Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-10
TOBACCO RAISING IN FLORIDA.
Secretary of Agriculture Pays This
FIowery state u visit.

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, who
has Just returned from visit to Florida.
where he went at the suggestion Of the
President to see in what manner he could
make the department useful to the people
of that State, in an interview regarding
his visit. said: "The most striking fea-
ture and development 1 found in Florida
was the growth of the tobacco interest.
Within the past few years 10000 Cubans
have come over from that island, many
of whom had been lifelong tobacco
growers, curers, and cigar-makers. They
understand the art from the planting OF
the seed to the marketing Of the cigar
Florida lands may be properly divided
into two classes-pine and hammock
lands Northern people will more readily
understand what hammock land is. by
telling them that IT Is land upon which
pine timber does not grow. but all other
kinds of wood indigenous TO that state
does grow. 1t is a heavier, blacker soil
than the pine land. Cubans readily recog-
niZe il as being similar TO that OF the
best tobacco land in their island. The
Americans soon learned the business from
the Cubans, whom they employed TO do
the work thus affordng an opportunity
to closely observe the process through
which tobacco-growing. curing, and cigar
making went. Statistics show that the
Cubans sold last year 16OOOO'OO cigars,
and sales of tobacco i'm all its forms,
brought Cubans S1300O,0O0 The United
States pays to Cuba. Sumatra, Mexico,
and other countries, 81, 10000 for tobacco
I'm various forms. which Is part OF the
800 100000 worth of soil productions
brought into this country annually. The
Cuban makes his cigar from plants, the
seed of which he imports from his native
island, and will not touch any other KIND
of tobacco, regarding the Cuban seed as
ample to make the finest cigar. The
American is not content until he has
tried everything pertaining to tobacco
and cigar-making. So he imports the
Sumatra seed and grows the tobacco,
which has a very thin, fine, silky, and
delicate leaf, almost without flavor.
as IL comes from Sumatra, ana
only useful for wrappers, as
cigar could not be made from Sumatra
tobacco as it is imported.
at is an established fact that the people
of the United States get 100000 cigars
annually from Florida; the figures of the
internal revenue officials bear this state
ment out. Ii Is a peculiar fact that such
a thing as a Florida cigar is seldom
found on the market. They all come north
under the Habana name"
THE AMERICAN ADVANTAGES.
The Secretary says he made an effort
to purchase a box OF Cuban cigars grown
cured and manufactured in Florida, but
was unable TO do so. This is excusable I'm
the Floridlan, who Is making strenuous
efforts 10 establish the industry and IL
looks as If he certainly will succeed. The
American has an advantage over the
Cuban. In the cultivation of tobacco,
from the fact that he employs American
methods OF cultivation. something entire
Nv foreign to the Cuban. He uses the
most improved machinery. implements.
etc. that the best results in crop may
he obtained. With regard 10 the prin-
cjples underlying the fertilizing the land,
which Is a necessity In Florida, as IL is
the case wherever repeated crops OF a
broad-leaved plant are taken from
thin. responsive soil, the Cuban knows
nothing whatever.
Secretary Wilson saws. in connection