Tobacco

CHAPTER III.. Tobacco in America.

TOBACCO IN AMERICA.

First General Planter -- State of the Colony -- Conditions of Raising Tobacco -- Tobacco Fields, 1620 -- Increase of Tobacco-Growing -- Restriction of Tobacco-Growing -- Tobacco used as Money -- King James opposes Tobacco-Growing -- Buying Wives with Tobacco -- Foreign Tobacco Prohibited -- King Charles on Tobacco -- King Charles as a Tobacco Merchant -- Tobacco Taxed -- Planting in Maryland -- Negro Labor -- Competition -- Growing Suckers -- Virginia Lands -- Picture of Early Planters -- Large Plantations -- Getting to Market -- Virginia Plant-Bed -- Maryland Plant-Bed -- Tobacco Growing in New York and Louisiana -- New England Tobacco -- Commercial Value of Tobacco -- Tobacco a Blessing...................................................... 47

CHAPTER IV.. Tobacco in Europe.

TOBACCO IN EUROPE.

Introduction -- The Original Importer -- Wonderful Cures -- How the Herb grew in Reputation -- Difference of Opinion -- A Smoker's Rhapsody -- Old Smokers -- The Queen Herb -- Drinking Tobacco -- Tobacco on the Stage -- Shakespeare on Tobacco -- Smoking Taught -- Ben Jonson on the Weed -- Curative Qualities -- Modes of Use -- Held up to Ridicule -- Tirades against Tobacco -- Tobacco Selling -- Royal Haters of Tobacco -- Old Customs -- A Racy Poem -- A Smoking Divine........................................................ 80

CHAPTER V.. Tobacco in Europe. -- Continued.

TOBACCO IN EUROPE. -- Continued.

Popular use of Tobacco -- Tobacco Glorified -- Weight of Smoke -- Anecdotes -- Triumph of Tobacco -- A Government Monopoly -- Tobacco a Blessing............................... 111

CHAPTER VI.. Tobacco Pipes, Smoking and Smokers.

TOBACCO PIPES, SMOKING AND SMOKERS.

Indian Pipes -- Material for Pipes -- Legend of the Red Pipe -- Chippewa Pipes -- Making the Peace Pipes -- South American Pipes -- Cigarettes -- Tobacco on the Amazon River -- Brazilian Tobacco -- Patagonians as Smokers -- Form and Material -- Pipe of the Bobeen Indians -- The War Pipe -- Pipe Sculpture -- Smoking in Alaska -- Smoking in Russia -- Smoking in Peru -- Smoking in Turkey -- Moderate Smoking -- Female Smoking -- Early Manufacture of Pipes -- French Pipes........................................................ 124

CHAPTER VII.. Pipes and Smokers. -- Continued.

PIPES AND SMOKERS. -- Continued.

Meerschaum Pipes -- Coloring Meerschaums -- The City of Smokers -- Hudson as a smoker -- Persian Water Pipes -- Turkish Pipes -- Amber Mouth Pieces -- Obtaining Amber -- Its Value -- Variety of Pipes -- History of Pipes -- Ancient Habit of Smoking -- Buried Pipes -- Jasmine Pipes -- Smoking in Algiers -- Smoking in Africa -- Defence of Smoking -- Tea and Tobacco -- Chinese Pipes -- Smoking in Japan -- Tobacco Boxes -- Tobacco Jars -- Musings over a Pipe -- Sad Fate of a Chewer -- Triumph of the Anti's -- The Smoker's Calendar -- Doctor Parr as a Smoker -- Smoking on the Battle-Field -- Literary Smokers -- Doctor Clarke on Tobacco -- Noted Smokers -- Pleasant Pipe -- A Tobacco World -- Cruelty of Smokers -- Men like Pipes -- Universal Use................... 150

CHAPTER VIII.. Snuff, Snuff-Boxes and Snuff-Takers.

SNUFF, SNUFF-BOXES AND SNUFF-TAKERS.

Its Introduction -- Boxes and Graters -- Mode of Preparation -- Snuff-Boxes -- A Celebrated Manufacturer -- The Snuffing Period -- The Monk and his Snuff-Box -- A Pinch of Snuff -- Pleasures of Smelling -- Frederick the Great -- Eminent Snuff-Takers -- The Story in Verse -- "Come to my Nose" -- Snuff Manufacture -- Preparation of Tobacco -- Grinding the Leaves -- Flavoring the Snuff -- Profits Made -- Love of Tobacco -- Chewing and Dipping -- Advantages of Dipping -- The First Snuffers -- Famous Snuff-Takers -- Snuff as a Pacificator -- A National Stimulant -- Different Tastes -- Rise and Progress of Snuff-Taking............................ 218

CHAPTER IX.. Cigars.

CIGARS.

New York Cigars -- Havana Cigars -- Quality of Havana Cigars -- Relative Value and Size -- Cigar-Makers -- Cuban Cigars -- Cigar Manufactories -- Preparation of the Tobacco -- Sorting the Leaves -- Sales, etc. -- Large Factories -- Universal Smoking -- Cigar Etiquette -- Reveries -- Summer-Day Thoughts -- American Smokers -- At Home -- Sentiment -- Ode to a Cigar -- Cigar-Lighters -- Smoking an Art -- Science of Lighting -- Age of Fusees -- "Home-Made Cigars" -- Female Cigar-Makers -- A Spicy Article -- How to Smoke -- Smoking Christians -- Lamb's Poem -- Tobacco Compliment -- Cigarette Smoking -- Thomas Hood's Cigar -- Lord Byron's Opinion -- Kinds of Cigars -- Selecting Cigars -- Yara Cigars -- Manilla Cigars -- Swiss Cigars -- Paraguay Cigars -- Brazilian Cigars -- American Cigars -- Connecticut Seed Leaf and Havana Cigars -- The Exile's Comfort........... 259

CHAPTER X.. Tobacco Planters and Plantations.

TOBACCO PLANTERS AND PLANTATIONS.

The Connecticut Planter -- Intelligence of Tobacco Growers -- Best Connecticut Seed Leaf -- Love for the Plant -- Virginia Planters -- A Virginia Plantation -- The Plant-Patch -- Planting, Topping and Priming -- Suckering -- Crop-Gathering -- Curing and Sorting -- Tobacco Markets -- Ohio Tobacco -- Mode of Cure -- Kentucky Tobacco-Growing -- The Kentucky Planter -- Florida Tobacco -- Florida Plantation -- Tobacco in Louisiana -- California Tobacco Lands -- Mexican Tobacco -- Plants around Vera Cruz -- Tobacco in St Domingo -- Cuba Plantations -- Mode of Working -- Soil and Climate -- Tobacco-Growing in Germany -- Method of Culture -- Extent of Culture -- Tobacco-Raising in Prussia -- Tobacco in Holland -- Dutch Planters -- A Plea for Tobacco -- Tobacco Culture in Australia -- Arabian Plantations -- Tobacco in Africa -- Syrian Tobacco -- Latakia Tobacco -- Growing Tobacco in India -- Curing Tobacco in India -- Turks Cultivating Tobacco -- Japanese Tobacco -- Persian Tobacco -- Tobacco Culture, Philippine Islands -- Climate of the Islands -- Fragrant Manillas -- Tropical Tobacco............................................. 311

CHAPTER XI.. Varieties.

VARIETIES.

Kinds used for Cigars -- Dwarf Tobacco -- Havana Tobacco -- Yara and Virginia Tobacco -- James River Tobacco -- Ohio Tobacco -- South American Tobacco -- Celebrated Brands of Tobacco -- Russian Tobacco -- Columbian Tobacco -- Tobacco of Brazil -- The Orinoco Tobacco -- Persian Tobacco -- French Tobacco -- Spanish Tobacco -- Japanese Tobacco -- Manilla Tobacco.............................................. 382

CHAPTER XII.. Tobacco Houses.

TOBACCO HOUSES.

Tobacco Sheds -- Stripping Houses -- Virginia Tobacco Sheds -- Ordinary Sheds -- Superior Sheds -- Ohio Sheds -- Kentucky and Tennessee Sheds -- Foreign Tobacco Sheds........ 405

CHAPTER XIII.. Tobacco Culture.

TOBACCO CULTURE.

Hot Beds -- Virginia Plant Patch -- Tennessee Plant Bed -- Cuban Plant Bed -- Covering Plant Bed -- Selection of Soil -- The Soil Affecting Color -- Preparing the Soil -- Virginia Methods -- Burning Brush -- Implements -- Transplanting Plants -- Setting -- Seasons in Mexico and Persia -- The American Transplanter -- Pests -- Worming -- Backward Plants -- Topping -- Suckers -- Maturation -- The Harvest -- Cutting -- Hanging -- Cutting time in Cuba -- Harvesting in Virginia -- The Season in other Places -- Curing -- Curing by Smoke -- Yellow Tobacco -- Stripping -- Assorting -- Shading -- Stemming -- Packing -- Casing -- Old Style -- Resistance to Dampness -- Prizing -- Marking -- Baling -- Certificates -- Firing -- White Rust -- Seed Plants -- Maturing of Seed -- Second Growth.................. 415

CHAPTER XIV.. The Production, Commerce and Manufacture of Tobacco.

THE PRODUCTION, COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO.

Early History of Tobacco -- Cultivation by Spaniards at St. Domingo -- Annual Product of Cuba -- Amount of Land under Cultivation in U.S. -- Cultivation in the South -- Annual Product of Europe, Asia and Africa -- Government Monopoly -- Source of Revenue -- Manufacture of Cigarettes -- Increase of Tobacco Culture........................................... 478

CHAPTER I.. The Tobacco Plant.

THE TOBACCO PLANT.

Tobacco is a hardy flowering annual plant, growing freely in a moist fertile soil and requiring the most thorough culture in order to secure the finest form and quality of leaf. It is a native of the tropics and under the intense rays of a vertical sun develops its finest and most remarkable flavor which far surpasses the varieties grown in a temperate region. It however readily adapts itself to soil and climate growing through a wide range of temperature from the Equator to Moscow in Russia in latitude 56 deg., and through all the intervening range of climate.

The plant varies in height according to species and locality; the largest varieties reaching an altitude of ten or twelve feet, in others not growing more than two or three feet from the ground. Botanists have enumerated between forty and fifty varieties of the tobacco plant who class them all among the narcotic poisons. When properly cultivated the plant ripens in a few weeks growing with a rapidity hardly equaled by any product either temperate or tropical. Of the large number of varieties cultivated scarcely more than one-half are grown to any great extent while many of them are hardly known outside of the limit of cultivation. Tobacco is a strong growing plant resisting heat and drought to a far greater extent than most plants. It is a native of America, the discovery of the continent and the plant occurring almost simultaneously. It succeeds best in a deep rich loam in a climate ranging from forty to fifty degrees of latitude. After having been introduced and cultivated in nearly all parts of the world, America enjoys the reputation of growing the finest varieties known to commerce. European tobacco is lacking in flavor and is less powerful than the tobacco of America.

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