The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-08
WHITE TOBACCO PLANTS.
They Appeared Mysteriously and Brought 8
Fortune to the Owner.
(The Tobacco Journal.)

(The Tobacco Journal)
Kentucky raised more than 500, ,000
pounds of tobacco every year, half of
the crop of the United States. About a
dozen long leaves are tied into what is
called hand" and those hands are
compressed in hogsheads varying from
600 to 1000 pounds in weight Years ago
this tobacco was of a dark brown or
blac color. Now the greater portion of
it is a bright yellow.
Brown county (Ohio) lies opposite Ma
son county (ky), and has long been ia
nous for tobacco growing. Many years
ago there resided in that county and in
dustrious and intelligent German farmer,
Captain August Colt. Capt. Colt raised
tobacco. 1t all then was dark and
strong and caused Inflammation in the
mouths of those who chewed it. The
sweet tobacco was brought from Cuba,
and could not be grown anywhere in
the United States. Its seed planted in
our soil produced the strong tobacco pc
culiar to this country. There was one
kind here a little better than the other.
1t was of reddish color and was called
Red Burley. How it got the name Bur
ley no one knows.
In 1862 Captain Colt had field of to-
bacco just behind his house. One day
early in the autumn. when the plants
had attained a height of a foot or more,
Mrs Colt remarked to her husband that
she had seen a very peculiar tobacco
plant in the corner of the field. 1t was
like none she had ever seen before. All
hItt
this was white. Captain Colt said he
would look after it, Accompanied by his
wife he went to the field and examined
the peculiar plant. 1t was indeed white,
as she had said, and unlike any other
tobacco. Captain Colt gave his work
men orders to take care Of it and allow
it to run to seed.
Captain Colt examined the white plant
many times while it was growing to ma
turity In the autumn it blosSomcd just
as any other tobacco would when left
alone, and after ripening Captain Colt
carefully gathered the handful of seed
it produced. The plant was cut and hung
away by itself in the barn to dry. When
it had undergone the latter process it
turned to a bright yellow colcr and cen
trasted remarkably in appearance with
the other tobacco. Captain Colt cheWed
piece 1t was sweet and left an I'M
usually pleasant taste in his mouth. He
called in a number of his neighbors, all
old tobacco growers, to examine the
plant and see what they thought of it.
They agreed with him that it was far
| superior to any other tobacco they had
| ever seen, but they argued that the
| plant was merely a freak of nature. The
seed from it would produce tobacco OF
| the familiar dark color and strong taste
| The Captain was inclined to that belief
| too. but he said he would sow the seed
| and see
The following spring Captain Colt SOW
| ed the seed from the white plant. The
| little plants were carefully drawn and
reset The plants grew rapidly and tc
| his intense delight the leaves were white
| He had a little field of the white tobac-
! co, and again in the autumn he saved
| all the seed.
i When the result of the captains eX-
pertinent was known, everybody in his
| vicinity wanted the seed. He refused tC
part with any, but the next spring he
| sold the young plants for 50 apiece.
The following autumn some of the THIRD
crop, which was as bright In color as
| the original plant. was taken to market
| and it sold for four or five times as mucf
as the common tobacco. Captain Cot
named it white Burley.'
The farmers in Mason county Oky0
| experimented more eagerly with the new
tobacco than did their neighbors in Brown
county, over the river. They soon pro
duced it in considerable quantities, and
White Burley became famous
For years its growth was confined tt
these two counties. Farmers thought il
was peculiar to the soil there, and could
not be produced elsewhere. Thus the
quantity in the market did not amount
to more than the hundredth part of one
per cent of the total crops, and it was re-
garded as a rare and fancy brand, such