The mirror., 1919-11-20
ORE tobacco is grown
and consumed in Amer
lea today than in any
other country Tohac.

HHRTX3H anu CONSUMED III Amor
tENMYaRH lea today than in any
aNAB other country. Tobac-
co growers are expected to harvest
a billion dollar crop this season,
which, converted into the finished
product. will have q value of near
ly three billion dollars. In fact.
the consumption of cigars and
cigarettes doubles in every two
and one-half years. Statistics show
the value of American manufact-
ured tobacco products is greater
than the value of women's cloth
ing, sugar, or milk, cheese and
condensed milk, its closest COM
petitors for first place. More than
10, 200, 900. 900 cigars are smoked
in IL months, while cigarettes head
the list with 10000, 100000 per
year. For other forms of tobacco,
such as smoking, chewing and
snuff, the American people pay
more than $3.50, 100000 every
year.
When tobacco was first used by
man is unknown. The name 'sNico-
tiana" was given in 1860 in honor
of Jean Nicot, the French ambas-
sador to Portugal, who introduced
the weed to Paris. The American
Indians were smoking tobacco long
before the appearance of Mar
quette and La Sale. the French
explorers. The white settlers as
they began pioneering in the wilds
of the new world soon became ex-
perts in growing this new crop.
Ultimately tobacco became a
medium of exchange, and the set
tiers of Virginia, North Carolina
and Kentucky annually exported
their surplus. Immediately fol-
lowing the Civil war the export
business assumed large proper
tions and the crop was used to pay
the cost of war. About this time
added impetus was given to the
tobacco industry by the discovery
by an Ohio farmer of a new type
Of tobacco. mild of quality and
bright and silky in appearance.
This was named the White Burley,
and it was used as chewing, cigar,
pipe and cigarette tobacco; the
majority of it is now used as chew
ing tobacco. Kentucky and neigh
boring states annually produce
more than 4OO,0OO,O00 pounds.
Tobacco culture now has become q
science. The present technique of
tobacco farming includes much be-
sides the cut and dried operations
Of planting, cultivating. harvesting
and curing. The business has been
developed to a point where large
net incomes result where the crop
is grown in good rotation, on
fertile soil and under the approved
methods of management.
The tendency of civilized man is
to use milder and milder forms of
tobacco. This seems to be not
alone because the devotee Graves
less nicotine, but because his PAM
pered stomach and nerves will no
longer support the heroic smokes
and chews of earlier generations.
DR.. w. w. Graner, tobacco expert
of the bureau of Plant Industry, of
the department of agriculture, has
recently been carrying on some in
teresting researches regarding the
early history of tobacco in this
country, and has discovered that
the tendency toward the use of
milder leaf can be traced from the
earliest times. Thus. the early
Indian gro wers raised and smoked
a tobacco which was no less than
ten per cent nicotine as against
the two or three per cent of
modern times. That puissant leaf
with which the red warrior used
to fill his calumet would floor q
modern devotee at the first Whit.
Indian tobacco is no longer pro-