New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-13
KENTUCKY.
PECULIARITIES OF TOBACCO FARMiNu'
THE LIGHT LEAF AND TIE DARK LEAf-"Ahf'
HOUSES AND AUCTIONS IN LOUISVILLE
IMPOSE BILITIES OF A" CORNER


,,o,,. sr.yr CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUN)
Louisville. Feb. lS.-Wben Sir WAFER haeish
first toupbt Europeans to smoke. lac didn't know
what he was doing for the great "oa'e "
,nckv In the Fast we hear great deal ABOUT
v;r,ipi 4. STRAIGHT cut" and golden leaf, nut
fcw neople realize that Kentucky produces moie
,ha, = third of all the tobacco grown III TIE
country. ,. -
yoorI, cverv chewer who helps TO decorate an
stnve with patterns in juice has pald trpu'c
o, tho farmers between the AlleghanhS anu 'he
Nississippi River and have three-ioui'hS Vi ''t
ENGLISH dockyarl laborers and loneshorelhcn anu
tho French and Italian navvies VINO use d Pipc
IN DIGEST their midday rejection ol oreau anu
Garlic. The State that produces the ir2es' S"l"
of tobacco to the acre is Connecucut. put ho
other State besides Kentucky grows SO idrec
percentage OF any staple crop. excepting i-ousi'""
~ sugar. Louisville is the greatest tobacco
bozoar in the world Every variety OF thc ha'iNe
l.,f exccpiug that used for cigars and cigarettes
changes hands here in enormous qnanti'ieS' Inc
los !, tho last ten wears have equalled the total
sales in the preceding thirty years. some tliiie
o,,o tho oro,yth Of the business was celebrated by
trades procession seven or eight miles long
last week all sale records Were broken.
The weed hourshcs in Kentucky III nearly All
cxcept the mountain countries In the ems.
crows the light leaf pale, fragile hgh'N pur"cH'"
with nicotine and almost 0doress, anu Ill '"c
west the dark leaf. firm ana juicy ana ir"giuh'
with heavy weight Of oil. Inc SEGA ieseH'e'
,;,oI, ,round coffee. and the little square pack
arcs that the Department Of Agriculture issues 10
Conorssmen for the Precipitation of their con-
stituents contain each enough 10 produce an acre
If the plant. Il is only within the last fifteen
undertaken tobacco
culturc in this State the present extensive
soolo lint hoy are now fully alive to lis al
vantagcs They find that they can get more
,n,pa,. for il 10 the acre than for any other crop
Tho cxuensr of marketing is small ana the whoc
sale trade is 50 we'll organized that returns are
secure and prompt In the eastern counties 'il'
farms are largely in the hands of tenants, wh"
raise the crop on shares. In the south ana West
they are divided into a great number oil smah
nronrict,ry holdings. The leaf. however, III TINS
state reuuirrs a great deal of care anu attention.
Ar almanac issued by a local firm OF warehouse
men contains cuts that illustrate the process oi
cultivation. ON the February page the io'l'c' 10
shown making a brush-iirc in the heId 10 XIII 'lc
weeds and grass. In March he sprlnkles the sceu
oycr a nursery patch about the size of large
blanket. In April this patch is covered WIN
shoot of canvas glorious sunhurst In May
lights up the transplantiug in rows in large
field In June tie sprouts are pictured IKE lows
of roung cabbagts. In July they reach 70 uhe
breast of the cultlvatOr. as he wail"cfs among
Them brushing OH the worms. III August Nv
cuts the stalks near the ground ana pics 'h''h
on a wagon to 20 70 the barn The next TWO GUYS
show the stalks with the leaves on, hanging !"
rows 10 dry from the barn-rafters. In NoNemoei
farm hands squat on the floor. strip Oh t"e 'aN'S
and sort them according 10 quality INTO hahulu us
I, December the punches are packed into buL>y
hocsheads de tall III a man, ana squeezed "o"n
,o,etber by a great screw, and the fruition OF
the farmers felicity is represented by othcr views
of double stacked river steamers blowing on steam
., the vbarvcs and taking in dozens of the packed
Logsheads ana Of locomotives dragging ''oh ny
in the bullying stores in Louisville.
Tho critical pcriod in the handling Of the Ken
tuckv tobacco ends only when the manufacturer
has finally steamed il and stacked II in his vaults
/, the field after IL has weathcTed the dIOuth ana
frost and worm plaques. il must not be cut III the
rain l,odcd carccs,ly or heavily on the wagons
so as 20 bruise il, nor be exposed TO TOO hlHn
,.,,n.rature in the drying. Tie dark Ic1i IS
curcd bv the building of fires IN the barn where
=, Lauos after cuttin4. This dries out tn" super
huo,,s ,np But the light leaf can be dried Only
l, the sun or air since smoke makes 1t hittcT
and useless and heat causes 1t 10 crnmblc anu
H., M I'm dust The best leaves on any Stalk
are tbc middle ones The most profitable tobacco
to the manufacturer for smoking and chewing
little of The cigar leaf il grown heic-s the llght.
which weighs less. and consequently presents 4"
larger surface for the absorption OF the hcorIce
or sugar added artihcaly IN the preparation oil
"plug" or fire cut" There Is all the Inference
in the world between the light and the dark lea.
When cured the light leaf is comparatively dry
and sponay. with unlimited drinking capacity.
The dark Is oily and plant. like new Ria gioVe'
already surchargcd with natural gum. anu II
weighs twice as much rs the other Inc local
growers are unterrifed by talk OF reciprocity WIN
the countries of the southern continent Inc
light leaf is used almost exclusively by American
chewers Hardened chewcrs sometimes prefer The
81 ronger flavor OF the dark Ieai, nut men oil
scdentary habits find it too strong for their nerves
The dark leaf nearly all goes abroad Much oil ~
finds lis way to Africa the West Indies and South
America The stems were once used extensively
for SNUFF, but the rappee habit seems TO We
diminishing, and they are now ground into fer
tllizers Tor use in the Florida orange groves
Ten minutes walk in the commercial quarter
of Louisville shows the Importance of the market
T., the town One ght last year n tornado threw
the most substantial warehouses TO the ground.
The owners the next m0rnng found the build
inns and their contents a confused mass of ruins.
uut hardly A hogshcad was lost New warehouses
bnye gone up in their place, as solid AS the gates
of Themes Along the principal street there Is all
endless procession of four-horsc tobacco drays,
,yitb negroes riding position. Through open
doors YOU catch glmpscs of wide floors loaded
with niles of the pressed leaf still retaining the
shane Of the casks that have been lifted from
around them; huge cranes and heavy elevators,
crowded with coarse-aproned coopcrs, drowsy aud
roucb- bearded husbandmcn, who have come
straight from the farm 10 see their wares sold
swarthy foreign buyers and small boys, with brown
lunches like birch-brooms, dangling from their
necks and shoulders. In the offices are sample
... IL .nhancn from the Southern Exhibition.