An Historical and Practical Essay on the Culture and Commerce of Tobacco was written by William Tatham in 1800. The book is exactly what it says it is – a practical guide to grow and cure tobacco, followed by an examination of the commerce of tobacco over time.
Tatham notes that when growing tobacco, “so much depends upon the choice of ground suitable for the cultivation of this plant”.1 Finding good soil is a must. Once you’ve found that good soil, Tatham describes how to prepare it for cultivation and work with it throughout the growth of your tobacco.
One of the interesting problems faced by early tobacco growers was getting their hogsheads (large barrels) of tobacco to ships that could take them to overseas markets. He describes several methods that were used – the illustration below showing those methods.
Tatham covers the commerce of tobacco in his book as well. This book has been used as a reference in more modern books, even many that are still old enough to be in the public domain. It’s an interesting source from a historical perspective, though for most of the information it contains I’d recommend looking in a source that’s a little more recent.
An Historical and Practical Essay on the Culture and Commerce of Tobacco is in the public domain and can be read for free on Google Books.
- William Tatham, An Historical and Practical Essay on the Culture and Commerce of Tobacco, 1800, pg. 5 [↩]