The times., 1899-07-30
TOBACCO RAISING IN CUBA
History of the Rise and Fall of the
Vast Industry.

vast Industry.
The Value of the Output of the Fra
| grant Weed Before the Late Revo-
luton Was Thirty Million Dollars
n Ycar-Opinions as to the Future
of the Trade-Wocs of Growers.
Trinidad de Cuba, July 16.-As every
body knows, the knowledge of tobacco
first came to the world from the Carib
bean archipelago-some authorities say
form Cuba, others from the nearby island
| of Tobago, whence the weed derived its
name. At any rate, history is explicit on
the point that in 1892 Columbus sent out
party from the caravals of his first ex-
| pedition to explore Cuba, and the men
/ brought back an aromatic herb called to
baco" which they found the Indians using
| The aboriginal method was to burn the
weed over fires, inhaling the fumes thereof
through V-shaped tubes, the two points
of the pipe inserted in the nostrils of the
| smoker and the other end held close to
| the fire. About the same time Spaniards
on the coast of South America reported
| that the natives there were chewing to-
bacco, masticating but not swallowing the
| leaves; and Franciscan friar who accom-
panied Columbus on his second voyage to
Cuba described the habit of snuff taking
how the Indians dried and pulverized the
| weed and then drew it up untoe the Nose
with distressful sneezing." Meanwhile
Cortez in Mexico was making similar dis
coveries-only the AZtecs called their plant
| hycieu, and considered 1t the sacred en-
blem of the goddess Chihuacohuatl, or hu-
man serpent. In Mexican mythology this
divinity was the first mother of children,
the Aztec Eve, and in the legends con-
corning her one may trace resemblance to
our own erring ancestress who brought the
race of men to grief through disobedience.
AS the American continent was further
explored, it became evident that every
where the consumption of tobacco espe-
cially by smoking, was universal and
immemorial usage among the tribes of the
Western Hemisphere, in many cases con-
| nected with the most solemn religious
ceremonies.
Though tobacco grows best in the now
famous Vuelto Abajo of Cuba, the neigh
borhood of Habana claims the distinction
of the first plantations. established by the
Spaniards about the middle OF the sixteenth
century. The industry soon grew to such
magnitude that the Crown. claim
ed the monopoly and kept it
until the recent war. From the
first, the pipe of peace" in Cuba has
been a promoter of instructions. During
the previous century at least three revo-
lutions grew out of the visits of the Crown
inspector. who annually made the rounds
of the plantations to fix the price upon the
crops and see TO 1t that Spain got the ul-
innate drop of blood money. Sometimes
| the tobacco growers refused to accept
the offered terms, and like the strikers of
| modern times, would not allow others 10
do what they themselves declined, destroy
| ing the crops OF those who acceded to
Spain's demands; and then Spanish soldiers
took hand in the proceedings, killing a
| few of the malcontents and deporting 9TH
| ers 10 African prisons.
The Spanish Government constructed the
| first Real Fabrica de Tobacas (Royal To-
bacco Factory in Havana, in 1761-the
great wooden building on the bay just
south of the arsenal, which has since
served as military hospital. Tobacco
farms are known as vegas, and when the
late war began there were upward of Il, 900
of them in Cuba, the crop of the Vuelta
Abajo alone worth an annual average of
$50 600, 900.
The best vegas lie on the sandy-soiled
margins OF rivers, or in other low, moist
| localities. One caballera of land (about
| thirty three acres), is the rule, half of it
| devoted to raising boniatas and platanoes
| Cuban sweet potatoes and bananas the
workmens staff of life The owner or ten
ant of the tobacco farm is called the we
| guero" and his dwelling house the casa
| de vivienda." There must also be a driving
house some mule and cattle sheds, and the
| straw matched "bohios." or huts, of the
! laborers. The latter are usually negroes
or mulatoes, an average of forty TO the
caballeria. under direction of 'mayoral"
or overseer. AS everybody cannot keep a
hotel, and choruses are born, not made SO
| 1t requires special talent to be success
| full tobacco grower. The majority of for
eigners who undertake it in Cuba, il they
do not actually come to grief. attain small
measure of success. The Cuban vegueroes
claim that their genius for picking tobacco
| properly is an hereditary gift with which
no acquired skill can compete. Their nm
gers seem TO know by instinct just which
buds must be nipped off and leaves cut to
regulate the height of the plants and the
strength or mildness of the tobacco. The
genius nicotiana," "cohiba." or whatever
| the tobacco plant is called-and it reioces
under a variety of names-attains height
of six to nine feet and is covered with wide,
rough leaves of dingy green. The to-
DaSCO - SliOhStA hiiSAA ~" ith't dAt pei =
mtted to grow twelve being the average
allowed to a good plant.
The fowers-some dull pink,
others greenish yellow, indicating
different species-have an acrd,
| disagreeable smell; and one is
rarely fortunate who does not return
from a tour of his vega covered with the
parasites that infest the plants Cubans
divide the leaves into four classes. First
the "desecho limpio''-young, thrifty leaves
near the top of the plant, which are the
best because they have come directly under
the influence of sun and dew. The second
class, "desechito," grows next below
while the third, or "libre," includes the
smaller and defaced leaves. The fourth
or ''injuriado," are those growing nearest
the root, sure to be stained by the soil and
| more or less eaten by worms and insects
In each of the above mentioned classes
there are again several grades. all with
names somewhat longer than the leaf, such
as injurado de reposo injured leaves that
have been resorted), descechitos segundos
etc. The trade distinguishes these grades
and classes by numbers, which to the ex-
| pert suggest the names. Connoisseurs
readily distinguish the choice qualities
when dried, and even in many cases the
vegas which produced them. by their tint
ings of rich brown and freedom from dis
coloration. The test of the finest is in
the smoking. Cigars from it burn freely,
with white ash which Will remain intact