome
wrapper conveys to the mouth a metallic
taste, which Is altogether wanting In the
other This preference, which amounts to
hobby with some people, has had a curious
bacco away in the back ground and given
the lead TO an importation which is finer in
fibre, lighter in color and more attractive
to the eye, but not SO grateful to the appe-
tite. Had 1t not been for this whimsical
taste OF American smokers the native leaf
would still hold the place it occupied ten
years ago as the almost universal wrapper
for his weed and the fragrant filler as well.
Now it is only the filler.
Inquiry as to to the cause of this unpa-
triotlc RELOCATION of domestic leaf tobacco
to second place disclosed some facts inter
esting alike to smokers and statisticians. A
decade ago, tobacco culture In the north
was, except in Connecticut, an industry
practically unknown. Experiments in
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York
showed that an excellent grade of cigar
leaf tobacco could be grown in the states
by planting Havana seed a grade slightly
coarser in fibre and lacking some of the
richness in coloring and the distinctive
satiny gloss peculiar to the Cuban product,
yet infinitely superior to anything hitherto
raised on American soil Capital was in
ves0ed and cigar leaf tobacco planting was
vigorously prosecuted in the Middle, New
England and some Of the western states,
aud the result was wholly American
cigar-wrapper and filler. The south fur
nished the chewing and smoking tobacco
for the nation a the north demonstrates its
ability to supply the 1900, 900 OF cigars
which the smokers Annually craved
Havanas were high priced luxury. They
didn't interfere with the steady growth Of
the northern product, which rapidly created
a market for itself and soon represented %
per cent. of the total tobacco crop of the
county.
With the introduction of Sumatra tobac-
H. al.
blow which was heavy discouragement
to the growers. AS the imports Of Sumatra
leaf increased, the native leaf was soon
hidden under them. Now, almost every
cigar except the very hign grads. has q
Sumatra wrapper and domestic filler.
~ am constantly amused at the queer
notions of smokers, as shown in the way
they pick out cigar" said large dealer
yesterday. One man says he prefers mild
cigar. SO he looks over box or two aud
finally selects one with Sumatra wrapper
and domestic filler. Another who favors
stronger weed, chooses the same cigar with
darker wrapper, which makes no differ
ence whatever in the strength. Wrappers,
like the smooth, silky ones we get from
Sumatra, hide multitude Of defects and
they also conceal the strength or mildness
Of the weed, as they are colored to suit any
taste. Yet there are three Sumatra wrap
pers smoked nowadays to one good, sound
and really fragrant native wrapper, and
all on account OF the fine appearance of the
leaf. People like TO have their cigars look
we'll, Just as they like to have their other
belongings. So they sacrifice quality to
appearance"
"aow does the trade regard this super
seding of Sumatra for native cigar leafP'
LAS unfortunate in q double sense; for it
has checked the development of a vast and
profitable industry in the north and 1t has
Initiated the national taste. OF course,
there's no denying that one can get good
Sumatra weed, but speaking comparatively,
the native northern leaf is superior ia every
way, except in the fine appearance. re-
gard northern cigar leaf as second only to
Havana, of which it is a transplantation
and product"
. Col Edward Burke Of the Tobacco Leaf
and one Of the best living authorities on
tobacco culture, shares the opinion that the
East Indian leaf, the supply Of which is al
most limitless, has permanently superseded
both native American aud Havana leaf as
wrappers for cigars.
"The annual product of Connecticut,
New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin and Ohio, said he, sis between
250, 900 and 800, 900 cases Of leaf tobacco,
each case averaging about $50 pounds. In
Pennsylvania it varies from 10000 to 3d.
600 cases year; the New England States
yield all the way from 10000 to AZ, 900
cases; New York furnishes from 10000 to
81, 900 cases; Ohio 5000 to 10000, and
Wisconsin $4,000 to &C, 900 cases. Formerly
in all these states, what was known as the
broad seed leaf was grown, and it was
popular as wrapper for cigars but within
the past twelve or fifteen years,
growers there planted seed imported direct
from Havana, and were able to raise a
quality of leaf superior for wrapping pur-
poses to the broad seed leaf wrapper. 1t
would be difficult 10 determine which state
produces the best quality. Tobacco rails
inc IN the north at first was very small
industry, but when manufacturers found
it profitable, Its production rapidly In
creased and after a while some of the states
mentioned surpassed Connecticut In the
quality Of cigar leaf tobacco"
"What proportion does the northern pro-
duct bear to the entire crop of the coun-
tryp
1.-THE total product averages 500, 900, 900
pounds. We estimate that about one-third
of the cigar leaf is filler as now used, one
third binder leaf and the remainder is con-
sumed as wrappers. This disparity, which
has only existed during the last six or seven
years, Is occasioned by the introduction of
Sumatra leaf. Formerly more than one
half of all the domestic leaf product was
used for wrappers. All the mighty
mass grown in North Carolina, kentucky,
Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia and Missouri,
is consumed as smoking and chewing to-
bacco. These are the states that produce
this enormous quantity as compared with
the cigar leaf states. In some years, the