The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-10-03


of soils. In the first division Mr.. Oscar
Loew, whose work in bacteria and
yeasts has already attracted wide
spread attention, is the moving spirit,
and in divisions OF soils Messrs Milton
Whitney and Thomas r. Means have
made valuable researches. Emile MUl-
ser and others kave also contributed
largely to the experiments and obser
vations now in progress. The follow
ing will give some idea of their work
and it's results:
A tariff of 81 IS per pound on wrap
pers and 35 cents per pound on filler
leaf has served to raise the price of
home grown tobacco but very slightly.
Sumatra wrappers bring 50 so to IS per
pound, while Connecticut wrappers are
worth 25 cents only. The preference
for the S1matra leaf can be aecribed
to but one thing, its superior excel
lenc9. Care in handling has something
to do with the difference in price. The
Sumatra wrapper is smooth and fine
and looks we'll in case. It is we'll as
sorted as to length, color and shade,
and a pound will cover four or five
times as many cigars as the domestic
product. Elasticity, pliability, size,
shape, color, sizs of the veins, the fine
ness and peculiar vein Of the Havana
wrapper, and sickness of the Sumatra
wrapper are all to be considered. To
compete with these leaves the Ameri-
can must produce first a leaf which
will resemble the others in appearance,
and then one which will be equal, if
not superior in flavor and aroma. The
first can be secured by careful cultiva
ton and handling perhaps, but the
S Ience of favor and aroma is so sub
tie as to have so far eIuded all efforts
to discover it's source. On the soil of
Connecticut and Florida it is hoped
tobacco can be produced, which will
equal that of Havana and Cuba. What
ever is deficient in soil Or climate must
be supplied, but how7 That is what is
puzzling the scientific men. Little is
known OF the chemical proportions of
the leaf, particularly those which con
tribute to the favor and aroma. 1t is
probable that the actual amount Of
nicotine is relatively unimpOrtant, and
it is certain that the excellenceof the leaf
and it's adaptation to market demands
are not dependent, except in a gen
aral way, upon the amount Of nicotine.
Il has long been known that Certain
OF the potassium salts, espG ci8lly po
tassium chloride, cannot be used at all
for the production cf cigar tobacco, as
they give the leaf poor burn. 1t is
furthermore an old experience that ex-
cessive nitrogenous manuring tends to
produce a large leaf of inferior Ialiey,
containing an increased quantity OF
nicotine. Investigations by the divis
ion OF soils have shown that the light
sandy soils of the Connecticut Valley
are similar in their physical proper ties
to the tobacco lands OF Florida, and
the Vu3l5a Ab2j3 district Of Cuba and
to the tobacco districts of Sumatra
There is, further, no difference in the
meteorological data from these pl&c IS
that would seem 10 explain the differ
ence in the character of the leaf pro
duced I6 is therefore important to
ascertain, if possible, why, under
similar circumstances, a superior Leaf
is produced to that of the Connecticut
Valley. It is clearly recognized that
the Fl avor and aroma OF the cigar to-
bacco Leaf are developed during the
fermentation, although the fermenta-
tion changes are dependent on a GER
tain quality of the leat which has been
properly cured. Ex oeriments have
therefore been directed toward the i'm.
provement OF the methods Of ferment
ing the tobacco of Connecticut with a
view Of making it as good as that of
Cuba or Florida, and failing by this
means, it is hoped that the result can
be attained through hybridization aud
breeding.
It is not to be supposed that for many
years the idea of producing by artificial
means tobacco equal to that Of the
natural tobacco regions had never oc
Cured to any one before the scientists
of the Department Of Agriculture took
it up. On the contrary, many men
have studied the question exhaustiVely,
but the solution has always eluded
them. Their observations, however,
gave Dr.. Loew something on which to
work, and, after going into them thor
oughly, he decided thatno one had yet
discovered the true s9cret of the favor
and aroma Of the tobacco. He agrees
| nth o,,ohlnnH nn6 nthara that the