Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The farmers of Madison County have seen many crops come and go. At one time, Sea Island cotton was big in Madison County. Then, the boll weevils came and, within a couple of years, devastated the once-prosperous cotton growing industry.
Another crop that was once big in Madison County that has now nearly faded out of existence is tobacco. In the late 19th century to early 20th century, it was discovered that tobacco could be grown in the shade and the resulting crop was a thinner leaf, more desirable for wrapping cigars. The high humidity of North Florida and natural growing conditions made the Madison County area a prime area for growing tobacco. This, combined with the new technique of growing "shade" tobacco led to a new burgeoning industry. The center of this industry was Gadsden County, west of Tallahassee, but Madison County soon followed.
Shade tobacco was a popular crop in the early to mid 20th century. The plants would be grown underneath a covering of cheesecloth, which would provide the needed "shade" for the shade tobacco. However, by the late 1960s, factors such as increasing growing and processing costs associated with shade tobacco, a decrease in cigar consumption in the U.S., foreign competition and the introduction of synthetic cigar wrappers all combined to bring about the demise of the shade tobacco industry.
Another form of tobacco, which was primarily used in the production of cigarettes, is flue-cured tobacco. The term "flue-cured" refers to the method used in drying or "curing" the tobacco leaves after harvest. Flue-cured tobacco is cured in barns containing chimney-like flues with externally fed tinder boxes. This allows the tobacco to dry slowly, without being directly exposed to smoke. This method of drying allows the tobacco leaves to retain their natural tannins, creating a slightly sweet, mild taste and smell of smoked tobacco. Today, nearly all the tobacco still produced in the U.S. is produced using this method.
Although tobacco is still grown in Madison County, it has faded in popularity. This could be attributed to several factors, including the tobacco "buy-out," which was a 10-year federal program started in 2004 in order to help farmers transition away from tobacco production to other crops. Other factors include a lack of demand for tobacco products, litigation against tobacco companies and the high cost of producing labor-intensive crops such as tobacco.