The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-27
COSTOFKNG'S
EDWARD GETS MIs TOBACCO FROM
 CUBA.
They Are Made ef The Finest Leaves And The Piekisgs Are Left
 over For Ordinary Men.

Queen victoria's father. the Duke of Kent. smoked once a day--from the time he arose in the morning until he retired at night says The Boston Post. His royal wife didn't like 1t. and his beautiful young daughter sometimes had 10 leave his presence. Sc when she became England's' sovereign, and. In 1s4l. became the mother of little Albert Edward. she pointed to the lad one day and said: There's boy, who shall never smoke"
 A month or so ago the man who was once the Queens little boy ordered from a tobacco company 3.000 cigars that come eight to the pound. and are warranted to burn two hours and half in any climate. The bill was over 2,00o pounds--each cigar costing about fourteen shillings.
 Such are the uncertainties of fIlfii- ment even of royal mothers plans,
 At the same time the King sent along an order for l,eo0 cigars for his nephew, the Emperor of Germany. The British monarch is always gener- ous in his gifts. but for the kaIsers cigars he paid only six shlllings piece.
 William IT. of Germany, being nor mally A bundle of nerves. smokes a cigar that lacks q little or being half as large as that of his unoIe's best brand
 Any time that you happen to be ninety miles southeast of Havana you can look about you and see the coin- try that produces not only the King cigars. but the tobacco that goes into the smoking material consumed in all the royal palaces of Europe. excapt, that of the Sultan of Turkey. The surrounding country is known as the Vuelta Ahajo district. Contrary to
  which tobacco for royalty comes is no. small. Many a man bites. off the ent of q wrapper that grew next hill to s the KinE's fourteen shilling cigar The difference Is that Edward VII smokes are all made of tho largest. finest leaves. while the ordinary mans cigars arc put together from what is left
 Growing tobacco for royalty is a deiI- cate business. Once in the ground II, immediately requires much water. Each plant is daily carefully spriniled. In three weeks 1t Ia time to trans plant. These that haven't shown np well are thrown away and the others are put in the ground three feet apart.
 Then begins the difficult task or. forcing into the leaves the ingrediehts that. when burned make the monarehs Feel at peace with all the world whether they are or not. Potash an needed to supply part of the aroma the flavor. Of this substanos each plant is fed with all 1t wants. But Inc tobacco plant Is also an snoFmauk con- sumers of nitroeen, and, therefore. col ton-eeed meal. bone meal, and driea hloed are frequently mixed with tho earth. Many Cuban COW has gone Co the block, without knowing that fha blood in it's veins would yet add q reli- cate flavor to the cigars of a king.
 As soon as SO much fluid has been forced Into the plant that 1t threatens to run over by going to seed. a cork ts put Into the top. SO to speak. by cutting off the end of tho stalk. ana the forcing process from the. hQttam goes on. Tn a little while tho leaves nearest the ground begin to turn yni- low. That's sign that they arc ripe. When plapter who is ralslns tobac- co Tor plain Bill Jones sees q yellow leaf or two at the bottom of the stalk ne cuts down the whole plant. But in raising tobacco for Kings and czars and Emperors, only the leaf that ss yellow is picked. and the othera are ripe.
 Tpe next step is curing. R'frst fhs lest must hang ip the sun just ao lonr. While it lF hanging In tho sun it must not touch apy other leaf Then. with other leaves. 1t must be tied in a bundle. And by the time it haa haa some more sunshine, and is ready 10 begin the process known as fermenta- tlon it has lost s5 per cent of fts weight It has become the hoflaa < down sweetness of the t0hacco nlan4