TOBACCO CULTURE.

TOBACCO, ITS ORIGIN AND HISTORY.

The ordinmy Tobacco, is Rioot&m Tobacum, a native of Bouth America. It haa been m long, and so extensively cultivated, that it 31aa become aaturalized in many localities. This ig especjdly the case in some of the Southern States, ahere it springs up in waste places, md has become thoroughly established as a weed. T o b n m ia remarkable for the d h m s with which it i~ modifid by the soil and climate of the locality in which it ia produced. Notonly are the size and texture of the leaves greatly affected, but the quality, the atrength and favor, are c h ~ to aremarkable extent. The plant, nfter mrltivation for a few sucd cessive years in any locality, mumes the characteristics, and b m m w of t l quality peculiar ~ to the tobacco of that district. Thus theeeedsof the atrong Kentucky Tobacco, or the highly flavored Cuban, if it is pmwn for two or three y e m in the rjch Aelda of the Valley of the Connecticut, yield a leaf without the strength of t h e Kentucky and Cuban, and with t h e thin substance and silky texture peculiar to the well-lmown Connecticut Seed-leaf. Aside from the apontaneousgrowth of this species, thereare foundin the wild. s t . ~ hin = r i m parts , of the w t r v , eight or nine other apeciea, d but one of which sre regarded as indigenous, l These mostly occur west of the Miwissippi, wpecially towanis the Pacific, and several are still in cultivation by the Incliana. One species, Nicotfuna rust&, is found apmhgJy in the older StatEs, from New I'ork southward, a a relic of its former cultivation by the tribes 5 of Eastern Indians. Tobacco in produced in various wuatries of the 01d World, and TurkIR~, Sliiraz, and other Oriental tobaccos am well-known in colnmcrce, and are often mentioned as being the product of Nicotirsna Chinenah, m d N. Persica. Whether tobacco was known t any part of the Old World before the discovery of hmerim, ia very doubtful. o Those who have ~tudledthe subject moat thoroughly, are inclined to regard the Oriental tobaccos as having heen derived from American species. The tmhnical name of the genus, ,\7i~tinna,r r given it in honor of Jean Nicot, n-110 is ihought to have k n iastrumental ~ ill introducing the plant into Europe. Nicot, about the gear 1560, wxa an ambassador from France to Portugal, and while residing at Lisbon, received m& of the plant from Florida. T h e name tobmco is said by mme to be from a locality in Yucatan, while othem claim that it is from tabac, a name of the natives for the pipe they uwd in smoking t h e leaf.

THE M A N U F A C T U R E OF TOBACCO.
Smce these essays first appeared, ta ! a r e number have written t the publiehem, bquira ing as t the preparation of the leaf to d a p t it for use in smoking, chewing, etc. The mana ufacture o a product ia an entirely separate branch of industv from that of producing the f raw mnterial, and is c d e d on by different persons. Xnstmction in the m~nufactnre of tobamo into itararious cornmemid forms, no more of necessity belongs to a work on t o h a m cultnrp, than do directions for brewing in s wnrk on raising hop. The manufacture of tobacco is a trade, having its own processes, requirina peculiar machinpry. irnd gwuded by i t s trade wcrete, each manufactut~r I~a~vring methorls peculiar to himself. E order to render the work as useful rls possible. we give ran account of the geneml treatn ment of tobacco, which b all that thaw m e p d i n the business are ~ G I l i n g should b known e The grower of tobxm, aftPr his crop i s dricd, carries it tllmugh a p m e w of fermentation by " bulking " it, which brings it into a condition for market.

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HOW TO R.II3E TOBACCO.

In nearly every kind of manufacture of tobacco, whether for cigars, or smoking or chewing forms, the first step is srRIppma. The leavw are moidened, stacked, covered, and allowed to reluain until they become thoroughly pliable. When they are properly aofkned, the "stern," as the 1arge"and prominent mid-rib of the ledf ia called, iu removed. This ia done by a single pull, and the leaf is left in halves. Several machines have been invented fo* stripping, but they have not yet supemeded women and children for this work. For some kinds of smoking tobacco,and for aU kinds intended for chewing, the leaves are treated with what i s technicaIIy known as "sauce." TKECOMRBWION OF THE SAUCE, which the peculiar flavor of different brands of upon tobacco depends, WBB the man~~facturem, of whom has his peculiar lecret. It with each is essentialally molasses and water, or a solution of liquorice paste (Ball Liquorice), in water. Of late yeam dymrine 1l.w been added, which imparts erweetnes~,and prevents the t o ~ c o from becoming dry. Salt is often added to the snuce, as are Oil of h i m , and other a m matica. The leaves ace merely sprinkled with the mum, and kept c o r e r d until they a r e tlldroughly impregnated, or they are dipped into the heated liquid. T o k o intended for cutting i p h d in bxes, and aubrnittd to pressure, which forces out the excess of liquid. s The cake is then cut into ~hreds a machine, severaE different inrentiona being in use. In by making " plum or '*lleads,"a s d c i e n t quantity of fragrnenta are wrapped in a leaf, the whole placed in a sheet-iron box of the proper s z ,and p w s d into FI very soIid cake. One ie device being fed above with wads of leaves, delilivem the presaed plug continuously below. Hug tobacco is pressed very firmly into h x e s or kegs, the successive layera being oiled to pre~ent adhe8ion. Twiat t o b w is made bymoistening the leaves to make them pliable ; arevolving hook, similar to that used in twisting atraw rope, is turned by one man, while mother feeds the leavea, which are Iaid upon a long table. The twisb, thus made of bavm, are often braided together, after which they are steeped in I ' sauce." and pressed into kegs. The twists are also made into coila, which i s called " n e w head " tobacco. S M O ~ TOMCOO, great variety, i a made by cutting up different kinds and qualities in of leaf. For some of the cheaper quditiea, the whole leaf, includh k the mid-rib or stem, g irr cut up. Smoking tobamo is often scented, by mixing: a smdI quantity of Cascarilla bark w t h it. Of late gears, the more frequently employed ~centingmaterial been "Wild Vahas nilla" This ia the lea= of a plant abundant in Florida and lower h r g i a , L f a W d w a ti.&% and is a160 known aa Hound's-tongue,'' and " Deer'a-tongue." Most of the ~peciea of Liatris, have their pWh-purple flowem in dense pikes, but this has them in an o p n panicle. The leaves are the part uuasd : these, when fresh, have a very disapeeable odor, which in the dried leaf is changed into a fragrance simiIar to that of Tonk~rbem, and Sweets scented V e d - g m w . W h e n t h e Ierd is burned, this odor i very powerful, and but a very amall quantity is used in ercenting bbamo. So great is the urn of this " Wild Vanilla " at home and a h r o d , that the gather in^ of it gives employment to a p t many persons i the n localities where it g o m . Among the machine8 used in the msnufmture of tobacco, is the Granulating Machine. This sifts out the dust, and takes out all the fragments a b ~ aeoertaka size, leaving a mame, uniform powder, used in ~naking cigarettes. The stern^ aocumulated in stripping the lea~w, m s u m e d i prepsrin~a sheep-dip, and to dwtroy plant arcl n lice antlother inwcts. For insectn on plants, they are burned to fumigate the housw, and are also uaed t make an infu6on to be applied to infested plant& They are sold at a low price, o hardly more than sufficient to pay for baling them.