Tobacco history series; [a chapter in America's industrial growth]

Louisiana

Tobacco

ipter in America's Industrial Growth

®l|r i. 1. BU ffitbrarg

Norlli (Earolina ^tate Inioprflilg

SBP.73
T628
no ,11

Mississippi River in the
Parish is Louisianas "Perique
k) Inj the U.S. Departiuent of
he in the country. In the latest
lU of French Acadian descent,

pd.s in 1972 grown on 222 acres
kl, over the xjears, its growth has

U-oject as it Jias been for almost
^y pride has been handed down
It ion to produce a tobacco that

mts per pound in 1972, Perique
f tobacco farmers in St. fames
sold to the two buyers in the
? smoking tobacco blends.

hrettes and other tobacco )nod-
)onomt/ of Louisiana. There are
'^^dWm^^mm'mWmtribute these products in the state
^presenting more than $185 million in sales at the retail level. Wholesale
■sales of cigarettes alone amounted to more than $110 million in 1972.

Taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products are stdystantial in Louisi-
ana where the state government collected more than $52 million in 1972.
About $37 million went to federal tax collections for cigarettes sold in
the "Pelican State."

Production of Perique tobacco in Louisiana has become more than just
another agricultural industry . . . it is a true Louisiana tradition. The
flavor of the history and background of Type 72 is as aromatic as the
best of tobaccos. This booklet attempts to trace that history and to
describe a farm process that has changed little .since Pierre Chenet devel-
oped Perique frum the Indians who once inhabited what is now St. James
Parish.

To])acco History Series
First Edition

THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE

1776 K St., N.W., Washington, D. C.

Louisiana and
Tobacco

.„lie Spaiiisli were pr()l)al)l\- tlie first
Europeans to explore the area now called Louisiana.
A 1530 expedition followed hy a later visit by Hernando
de Soto in 1541 opened tlie area to the interest of the
Spaniards. The French entered the scene in the 17th
century and in 1682 Robert de la Salle claimed for
France all the land drained bv the Mississippi River
and its tributaries. lie named part of this territory
Louisiana in honor of the I'^cnch Kini^ Louis XIV.

The French took the reins of control in the area and
immediately stressed the importance of growing to-
bacco. England had been selling large quantities of
tobacco grown in its American colonies to France, and
the latter had a great desire to escape this dependence.
Louisiana, many French officials felt, could be the
answer.

Colonial French tobacco did prosper but later polit-
ical events brought the area into the control of Spain
and, eventually, the United States of America.

Tobacco agriculture remains today as a fascinating
activity of farmers in St. James Parish, direct descend-
ants of 18th century Acadian settlers, and particularly
one of them, Pierre Chenet, whose nickname, "Perique,"
is used to identify the distinct, aromatic type of tobacco
grown only in the parish.

TOBACCO AGRICULTURE IN LOUISIANA
TODAY

G

rande Pointe

P('ri(|iK' is thrown on tlic east \rdnk of tlie Mississippi
Ri\(M above New Orleans in a small area in St. James
Parish near the little French towns of Paulina, Belmont,
GrammercN, Reniw Lutcher, Convent and Grande
Pointe. Nearhv is a triangular area running along the
river for about ten miles or so, extending its point for
about three miles into swampland believed to be partic-
ularU suited for this pungent tobacco. This bit of land,
known as the vachcrie of Grande Pointe is, as the name
implies, an island raised about four or five feet above
the surrounding swamp. The soil of the vacherie is a
calcareous loam, chocolate in color and of great fer-
tilitv. It has long been found best suited to the pro-
duction of Perique.

A

family project

Producing Perique tobacco is no easy task. Some of
the methods of production ha\e changed slightly over
the \ears witli tlie help of mechanization, but, gener-
all\ , it is a time consuming task of hand labor essen-
tialK the same as it was two centuries ago.

Perique was once a relati\ ely large, thriving industry
that was spread out all o\er St. James Parish. Today,
with the introduction of sugar cane and heavy industr\-
into the area, man\ would-be tobacco farmers have
abandoned their tobacco trade for more lucrative occu-
pations. Nonetheless, the crop is still har\ested year
in and Near out.

.A tijjilcal I'ditjuc tiihdcco curing ham

It is a family project. Children and adults from sev-
eral families work together during the growing season,
including profitable summer employment for the
youngsters, and share the benefits of harvest and sale
later in the year. Some local residents report, however,
that as is the case with other types of agriculture, the
future of the Perique industry may be in jeopardy
because of the tendency of young people to seek higher
education and steady employment in metropolitan
localities distant from the parish.

K

rom ttie hot bed to the field

Perique seeds are microscopic in size. A thimble can
contain about 100,000 seeds, the measure used for
enough seed to sow an acre of land.

The Perique farmer begins the production process
in early December by sowing seeds in hot beds which

A

are then covered with clear plastic and framed by a
protectixe wooden box.

Ahont a week later the seeds begin to germinate.
The seedlings mnst be meticnlonsl) cared for to assnre
them enongh snn and water without overexposure to
the sometimes radical winter elements of southern
Louisiana. The beds are covered at night and uncov-
ered during the day so they can soak up the energy
the sun pro\ ides.

In earlv March, when the best of the small seedlings
are about three to four inches high, the\ should be
pulled from the beds and transplanted into the fields.
The transplanting process can take place as late as
.\la\ , but the Perique farmer reminds us that the earlier
the tobacco is put into the field the better it will be.
( Because of flooding and excess rain, the crop was set
out late in 1973 and it was feared it could amount to
e\en less than that of 1972 when Hurricane Agnes
plowed through St. James Parish leaving a path of
destruction in its wake).

labor intensive task

The Perique farmer undergoes much expense and
worr\- during the growing season. Fertilizer, insecti-
cide, barrels, nails, and other material must be pur-
chased to maintain his tobacco farm. The amounts of
labor and worr\ that go into a crop vary each year
as farmers adjust to the different reactions of nature.

A 1972 cost estimate, according to the Louisiana
Cooperative Extension Service, showed that the St.
James Parish tobacco farmer had to spend $537.87 to
care for each acre of tobacco he planted.

When the plants reach a height of about two feet
they must be "topped" to redistribute the growth
toward the bottom part of the plant. The topping
process means removal of the uppermost portion of
the plant where the flower would normally blossom.
If the plants were allowed to grow freely they would
reach a height of six feet. The quality of the leaves
would be evenly spread throughout the plant and they
would not be as rich and concentrated as they are
after being topped.

As the plants mature, another laborious chore must
be performed. Suckers, or small shoots which grow
in the axes of the leaves and suck sap from the mother
plant, must be removed when they are three or four
inches long so that they will not inhibit the growth
and health of the plant.

During the stemming process, women hand remove the main stems

of the leaves and tie the leaves into bundles of about a pound each

before the tobacco is packed into barrels for several months.

Researchers lun e helped growers of most otlier types
of tobacco by providing a chemical that will inhibit
the growth of suckers. Not so with Perique. Louisiana
State University has experimented with such chemicals
and found that they do not work on Perique. The age-
old process of hand-removing suckers is still part of
the tedious process of producing Perique.

"R

abrique" to the curing barn

A few weeks after tlie plant has been "suckered,"
ideallv in earl\' July, the harvest begins. Known as
fahrique to farmers whose native tongue is French, the
harvest is another difficult and time consuming job.

Early in the evening, around four o-clock, the more
mature plants are cut off at the base and laid on the
ground. The next morning, after the dew has dried
and the plant is limber enough to handle without
breakage, it is taken from the field to the curing barn.

At the barn, a nail is driven into each stalk on an
angle so that it can be hung on wires running along
the ceiling where the air is warm and there is little
air flow.

In about 12 da\s the leaves have become dry and
gold in color. They are taken down, stripped from the
stalks and beaten on barrels to remo\T dust. The
tobacco is then dampened by sprinkling water on the
leaves. This is a delicate process because too much
water will rot the leaves and not enough will cause
the tobacco to dry out and not "cure" properly. The
damp tobacco is then piled and allowed to soften
before "stemming" begins.

cipjiUed to the curing tobacco cventualbj
(iiiiounts to abotit 30 tons.

Stemming is usually the task of women, who sit
around a table and rip the center stem from each leaf.
They tie the stemmed leaves into small bundles weigh-
ing about a pound each. These bundles replace the
old tor£uettes (bundles of leaves twisted together) as
they are easier to handle without falling apart.

lO

The tobacco ImiikUcs arc placed in large, reinforced,
oak barrels lined with waxed paper. Gradually over a
period of several days up to about 30 tons of pressure
are applied by use of a large jack screw (pictured in
this section) which requires the strength of at least
two men to turn. The high pressure causes the tobacco
to secrete a gummy juice which acts as a preservative
in the fermentation process.

F.

rom barn to buyer

After about a month of pressure, the barrel is opened
and its approximately 500 pounds of fermenting to-
bacco are removed to be rehandled, softened and
repacked. Bv the end of the year, after this process
lias been repeated once more, the tobacco is ready for
sale. It has turned color from amber to dark brown
or black. It is highly aromatic and sweet smelling.

Currently, there are only two Perique dealers in the
world, both located in St. James Parish. These two
buy the tobacco from the farmers after it has been
inspected and weighed. In 1972 Perique farmers sold
about 120,000 pounds at an average of 86 cents per
pound. Tlie total crop value came to about $103,000
collected b\ the parish's 25 farmers.

Before the buver ships tlie tobacco to manufac-
turers, it is rehandled, repacked, put under pressure
to ferment further, and blended witli other tobaccos
according to his specific instructions. The aroma and
bod\- of the finished product is appraised by lilenders
much like the aroma and bodv of wine is evaluated
bv an expert. The Pericjue is carefully nurtured and
watched during its months of fermentation. Because

11

of its strength and full body, it is used for the most
part as a "seasoning" in a full blend. It takes only a
small amount of Perique to "flavor" the other tobaccos
used in a final mixture.

The buyer keeps his tobacco for almost a year before
it is ready for export overseas and to a few, domestic
users. At the end of a year's storage, the tobacco is
rechecked, weighed and shipped. The United States
Department of Agriculture reports that for 1972, to-
bacco exports included 280,000 pounds of Perique,

i

Barrels of Perique fermenting under pressure in the curing barn.

12

Tuo udichoitsc cmphnjccs blending Pcrique with "Kentucky"
and "Honduras" tobaccos for an overseas buyer.

valued at $293,000. This included, of course, Peiique
on storage from several previous years. Most of the
tobacco exported went to Great Britain. Other import-
ing countries included West German\', Italy, Switzer-
land, Canada and Australia.

w;

liolesalers and retailers

The tobacco industrv in Louisiana contributed to the
state's economy by ways other than just plant cultiva-
tion. There are 22,000 retail outlets in the state which
distribute cigarettes and otiier tobacco products repre-
senting about $184.5 million in sales in 1972. At the
wholesale level, sales of tobacco products came to
more than $110 million.

13

Cured Perique, the finished product, is inspected for qualitij

and loeighed in preparation for delivenj to the buyer.

The filled barrel weighs about 500 pounds.

JLhe tax burden

Ever since a federal tax was established on manu-
factured tobacco, the various tobacco products have
been heavily taxed. The tax on finished commodities
was first applied in 1862. Cigarettes were included in

14

tilis tax in 1864. Since the inception of tlie tobacco
excise tlic total \ield to the United States Treasury
througli June 1972 has been about $64 billion.

The current federal rate on each package of 20
cigarettes is eight cents. It was "temporarily" raised
from seven cents in 1952. Louisiana consumers con-
tributed about $37 million of the $2.2 billion collected
on tobacco products by the Internal Revenue Service
in fiscal 1972, most of it from cigarettes.

The cigarette excise imposed by the state of Louisi-
ana is an additional 11 cents per package. The original
tax on cigarettes in the state, four cents, became effec-
tive in 1925. It has been increased three times to the
present rate and has remained at that rate since Au-
gust 1970. In addition to the state excise, Louisiana
imposes a three percent sales tax which adds an addi-
tional penny to the price of Louisiana-purchased cig-
arettes. The total yield to the state from all taxes on
tobacco products since the inception of the first tobacco
tax in 1925 through June 1973 is estimated by tobacco
trade authorities at $861 million.

The average retail price of a package of cigarettes
in Louisiana is 40 cents. A full 20 cents, or 50 percent
of the retail price, is destined to end up in federal and
state treasuries. Funds from cigarette and other to-
bacco revenues benefit all— smokers and nonsmokers
alike— and their effect is visible through construction
and maintenance of schools, hospitals, roads, bridges
and in community services.

Much more could be said about the aggregate to-
bacco industry based in Louisiana. The essential facts
serve to demonstrate the magnitude and importance
of the industry in the "Pelican State." The historv of
tobacco's growth i\)vvv is both nnicjuc and fascinating.

15

A painting of "old ojonf being hoisted in New Orleans

to replace the French flag in 1803 tvhen the U.S. purchased

Louisiana territory from Napoleon.

16

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF
TOBACCO IN LOUISIANA

E

uropean entrenchment

The land acquisitions made by explorer Robert de
La Salle for France in 1682 gave that country a power-
ful position in the "New World." For La Salle claimed
for France all the land drained by the mighty Missis-
sippi River and its tributaries.

La Salle's dreams of a French empire in the lower
Mississippi region were taken up by two brothers,
Pierre Le Moyne d'lberville and Jean Baptiste Le
Moyne, in 1699 when they established a settlement at
Biloxi, now in the state of Mississippi. In 1712, Louis
XIV of France granted the territory of Louisiana to
Antoine Crozat, a wealthy French merchant who con-
trolled the area for five years.

In 1717, Crozat surrendered his charter and Phillipe
II, who was Duke of Orleans and the regent of France,
granted Louisiana to John Law's Company of the West
for an intended 25 years. (Law, a famous Scottish
financier and speculator was a close friend of the
regent. ) Although the territory failed to prosper under
the Company of the West, New Orleans was founded
during this time and became the territorial capital.
In 1733, Louisiana became a French Crown Colony
and remained so until 1765 when it was taken by Spain
as a Spanish Royal Colony.

.n competition with the British

The tobacco industry got its start in Louisiana under
the reins of the Company of the West. In 1719, 30

18

slave laborers were brought to the colony for the ex-
pressed purpose of cultixating and manufacturing to-
bacco in the Natche/ district. A scale of tobacco prices
was fixed and other regulations were set up to control
the industry at that time.

By 1722 a considerable amount of tobacco was being
produced, mostly around Natchez, from which a thou-
sand hogsheads were sent to the Continent that year
in competition witli tlie English tobacco trade. Were
it not for an acute lack of slave labor, much more
tobacco would have been produced in that area.

Realizing that the labor shortage was fast becoming
critical, then Governor Perier was instructed to give
preference to tobacco growers in the distribution of
slaves. Furthermore, the Companv of the West pro-
vided special price inducements to new growers and

"m

^

■^

s.

A "bird's ctjc" view of New Orleans and the busy
Missmippi River traffic, circa 1851.

19

to those on the point of abandoning the industry. Ap-
parently, these measures were of some help, for by
1729, Louisiana tobacco farmers were producing an
annual crop of more than 300,000 pounds.

The French mercantilists, of course, had no idea
that Louisiana would change hands so many times and
eventually become part of a nation that was yet to be
formed. However, they had great hopes for the terri-
tory during the middle part of the 18th century.

An indication of this lies in a statement made by an
Englishman who traveled through Louisiana and later
wrote :

This is an advantage they [the French grow-
ers] have in Louisiana over our tobacco plant-
ers, who are prohibited by law to cultivate
these seconds, the summers are so short, that
they do not come to due maturity, in our
colonies; whereas in Louisiana the summers
are two to three months longer, by which they
make two or three crops of tobacco a year
upon the same ground, as easily as we make
one. Add to this, their fresh lands will pro-
duce three times as much of that commodity
as our old plantations which are now worn out
with culture, by supplying the whole world
almost with tobacco for a hundred and fifty
years.

He went on further to speculate:

. . . They may, with all these advantages, soon
get this trade from us, the only prime one this
nation has left entire to itself. These advan-
tages enable the planters to give a much
better price for servants and slaves, and
thereby to engross the trade . . . and by remov-

20

/;?g from Canada to Louisiana their own em-
migrants, they may in the like manner get not
onlij this hut every other branch of the trade
of North America.
Similarly, a Freiicli writer spoke of Louisiana's im-
portant tobacco industry when he said:

Tobacco is the onhj production of the earth
which gives the English an advantage over us.
Providence, which reserved for us the discov-
ery of Louisiana, has given us the possession
of it, that we may he their rivals in this partic-
ular, or at least that we may be able to do
without their tobacco.

Xhick and succulent'

The Frencli were hopeful that the Louisiana tobacco
trade would put them out of the business of importing
English tobacco altogether and thus would develop a
balance of trade more favorable to France.

The European settlers carefully examined the to-
bacco trade as handled by local Indians. Le Page de
Pratz, a French traveler and writer who lived in Louis-
iana for fifteen years, noted in his writings that the
"tobacco wliich was found among the Indians of Louisi-
ana ... is \er\' large." He went on to describe it
more carefullv:

. . . Its stalk, wJien suffered to run to seed,
sJioots to five and a half to six feet; the lower
part of its stem is at least eighteen lines in
diameter, and its leaves often near two feet
long, which are often thick and succulent, its
juice is strong but never disorders the head.

21

.■d^

This 1873 engraving depicts New Orleans harbor
as an obviously busy commercial port.

Du Pratz further wrote that after the leaves were
stripped from the stalk, he experimented by tying them
into bundles, wrapping them in a cloth and letting
them alone for 24 hours.

"This tobacco turned so black and waxy," he said,
"that it could not be rasped [grated for use in smoking]
in less than a year; but then it had a substance and
flavor so much the more agreeable, as it never affected
the head; and I sold it for double the price of the
common."

History records that the planters of the Natchez

22

district packed their tolxicco into hogsheads after the
fashion of the Atlantic seaboard districts. But planters
elsewhere in Louisiana put the leaf in carottes, or rolls
of tobacco, made by covering a bundle of leaves with
canvas, and rolling the bundle into a hard cylinder
about 15 inches long, four inches thick and weighing
about four pounds, using a winch that drew rope
around the roll. After several da\'s, the rope was re-
moved and rewound to assure its tightness so that the
tobacco would not too easily dry out.

After the carotte dried and its shape was fixed, the
cloth was removed and strips of bark were attached
at intervals along tiie carotte to help protect it. The
tobacco was flatboated down the Mississippi to New
Orleans, inspected at a public warehouse and prepared
for overseas shipment. The tobacco was rarely turned
down by warehouse inspectors because of the custom-
ary douceur discreetlv dropped into the inspector's poc-
ket. This "gratuity" became a well established practice
and was not considered a bribe.

The descriptions of much of the colonial tobacco by
French authorities of the time make it clear that Louisi-
ana tobacco grown two hundred years ago was quite
similar to the Perique cultivated todav.

But the time was not yet ripe for the steady growth
of the tobacco industry. The middle to latter part of
the 18th century saw great international turmoil and
strife that had tremendous impact on the area as it
changed hands several times.

u,

nder Spanish domain

As the French and Indian War came to a close, Spain
won control of Louisiana. Under the Spanish, Louisi-

23

ana took an active part in the American Revolution in
behalf of the colonies. The Spanish reoccupied planta-
tions that the British had temporarily taken and re-
united tobacco areas in the Natchez region. The Span-
ish authorities encouraged the growth of tobacco and
promised good prices to its cultivators, hoping to sell
it to the French and to the Mexican Monopoly.

By the end of the American Revolution, the Spanish
government in Louisiana was deeply involved in the
tobacco business with up to two million pounds being
shipped annually from the port of New Orleans.

W^

ilkinson and the Spanish curtain

A complex problem was in the making, however,
causing increasing friction between American tobacco
growers to the north and the Spanish authorities. To-
bacco from Kentucky, Tennessee and surrounding areas
could easily be floated down the Mississippi River and
shipped out of the port of New Orleans, but the Spanish
tightly controlled the port's exports and prohibited
shipment of any northern tobacco. Thus much of this
tobacco was bottlenecked with no feasible outlet.

What was needed was a promotion man, both a
diplomat and salesman to help open Louisiana to the
American tobacco trade. He turned up in the form of
one James Wilkinson, an American general who had
served with Benedict Arnold during the Quebec cam-
paign.

In 1786 Wilkinson conceived the idea of breaking
the export barrier the Spanish government had set up
at Natchez and New Orleans. His expedition set out
from Frankfort, Kentucky with a full load of tobacco

24

and arrived in Natcliez during tlie summer of 1787.
As was expected, his entourage was siezed, but his
{juick tongue and some generous bribery convinced the
Spanish authorities that they should promptly release
his boats and crews. He sent the boats on to New
Orleans and when he arrived himself in late June or
early July, he found that liis materials had again been
confiscated.

An associate of Wilkinson is believed to have told
Don Esteban Miro, the governor of Louisiana, that the
seizure could lead to an angry invasion by Kentuckians.
He reportedly suggested that Wilkinson might encour-
age this, in light of the known frustration of Kentucky
planters who were not receiving lielp from the U.S.
government witli sliipping problems, and that by w^ork-
ing with Wilkinson Louisiana might be able to help

Xcdinhoiit^ hccdiUi' a jununis, ;/ not iitai juirt cj I .oitisiiina

river trade along the Mississippi in tlic lOtli and early 20th eenturies.

This photograph tias made around 1910.

26

N

separate the area to the north from the Union and
make it a new Spanish province.

Wilkinson and his contacts thus wooed the governor
into releasing his materials. The episode has become
known to historians as the "Spanish Intrigue."

History does not prove whether Wilkinson's motives
were devious, or whether he was purely interested in
his own prosperity. In any event, the fact remains that
he did open the port of New Orleans to the tobacco
trade and other American industries. But he was only
fooling himself if he thought he alone would profit
from this new commercial agreement.

It came as a great shock to Wilkinson when a royal
order issued in Seville in December 1788 permitted all
Americans to enter goods at Mississippi River ports on
payment of the Spanish entry duty.

But new problems arose by 1790. The New Orleans
market was glutted and the Spanish had to limit the
amount of tobacco they would allow to enter the ports.
Much of it was literally rotting on the docks while
awaiting sale and shipment.

It was late in 1791 that Wilkinson, "disgusted by
disappointment and misfortunes, the effect of my ignor-
ance of commerce," abandoned his export trade busi-
ness and reentered the United States Army.

ova Scotia to Louisiana

Meanwhile, about the same time the Declaration of
Independence was being written in Philadelphia, a
band of four to five thousand Acadians of French
descent were forced to leave Nova Scotia because of
religious persecution. A little over two hundred of

26

this group, whose direct descendants todav cultivate
tol)acco in St. James Parish, came to Louisiana and took
refuge in the Bayou Teche region.

The area was largely a wilderness. Its Indian inhab-
itants, however, tlie Choctaw and Chickasaw, had been
culti\'ating a tobacco that was of interest to the new
Acadian settlers.

Among these, legend has it, was a man named Pierre
Chenet, nick-named "Perique," who undertook to learn
all he could about tobacco from the Indians. The story
is told that they had an ingenious method of curing
tobacco. A stump was hollowed and placed on end.
Leaves of tobacco which had been dried for a few days
were made into twists and packed tightly into the
stump. When the stump was filled, pressure was ap-
plied to the contents by means of a lever fixed at one
end in a notch in the stump, while the other end was
weiglited down with heavy stone. The resulting steady
pressure dro\e the \ital juices from the leaves and
caused tlie tobacco to ferment and mellow.

When the pressure was removed, the twists were
taken out, aired, and then put under pressure again.
This process continued until the desired mellowness
and aroma had been achieved. With the exception of
some meclianical improvements, tliis is the same proc-
ess used for making Peri(jue todav.

K

act or fiction

This story, like all folklore, is an elusive mixture of
fact and fancy. Legends grow profuseK along the
bayous of Louisiana and those concerned with Perique
are iileiitilul. Thus, this is ])\ no means the onlv storv

27

about the origin of Perique tobacco. Research in the
French and Spanish archives may convince one that
either the French or the Spanish developed this special
fermenting process, but the story of the man called
"Perique" is certainly a matter of popular belief.

T

erritory to statehood

By 1800 the fate of Louisiana v\^as again unsure. That
year, Napoleon I signed the Treaty of San Ildefonso,
and among other things Spain was required to retro-
cede Louisiana to France. Three years later Napoleon,
in turn, sold the territory to the United States of Amer-
ica for a mere $15 miUion.

In March 1804, the U.S. Congress divided the "Lou-
isiana Purchase," as it was called, into two parts.
The area north of thirty-three degrees latitude (the
Louisiana-Arkansas border today) and west of the
Mississippi River was called the "Territory of Louisi-
ana" (later changed to Missouri territory). The area
south of thirty-three degrees was called the "Territory
of Orleans" and on April 30, 1812 was admitted to the
Union as the state of Louisiana.

Meanwhile, a dispute arose between the U.S. and
Spain, with the latter contending that its retrocession
to France did not include "West Florida"— the area
which today includes eastern Louisiana, southern Mis-
sissippi and Alabama. In 1810, the residents of Baton
Rouge, which was a part of "West Florida" and still
under the reins of Spain, revolted and proclaimed the
independent Republic of West Florida. In 1812, Con-

28

gress legislated this region, west of the Pearl River
and south of thirty-one degrees north latitude, into
American domain as part of Louisiana. Today, this
area is called tlie Florida Parishes.

Louisiana Territory

Gulf of Mexico

The sliadcd area was the subject of dispute hetucen Spain and

the United States. The Spanish contended that it uas not

included in the "Louisiana Purchase" from Napoleon.

29

Throughout the early 19th Century, Americans
herded into Louisiana. French influence, however, re-
mained strong. Botli the French and Enghsh languages
were officially used there until 1898. Today, Louisiana
is unique among the states in basing its state laws upon
the Napoleonic Code.

R

rom prosperity to war

Sugar planting expanded rapidly in the 1800's and
Louisiana's industry and commerce became a bulwark
of the South. New Orleans, despite constant floods and
epidemics, grew and prospered during the steamboat
era. Both river and rail commerce made New Orleans
one of the most important and influential ports in the
country. Many persons became rich, as indicated by
the huge, now old and romantic columned mansions
on the plantations scattered throughout the region. But
this affluence was short-lived.

Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26,
1862, to join the Confederacy in an attempt to sustain
the South's economic dependence on slavery. The state
provided significant manpower to the Confederacy dur-
ing the War Between the States, including two of the
most famous generals of the time, Bragg and Beaure-
gard. But Union forces invaded the state in 1862 and
demolished its industry. After the War, the Recon-
struction period was as depressive and devastating to
Louisiana as it was to most other southern states. Polit-
ical strife, racial conflict and economic confusion were
rampant. Economic conditions were deplorable when
Louisiana was readmitted to the Union in July of 1868.
Until as late as 1900 the great problem facing most of

30

its people tliere was finding adequate food, clothing
and shelter. Compulsory education laws were not
passed until 1916.

E

conomic boom

At the turn of the century, the state's economy began
to rc\ italize. Salt was mined at Averv's Island. North-
ern investors came to harvest timber and erect sawmills.
Oil was discovered at Jennings in 1901 and near Shreve-
port in 1906. Commercial mining of sulphur also began
around the same time.

"Matirc-iia retreat house, ouiied and operated hij the Jesuit order

in Convent, La., was huilt in 1H31 as a nonsectarian college

for the sons of tcealtht/ Louisiana planters. The three-story

plantation house has 22 columns in an ttnhrokcti row across its

main facade. Bou<:,ht hif Valcour Aimc in 1S59. it was reopened as

Louisiana College. During the War Between the States

it was used as a Union barracks.

31

The farmers in St. James Parish continued to produce
tobacco, year in and year out, although not nearly in
the magnitude of North Carolina and Kentucky, for
example. But the demand remained for Perique.

In 1919, for example, Perique farmers produced
348,000 pounds at a very high price for the time, 65
cents per pound. In 1922, they produced a record
478,000 pounds valued at 55 cents per pound. During
the Depression years, production and prices fluctuated
and fell. In 1934, production of only 35,000 pounds
was valued at 20 cents per pound. In 1941 the price
bottomed at 17 cents.

JLabac dLe Perique"

Perique prices have substantially increased since
1941, but during the past few years farmers, plagued
with disastrous weather, have tended to turn to other
agricultural industries in the area which have over-
shadowed tobacco. Yet the "art" of cultivating Perique
is in the blood of the people who grow it and remains
firmly entrenched in their way of life.

For tabac de Perique is unique. The demand for
its superb quality as a blend, providing aroma and
flavor that cannot be provided by any other type of
tobacco in the world, has never ceased. The term
fabrique may be foreign to many, but for the Perique
farmers of St. James Parish it represents a way of life
that has evolved from a heritage of proud, hard work-
ing men and women who will continue to supply the
world with this highly cherished agricultural product.

33

Data on the ciirnnt tobacco industr) in Louisiana have been sup-
phed by the Economic Research Service, United States Department
of Agriculture; the Louisiana Cooperative Evtension Service; and by
the Tobacco Tax Council, Richmond, Va.

Special notes of thanks are due to Mr. Daniel Fontenot, jr., County
Agent. St. James Parish; Mr. Jacob Martin and Mr. Jim Martin of
Grande Pointe; and to Mr. I^)uis Aristee Poche, Convent, La.

-Material on the history of tobacco and Louisiana came from Hvionj
of Agriculture in Southern United States to 1860 by Lewis Cecil Gray,
\oliunes I and II ( 1958); The Story of Tobacco in America, Joseph C.
Robert (1952); Tobacco and Americans, Robert K. Heimann (1960);
The Champagne of Tobaccos, a research paper b)' Neal T. M. Poche
(1955); St. James Parish, Hiitory and Resources, Loui.siana Coop-'
erative Extension Service (1966); Perique Tobacco. A Small But
Steady Outfmt, J. E. McMurtrey, Jr., as reprinted in Tobacco, the
International Weekly (1964); the History of Louisiana . . ., M.
Le Page du Pratz, translated into English from French (1763).

Tlu.' quotations on pages 17 and 18 are from Le Page du Pratz
and can be found in the Arents Collectioas, New York Public Library,
the Astor, Leno.x .uu' I ild.n foundations. The quotation on p. 23 is
from The Kentud igatiim, Marv VerhoefF ( Fihon Club,

1917).

PtT/Mj,v,si()n to ifitote directly from this booklet (.v granted.

Additional copies will be made availtdfld uithoitt cJmriw

u/>cn request to The Tobacco Institute

1776 K St., \.W.. Washiticfon, D C. 2(mt,