The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-25
EQUAL TO HAVANA.
Tobacco-Growing on the Sound
Proves a Success.
TWENTY ACRES TO BE PLANTED.
A Seattle Man Who Has Produced IS
Good Tobacco rs Havana-Wh
Try sumatra Seed Next.

J.J. Holman, who runs small cigar
factory. has made what he considers
very successful experiment at raising cigar
tobacco on the Sound. Last year Mr.. Hoh-
man planted a small patch of tobacco in
South Seattle and a still smaller patch
near Spohomish. Off these two little
pieces of ground he got about ], 900 pounds
of very fine tobacco. So enthusiastic is he
over the result of his experiment that he
is now arranging to plant twenty acres OF
tobacco near Snohomish this year.
He has imported Sumatra seed from
Singapore. having secured it through the
United States consul there, and thus made
sure that it is genuine. The tobacco he
raised last year was Havana, and he says
it cured perfectly on poles. That is, the
leaves were cut on the stalks in September
and hung from poles in a shed until the
tobacco cured.
One impeachment in the wav of his max
ing as extensive an experiment this year
as he would like to, he says, is the lack OF
capital. He heard that some money was
coming to Washington from the national
government for the promotion of expert
ments in agriculture, and he has written
Senator Squire to inquire if portion of
this money could not be employed toward
making more complete test in the line of
tobacco culture.
Mr.. Holman has been in the tobacco
business for over twenty-five years, his
father being an extensive tobacco raiser in
Ohio He has been in Seattle six years as
manager and proprietor of cigar factories.
Regarding the success of this experiment
he said:
l believe Washington is the coming tobacco
state. The Havana leaf / raised last year has
cured SO perfectly on the poles that the best
tobscconists in the city cannot distinguish it
from the real Havana OF the same age. A. G.
Miller. John Thomas and NJ. Murphy, all old to-
bacconists here, say my Havana has been
phenomenal success and think il will be the
means of bringing about q sweeping change in
agricultural pursuits on the Sound in the near
future.
l propose raising sumatra wrappers almost
exclusively. Sumatra wrappers are not noted
for their aromatic qualities, but for fneness OF
leaf and clear colors The present price of do
nestle Sumatra here is 70 cents per pound 1t
may be that the sumatra raise will be worth
far more than this, because OF the fact that my
seed is imported-the planting OF domestic seed
from year to year tending to lower the
grade of the tobacco raised But suppose
my product is not worth more than so cents per
pound; if get ton to the acre, and from the
way my experiment last year yielded l have no
doubt in the world but what / will, the value
even at this figure would be $4,000. Suppose
for the sake of being absolutely safe in making
an estimate, We cut that down one-hslf we still
have $4,000 worth of produce from twenty
acres.
dare not express myself as enthusiastically
as feel on the outlook, for the public would
take no stock in what say at all tell you
cannot exaggerate my true feelings in the mat
ter, for If my Sumatra resembles the imported
Sumatra as much as my Havana does the i'm
ported stock of that variety, the result cannot
be exaggerated. One would naturally conclude
that the damp air in the winter time would pre-
vent the tobacco from curing here, but such is
not the case; for, the contrary, it seems to be
conducive TO the most perfect coloring of the
leaf. In the very warm climates the leaves dry
too rapidly when the stalks are hung up, and
they become streaked. Here there is nice
mild season of two months or more, not too
hot, but with good dry air from the time the to-
bacco natures in September until the rainy
season sets in This gives the tobacco q chance
to dry perfectly and not too rapidly before the
damp air has a chance to affect it.