The Republican journal., 1899-08-03
ABOUT CUBAN TOBACCO.


,-. TIE CUBA. July 1899. AS
Knows, the knowledge of to-
anne to the world from the
.. Arehipelago-some authorities
.ba others from the near by
rshaEo, whence the weed deriv-
.aa At any rate, history is eX-
.sf noint that in 1912 Columbus
.aftv from the caravals of his
..4..un 10 explore c uba, and the
rbrb beck an aromatic herb, call
...s.. which they found the In
sn. The aboriginal method was
Tue weed over fires, inhaling the
.4srsdf through V shaped tubes,
IRIS Of the pipe inserted in the
,le smoker, and the other held
I. ire. About the same time
5r he coast of South America
.......t the natives there were chew
mdsticating but not swallow
uf, and a Franciscan friar who
..4f columbus ON his second
sua describes the habit of
....- Low the Indians dried and
. he weed and then "drew it
FIFE nose with distressful sneez-
'4while Cortez in Mexico was
nHIr discoveries-0nly the Az
aeil plant hycietl and consid-
,lsfed emblem of the goddess
gt " human serpent. In
..r} .llOgy this divinity was the
Il children, the Aztec Eve,
eEends concerning her one
~. rsrmblanae to our own erring
alJ brought the race of men
.-m1h disobedience. AS the
uUnent was further explored
dent that everywhere the
IT tobacco, especially by
v, IN universal aud immemor-
an9e5 the tribes of the Western
...-- II many cases connected
most solemn religious ceremon-
5u8oco grows best in the now
.G 4.t0 Abajo of Cuba, the neigh
uabana claims the distinction
autations, established by the
s0Jut the middle of the six
l+y. The industry soon grew
-uitude that the Crown claim
alroly, and kept it until the re-
M ION the first, the pipe of
lGba has been promptor of in
During the previous century
ST gee revolutions grew out of
the Crown inspector, who
made the rounds of the plan
= the price upon the crops
IL that Spain got the Ill
t blood money. Sometimes
4lowers refused to accept the
and like the strikers of
-- would not allow others to
themselves, declined, des-
f. ops of those who acceded to
aaud and then the Spanish
k 4 hand in the proceedings,
If tile malcontents and de-
.as 10 African prisons.
-~h government constructed
l Fabrica de Tobacas (Boval
.--aryl III Habana, in 1761-
a1ien building on the bay,
H the arsenal, which has since
military hospital Tobacco
.su5wu As vegas, and when the
ID lbeIe were upwards of if
of them in Cuba, the crop
Abajo alone worth an an
NJ thirty million dollars.
3D.. is lie on the sandy soil mar
or in other low, moist local
albaileria OF land, about
.er lIes), is the rule, halt of it
sing boniatas and platanoes
-Nee potatoes and bananas, the
-an of life. The owner or
--.e tobacco farm is called the
and his dwelling house the
enda." There must also be
-oase, some mule and cattle
lie straw matched ''bohios,'
lie laborers. The latter are
tf-I9es or mulatoes. an average
he caballeria, under direction
- or overseer. AS every.
Q4a- keep a hotel, and choruses
.a Jus made-so it requires special
ae u successful tobacco grower.
-"liy OF foreigners who under
H uba, if they do not actually
-uef. attain small measure of sue
-r Iban vegueroes claim that
SINUS tor picking tobacco properly
erqltary gift with which no ac-
ski. an compete. Their fingers
snow by instinct just which buds
pPed off and leaves cut, to reg
De height of the plants and strength
less Of the tobacco. The genus
Hs. eohiba," or whatever the
q ant is called-and it rejoices
variety of names-attains
SIX to nine feet and is covered
Ade rough leaves of dingy green.
5ata0 is stronger when few leaves
united to grow, twelve being the
lowed to "a good plant. The