New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-09-25
History of Tobacco an Interesting One
Most of the Leaf Handled by
Dealers of New York CITY.

Although tobacco is now cultivated in all civ
hiz'd countries It is native Of the Americas
TWO versions have been given as to tho deriva-
uon OF the word tobacco" The first that IL
Was named after the island Of Tobago: but it
IS now known that "tobago" was an Indian
pipe and that Columbus So named the island
On account Of its resemblance in shape t. the
pipe. The plant was first INDUCED in as n r.
iigious rite aud gradually became a social habit
among the natives
Columbus and his hardy hand u advcrturcrs
carried tine weed lack 10 spain SIR Walter
Raleigh. returning To England from virginia
introduced he weed 10 EnclishIacn Jean Nlcot
whose name is immortalized in nicotine
brought back tobacco 10 his native France Ad-
veuturous traders brought the seed 10 Turkey
and syria. and Spanish argosies carried it west
ward from Mexico To the Philippines and thence
90 China and Japan
To-day tic growth - tie weed cncircIcs Tie
globe. and il is used in form or another ls
Tie entire civilized world In the United states
the consumption oi cigars alone dpubc, in the
ten years prior To- 1891. During the fiscal Year
OF 1891 four billion cigars were consumed Ten
Years later. 1907 o." figure lad doubled itself
eight billion
The annual ur"duciion - Come, tio1t Cl,U
England tobacco Tor in domestic cigars is
about thirty million pounds. THIS brand 81 to-
hacro Is grown directly from seed imported from
Cuba. and j. principally used Tor WRAPPER and
binder purIus's Pcnnst lyauia Is q rlua.. Soc
ond. Ir"du,ius forts million pounds annually
which is used largely for alters but lartI. ais.
f"r binders pIlo ia third an tie list with a
total II t"'utS h,c mi,li n Ioands MI 81 Which
IS us"l "HclHsiveiy az filters. Wisconsin come,
fourth VIII. "a total 90 forts. million pounds
which IS used FOR l.nd,rS
Florida. Gcorgls aLi T,xla uralu,a tv.r,.
mii.i"a bounds uli,D Is So cultivated as -
pr"du'' !. Iare- proportion II wrappers This
i"bd' "' .s packed Dos Iai,s whilc the tobacco ~
IT," other states H. packed In wooden eases
weighing about four hundred pounds each
J" 'uha. however. belongs the distinction ~
producing ia" finest grades Of cigar tobacco i'm
ih' world. iiny thousand bales annually are
produced. half of which comes 10 tho United
states Many Of The larger leaf tobacco houses
retain Id.nt buyers in their employ. who
MAX" irip- through the tobacco district ana buy
tn" cop aithcr ia the field or in the barn Tho
crop is th'n removed To a warehouse In The same
district where il has been purchased. and there
thc leaves are stripped from the stalks by mon
and women ana children. The leaves are sorted
and bundled into what is technically known as
hands" tho number Of leaves in a hand" vary
grades are gathered into hands" ~ thirty or
forts leaves ana tied around the tops with a leaf
OF the Same grade. The finer grades are bundled
in tho same manner but with greater care.
Then the hands are again sorted by grade
ana packed into carrots four hands" To the
carot
The torn carrot" is derived from the name Of,
the vegetable on account Of the similarity in
shape. The tobacco Is then baled FOR shipment
eighty carrots to the bale.
The best quality OF Cuban tobacco comes from
Tho Vuelta Abajo section. although the PartIdos
section also grows some OF the best grade
Remedies tobacco is more heavily bodied than
the others, and is used exclusively for blending
with our domestic tobaccos. The three above
mentioned districts. with tho Semi-Vuelta sec
ton, practically constitute the entire tobacco
growing island.
Vueta Abajo tobacco Is grown In the province