The Washington herald., 1907-07-25


terested themselves in the tariff and have
followed the question at issue between
the government and the tobacco trust;
but few OF those who smoke cigars or
pipes know that the United States De-
partment of Agriculture treats the plant
almost as II it were a thing with animal
life, and that il responds SO readily 70
scientific culture that plant breeding is
carried on with as great sureness Of re-
suits as the breeding of cattle.
At present between 10000 and 100000
acres OF land in the United States are an
nually devoted TO tobacco growing. The
crop Is worth approximately 100000,
and the governments income from the in
dustry Is about equal to the value of the
raw product The manufactured produce
is worth above $500, 900, 900, and 10000 per-
sons are employed in producing 1t. The
great increase in the demand for cigars,
cigarettes. and smoking and chewing to-
bacco necessitates an increased acreage
or an increased yield, and the Bureau of
Plant Industry IS sparing no energy nor
expense to prove the adaptability Of GER
tain varieties to certain soils and climates.
with view TO charging the crop
The variety Of manufactured products,
due 10 varying tastes Of consumers.
makes a demand for many kinds of leaf.
This is met by breeding especial varieties
and by blending different tobaccoes. 1t
has been demonstrated that tobacco
plants. like animals, have strong individ-
uality, and that their tendency is TO
transmit their qualities to progeny The
experts in tobacco breeding proceed by
seed selection 10 improve the different va
rieties, and by hybridzaticn to improve
breeds just as bloOded animals are bred.
An illustration Of the possibilities Of seed
selection lies in the fact that White Bur
ley tobacco. grown largely in Kentucky,
the first tobacco producing State. had its
origin in the planting OF seed saved by a
Brown County Ohio planter from a few
light plants growing in a field of Red Bur
ley. An illustration of the susceptibility
OF the tobacco plant TO Improvement by
careful handling during It's growth re-
suited from the experience Of D. A. Shaw,
Of Quincy, Fla. who noticed that tobacco
from Sumatra seed produced finer and
more desirable cigar wrapper leaf when
growing in the partial shade Of trees. lie
hit upon the plan OF covering tobacco
plants with shade and now there are
thousands Of acres of shaded fields in
Florida, Texas, and Porto Rico. Some Of
these are under stats and some under
coarse cloth Shaded Florida tobacco Is
now the highest-priced variety grown In
this country.
By seed selection and liberalization it is
10 not r~af~~ -.7 -f-- ---1
shape Of tobacco leaves, but also TO limit
the height OF the stalk. For instance,
SUmatra tobacco grown under shade
should not shoot up to a great height, be-
cause high shades are more expensive TO
build and are more liable TO damage by
wind. BY scientific breeding. 1t has been
found possible to reduce the height Of the
plants as required. A large item OF ex-
peuse to planters is thar caused by suck
ering' tobacco. It has been shown that
by selecting seed from plants having few
suckers the evil may be largely elimi-
mated. In Northern States il is important
TO grow early maturing tobacco, and this
has been accomplished by selecting seed
from early maturing individual plants.
The smoker is. Of course, interested
in the burning quality Of his cigar. In an
effort TO eliminate bad burners" from
cigar stands, the Bureau Of Plant In
dustry conducts elaborate experiments 10
definitely determine the causes Of bad or
good burning DR.. w. W. Garner has
constructed an apparatus consisting of
series Of glass tubes so arranged that
each smokes a cigar as a man would
smoke it, except that the "puffs' are of
exactly uniform strength in each tube.
A carefully adjusted aspirator draws the
proper intermittent current of air through
each cigar, and accurate observations are
made to determine the rapidity and uni
formity with which each one burns. In
these tests each cigar is made from one
plant. regardless of whether it is Of the
filler OF wrapper type, 10 avoid the to-
bacco under test being influenced by the
presence Of a separate product
Each cigar Is carefully scored upon the
several points that make up a good burner
Some Of the cigars burn evenly and rap
idly while others burn down one side.
In some cases the wrapper FUCKERS
ahead Of the fire, and a black metallic
looking ring forms around the cigar.
These are called metallic burners" and
are undesirable. The character Of the
ash is also tested, and if it flakes badly
or is dark and dull the seed from the
plant from which it was made is dis
caTGed- II is the theory Of the govern
ment experts that BY selecting seed from
plants that make good burners" It will
be possible to grow crops of that
type. The government also investigates
the varieties Of tobacco in all countries
with view to improving the breed in the
various sections OF the Union The United
States IS now raising billion pounds of
tobacco annually, and is by far the
worlds greatest producer. Other tobacco
countries are Cuba, Porto Rico, Canada.
Sunratra, Java India, the Philippines, and
Japan
While tobacco growing in this country
dates back 20 the days before John Rolfe.
who is said 10 have grown the first crop
produced by a white man, the extension
Of the industry TO its present proper
lions has taken place largely in the last
half century. A few Of the older States
grew tobacco lOo years ago, but at pres
ent there are no less than twenty-five
states growing the crop commercially.
Owing TO the practically unlimited posi-
bilities Of expansion and the steadily in
NANeA9iilS uCiiieIIut 1iie prospect IS Tor
largely increased tObacco-growing terri
tory In the near future
The culture of tobacco in Kentucky
dates back to 800. and the industry was
well established in 1872 the crops being
priced in hogsheads, hadled to the Cum
berland and Ohio rivers, and shipped by
fiatb0at 10 New Orleans. In 1870 markets
were established by dealers who stemmed
tobacco and put il up for the English
market, causing the industry 10 expand
largely. Virginia, the earliest tobacco
grower, was the first important exporter.