1886 was the first year in over 300, that growing tobacco in England was legal. The following ad appeared in ENGLISH TOBACCO CULTURE, by EJ Beale, published in 1887 (118 pages of text, and available at www.archive.org). The list of available varieties looks fairly familiar.
In the list, Glasner is almost certainly Glessnor. A surprise is "Turkish Latakieh," which I believe has never existed as a distinct variety. Many of the American-sourced seeds are identified only by the state from which it came. Could "Hyco" be Higo?
The book also contained "accurate" sketches of the mature plants of various varieties from the "first crop." Most appear to have been grown in a fog bank--spindly, runted. I guess for newbies with no mentors, they did okay.
Bob
Edit: The reference to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, at the bottom of the ad, is non other than Prince Edward, who outraged his mother, Queen Victoria, by being the first Royal to smoke tobacco in public. He was apparently instrumental in loosening the laws regarding domestic cultivation of tobacco, and funded at least one of the earliest trials which are discussed in Beale's book.
In the list, Glasner is almost certainly Glessnor. A surprise is "Turkish Latakieh," which I believe has never existed as a distinct variety. Many of the American-sourced seeds are identified only by the state from which it came. Could "Hyco" be Higo?
The book also contained "accurate" sketches of the mature plants of various varieties from the "first crop." Most appear to have been grown in a fog bank--spindly, runted. I guess for newbies with no mentors, they did okay.
Bob
Edit: The reference to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, at the bottom of the ad, is non other than Prince Edward, who outraged his mother, Queen Victoria, by being the first Royal to smoke tobacco in public. He was apparently instrumental in loosening the laws regarding domestic cultivation of tobacco, and funded at least one of the earliest trials which are discussed in Beale's book.
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