rtinica, stands at the head of all varieties of the plant.
These statements may, however, be regarded as mere opinions rather
than acknowledged facts.

Havana tobacco, according to Hazard,
"grows to a height of from six to
nine feet, as allowed, with oblong, spear-shaped leaves; the
tobacco being stronger when few leaves are permitted to
grow. The leaves when young are of a dark-green color and
have rather a smooth appearance, changing at maturity into
yellowish-green. The plant grows quickly, and by careful
pruning a fine colored leaf is obtained, varying from a
straw color to dark brown or black."
The plant bears a pink blossom,
which is succeeded by capsules not quite as large as those of
seed-leaf tobacco. The finest is grown in the Vuelta de Abajo, which,
for nearly a century, has been celebrated as a fine tobacco-producing
district. When growing, a _vega_ of Havana tobacco forms a most
pleasing feature of the landscape. As the plants ripen, the dark,
glossy green of the leaves is succeeded by a lighter shade and a
thickening of the leaf. The plant ripens in from eight to ten weeks
after being transplanted. The stalk and leaves are not as large as its
great rival, Connecticut seed-leaf, but it far surpasses it in flavor.
The plant emits a pleasant odor while growing, like most varieties of
the plant grown in the tropics.

YARA TOBACCO.

This variety of tobacco, like Havana, is grown upon the island of
Cuba, but is unlike it in flavor, as well as in the appearance of the
plant. It is well known as an admirable tobacco for cigars, but is not
sought after or grown to such an extent as Havana. The leaf when
growing, is in color a fine green, and when cured is of considerable
body and fine texture. A writer in alluding to Yara tobacco says:

"The most noted _vega_ or tobacco plantation is situated
near Santiago de Cuba and is called Yara. The choicest
tobacco is that grown on the banks of rivers which are
periodically overflowed. They are called Lo Rio, Rio Hondo,
and Pinar del Rio, and the tobacco is distinguished from all
other grown upon the island by a fine sand which is found in
the creases of the leaves."

The flavor of Yara tobacco is so essentially different from Havana,
that it is not cultivated as extensively, if indeed it could be. It is
grown more part