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Recommend Book on Tobacco

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SmokeStack

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Since I am new to growing tobacco, I find that my mind is full of questions. I am afraid to burden the forum with tons of questions - so I thought some literature would be helpful. Can anyone recommend a book? I am looking for a book that is more scientific - or botanical. I am not interested in books about laws and regulations, philosophies, medical applications or how to grow. Something that is comprehensive and includes all varieties of tobaccos, nicotine content, biological and chemical aspects. Something that could be used as a textbook for a course in the botany of tobacco. I have searched Amazon but I didn't find anything useful. I would imagine that there should be a textbook on tobacco used by university horticulture or biology departments.
 

SmokeStack

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I did find a book and ordered it from Amazon.com...

"Physiology and Biochemistry of Tobacco Plants"

It's a hardcover book 393 pages by T. C. Tso. Publisher Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross (1972).

When I get it in the mail, I will let you know how it is - for those of you who are interested.
 

leverhead

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Though it doesn't cover anything but flue cured "Principles of Flue-Cured Tobacco Production by W.K. Collins" has been my text for the season. It was cheap, 20$ on Amazon, I got the first edition. It's pretty practical, with a bunch of detail to boot. I give it 2 thumbs up.
 
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Chicken

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seems like the web should have all types of info.

and save you money,, unless you just like having a book in your hands,

at least you can take a book with you vs . a computer,
 

deluxestogie

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SmokeStack,
I noticed that there is a later edition (by 19 years) from 1991, though it costs more. Plant physiology and biochemistry underwent a revolution between 1972 and 1991.

The one review on the newer book gave it one star, because it was really hard, and expected you to have some vocabulary of biochemistry. I would be interested in your comments about the book. At 3.2 pounds, it sounds like my kind of book. Maybe you could post an abbreviated table of contents.

Chicken,
I agree with you, that the Web has all kinds of information. Unfortunately, incorrect and misleading information on the Web is mixed in with verifiable information, and in a unknown ratio. Although textbooks always contain some errors, the reliability is hard to beat. Another problem with finding technical information on the Web is that many journal publishers (including Springer Verlag, which publishes dozens of technical journals) only reveal the first page of an article, and expect you to pay $20 or $30 or $50 to read the entire article (which may be only a few pages long).

Bob
 

FmGrowit

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I am afraid to burden the forum with tons of questions - so I thought some literature would be helpful. Can anyone recommend a book?

Books are great for a lot of things, but you can't ask a book a question. Questions posted here will stimulate conversation and perhaps inspire someone to attempt something they might not otherwise even contemplate.

It is far more beneficial to everyone to ask questions than to not ask.
 

Chicken

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^^^^

yep; the only dumb question is one not asked,
 

CoralReefs

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I did find a book and ordered it from Amazon.com...

"Physiology and Biochemistry of Tobacco Plants"

It's a hardcover book 393 pages by T. C. Tso. Publisher Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross (1972).

When I get it in the mail, I will let you know how it is - for those of you who are interested.


Nice! Thanks for the reference!
 

CoralReefs

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Books are great for a lot of things, but you can't ask a book a question. Questions posted here will stimulate conversation and perhaps inspire someone to attempt something they might not otherwise even contemplate.

It is far more beneficial to everyone to ask questions than to not ask.

Agreed, but I think there is something to be said for having a pre organized, pre formatted book that has gone through the QA of the publishing process, reviewed by peers, etc.....
For growing tobacco, its hard to beat a forum like this. I actually started with a book on tobacco years ago before I discovered this forum. I think it gave me a good start. This forum has really helped to take my understanding to the next level though.
For what the OP was asking for though, I suspect it would be hard for any forum to accommodate satisfactorily. It would be like trying to learn Galois Theory by reading posts on physicsforums.com or something.
 

FmGrowit

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Agreed, but I think there is something to be said for having a pre organized, pre formatted book that has gone through the QA of the publishing process, reviewed by peers, etc.....
For growing tobacco, its hard to beat a forum like this. I actually started with a book on tobacco years ago before I discovered this forum. I think it gave me a good start. This forum has really helped to take my understanding to the next level though.
For what the OP was asking for though, I suspect it would be hard for any forum to accommodate satisfactorily. It would be like trying to learn Galois Theory by reading posts on physicsforums.com or something.

Now you're playing our game.

I'd like to thank you in advance for all of the questions you'll be answering (in the future)...authoritatively.

Welcome to the club :)
 

SmokeStack

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Deluxstogie, I discovered the 1991 edition after I bought the 1972 edition. Even if I did know about it, I would have hesitated to purchase it. Students get scammed a lot about buying textbooks and then a year or two later comes along an newer edition - and the newer addition is changed very little but it forces students to buy the latest edition. But I was not aware of the developments that took place between 1972 and 1991. If the 1972 edition I bought seems to be good, I may be willing to buy the updated 1991 edition. In any case, is it possible to upload a PDF file to the forum? I was going to scan the table of contents and a few pages for forum members to see (as requested).
 

Grundle

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Deluxstogie, I discovered the 1991 edition after I bought the 1972 edition. Even if I did know about it, I would have hesitated to purchase it. Students get scammed a lot about buying textbooks and then a year or two later comes along an newer edition - and the newer addition is changed very little but it forces students to buy the latest edition. But I was not aware of the developments that took place between 1972 and 1991. If the 1972 edition I bought seems to be good, I may be willing to buy the updated 1991 edition. In any case, is it possible to upload a PDF file to the forum? I was going to scan the table of contents and a few pages for forum members to see (as requested).

Smoke,

I think it would be worthwhile to eventually upgrade to the '91 edition. I generally agree with you that buying every edition of a textbook is essentially a scam to squeeze more money out of students, but a time gap of 9 years in a field that has been changing as rapidly as biology is a lifetime.

The biggest aspect you can expect to see is the addition of tons of genetic discussion and a better understanding of the cellular model. The understanding of photosynthesis and the calvin-benson cycle has been greatly expanded. When you think about it, the Calvin-Benson cycle was discovered in 1961, 10 years before 1971. Add another 10 years and a revolution in genetics and there is a world of knowledge that will be helpful.

Of course this is assuming that you want to be that detailed in your knowledge. Just growing the plant doesn't require such an intimate understanding, but it is cool. If you are interested in breeding and propagating your own strains I think this knowledge would be invaluable. A solid understanding of Organic Chemistry would allow you to apply this knowledge even further. Imagine you wanted to increase the nicotine content in your strain. Organic Chemistry would allow you to determine the amount in each plant, and then select the highest percentage plants for cross breeding.

Now that you got me thinking, the possibilities are endless.
 
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SmokeStack

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Grundle, I just received my book - the 1972 edition. It is definitely dated. The book reads like a review rather than a text book. And the references are old - from the 40's and 50's. The chapters are very short and not as informative as I was expecting. Maybe the newer 1991 edition is updated, but if it reads like a massive review article, then I would hesitate buying it. I will post a table of contents and a few sample pages for forum members to see.
 

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Bummer!!!It sounds like you were dissapointed. I'm not exactly sure what your looking for but best of luck in finding it.When you guys get into the science behind the science of a lay persons understanding of a plant . I think I'll just sit down and let it slide right over my head. Ha Ha I hope you find what your looking for Smokes.
 

SmokeStack

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Bummer!!!It sounds like you were dissapointed. I'm not exactly sure what your looking for...

BarG, I'm not exactly sure either!:confused: I think my obsessive quest for knowledge results from a natural instinct that was instilled in me through many years of schooling.:)

But while were on the topic for knowledge, I propose we start a new topic on the forum - a tobacco review section. As we all know, there are a plethora of tobacco varieties, and it would be nice to refer to a review to see how each variety differs (in taste and other smoking characteristics). For example, this year when I went to purchase Burley seeds, I did not know what to buy - I just randomly chose a few varieties (Yellow Twist Bud, TN90, and Tennessee Red Leaf). Next year I am going to plant more Burley and I am not sure which seeds to buy - I was thinking about Green Brior or Harrow Velvet among many others. I know that the only way to be sure how a tobacco tastes like is to smoke it, but there are too many varieties to make this approach feasible. If forum members are willing to share their experiences by comparing and contrasting a few varieties, I am sure this information would be a valuable asset to the forum. What do you think?

Marco
 
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