South America, or in the rich valley of the Connecticut,
develops its finest form and perfection of leaf. During the last
half-century the plant has been developed to a greater extent than
during the three hundred years succeeding its discovery. Now its
cultivation has been reduced to almost an exact science, and the
quality of the leaf is in a great measure within the control of the
growers of the plant.

Formerly it was supposed that the varieties that grew in the tropics
could not be successfully cultivated in the temperate regions, but
recent and repeated experiments have demonstrated the fact that the
tobacco of Cuba can be grown with success in the Connecticut valley.
While the tobacco of the tropics is the finest in flavor, the more
temperate regions produce the finest and best colored leaf. The
tobacco of the tropics, as to the uses to which it is put, is limited,
while the tobacco of the more temperate regions can be used for all
the purposes for which the plant is designed.

The cultivation of the plant varies with the variety, the soil, and
the use to be made of the leaf. Thus a tobacco designed for cutting
purposes is cultivated somewhat differently from that designed for the
manufacture of snuff or cigars. In the one case the plant is allowed
to remain growing longer in the field, while in the other the work of
topping the plants is performed at an earlier stage of their growth.
Primarily but little attention was paid to the color and texture of
the leaf, the principal object being the production of a leaf of large
size, rather than one of good color, and of a silky texture. Now,
however, these are most important considerations, and give value to
the tobacco in proportion to the perfection of these qualities.

The soil, too, is carefully chosen and fitted in the most thorough
manner, while the fertilizers used are selected with reference to the
color of leaf desired. When first cultivated in the United States it
was thought that tobacco designed for various uses could not be grown
in the same state or section; now, however, tobacco for cigars and for
cutting are grown nearly side by side. But in the fineness of the
leaf, tobacco culture has made its greatest stride. By a careful
selection of soil, and by the judicious application of proper
fertilizers, the leaf tobaccos of Connecticut, Cuba, and Virginia,
resemble in texture the finest satins and silks. This result has been
reached, not by the sacrifice