Florida grown Sumatra

[CT Tobaccoman]

Does anyone know if Sumatra is grown commercially in Florida? What has happened since Philip Morris closed it's intake station in the Fla-Ga tobacco growing region? Besides the Bright being not worth growing there anymore. That region grew Conn Shade until the 1970--tobacco farmers in that Marsden County area have gone through a lot of changes.

 

[deluxestogie]

Re: Whole Leaf Cigar Blends

The demise of the Florida shade industry is recounted in a doctoral thesis: Shrouded in Cheesecloth.

Bob

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

Re: Whole Leaf Cigar Blends

The demise of the Florida shade industry is recounted in a doctoral thesis: Shrouded in Cheesecloth.

Bob

Looks like a good read. Thanks Bob,

Charley

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

Re: Whole Leaf Cigar Blends

The New England Tobacco Grower, a weekly trade journal published at Hartford, Conn is on line at this link. The period covers approx 1903-1907, which is just the time when experiments with Sumatra and Cuban seed were being done under shade in the Conn Valley. Sun Grown tobacco was also grown far from there in the Naugatuck River Valley also, as well as southern Vermont and New Hampshire.

My father and I worked for LB Haas & Co, Hartford, which was mostly a broker then. Haas began raising shade in 1911. The Company lasted from 1853 to 1978. It is fascinating reading, especially for those familiar to the area. Somewhere in this journal, William P Haas Sr. breaks the news that a Cuban strain grown under shade is far superior to the Sumatra that was tried first. The Sumatra tended to burn in the sun, even under cloth.

https://archive.org/details/newenglandtobacc06hart