"The natives of Varinos, and in fact of the whole kingdom, chew a substance called chimo, which is made of a jelly, by boiling the Varinos tobacco, and afterwards mixed with an alkali called hurado, which is found in a lake near Merida. Both are an estanco of government, and produce a large annual income. The mode of cultivating the above tobacco by the natives is as follows:—They prepare a small bed, sifting the earth very fine, on which they sow the seed, and then cover it with plantain leaves for some days. As soon as the plants make their appearance, they raise the leaves about two feet, so as to give the plants free air, and to allow them sooner to grow strong. When they become large enough to transplant, they have the land prepared; and as soon as the rainy season sets in, they plant out their young plants, taking great care to protect them from the sun, and to keep them clean as they grow up, as well as to prevent the worms from destroying or eating the leaves. When the leaf is ripe, it gets yellow spots on it; and on bending the leaf it cracks. Then it is fit for pulling off, which is done, and the leaves are neatly packed in handsful, placed in a dry situation, and occasionally shifted from one place to another. When the leaves are well dried they are all packed closely, and well covered, to keep the flavor in.
"The leaf is left in this state for one or two months, and then made up for use. They never top their tobacco, and the leaves never ripen together. The mode adopted by the North American planters is somewhat different; they top their plants when they have eight full leaves, or they keep it suckered; and, by this means, the leaves are large and sappy.
"They cut off the stem at the ground, when ripe, and hang it on laths for one day and a night, with the leaves all hanging down; they then place it in their barns; and, when these are quite full, they smoke it for some days, and let it remain in that way until the stem, as well as the leaf, is quite dry; they then put it in a heap, and cover it up for market. They strip off the leaves, and pack them in hogsheads, and it is received in London."
SUMATRA TOBACCO.
Sumatra tobacco is one of the finest varieties cultivated, and commands in European markets the very highest prices. The plant is a vigorous grower, and produces large, fine leaves of most delicate odor. The leaf is of beautiful appearance, of almost a silky texture, and in color a rich brown. It is extensively used in the manufacture of cigars, and on the continent it frequently realizes as much as 5s. per pound for this purpose. It sells in London for from 3s. 6d. to 4s. per pound.
BRAZILIAN TOBACCO.
Brazil tobacco is grown chiefly in the valley of San Diego and San Francisco. The former being on the west side of the Brazilian mountains, and the latter on the east. The San Diego is the finest, and the following analysis of the San Diego of Brazil, and Vuelta de Abajo, will give one an idea of the soil of these famous tobacco lands:—
| Vuelta de Abajo, Cuba. | San Diego, Brazil. | |
| PARTS. | PARTS. | |
| Organic matter, | 9.60 | 4.60 |
| Silica, | 86.40 | 90.60 |
| Lime, | .40 | |
| Alumina, | .68 | 3.00 |
| Oxide of Iron, | 1.92 | 1.20 |
| Loss by Evaporation, | 1.40 | .20 |
| ——— | ——— | |
| 100.00 | 100.00 | |
The tobacco of Brazil is grown in the same manner as in other parts of South America. The planter raises two crops a year; curing for exportation as in Cuba or Venezuela. The plant grows to the height of about six feet, bearing leaves lanceolate in form, about thirty inches long, and from eight to twelve inches wide. The tobacco fields are very irregular. After it is cut it is placed on poles in the field, and afterwards carried to the drying sheds. It is gathered in the dry season in September. After curing, it is removed to the packing house and baled in packages, and then transported on mules to the coast for shipping. A large portion of the crop is shipped to Portugal. It is a dark maroon-colored leaf, and contains a large proportion of the nicotine oil. It is a high-flavored tobacco, and on this account is used for cigars and cutting.
Burton says of the tobacco of Brazil: