Cuba and Cigars | Preperation of land |
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Few regions
in the world like Cuba have temperature, humidity and appropriate soil
so that a seed become a plant whose leaves can be used to elaborate a
pure cigar of high bonus and prestige in the world market. The tobacco
plant belongs to the family of the solanaceous, from America; its root
is fibrous, the stem from 5 to 12 cm of height (hairy and with white marrow),
alternate, big and glutinous leaves; the flowers in cluster form with
the tubular chalice and red or pale yellow corolla.
The lands
of the best dark tobacco in the world are located in the westernmost part
of the island of Cuba, in Vuelta Abajo in its famous tobacco plantations,
particularly those of San Luis and San Juan, because in these famous regions
are produced the three fundamental elements for elaborating a cigar that
can not be equalled, these leaves receive the names of filler, binder
and wrapper. |
It has been
proved that the best wrapper leaves of the world are the ones produced
in Cuba, because they conjugate harmoniously indicators of presence (extrinsic
quality) with very appropriate tenors of chemical components, such as
nicotine and others (they constitute the intrinsic quality). In general
it is considered that the Cuban wrappers have superior characteristics
if we compare them with the best that are produced in other countries.
For obtaining this wrapper, tobacco workers cover the field with awnings
of cotton canvases, in order to protect the plants from the excess of
sun, wind and parasites, and to guarantee the appropriate quality of the
leaves.
The technological
process of tobacco begins with the selection and preparation of the lands;
those having very marked slopes won't be used in order to avoid dragging.
The roots of the tobacco plants are very delicate and they require good
lands. For that reason, the tobacco planter plows his fields repeated
times, transforming the vegetation into a natural nutrient for the soil.
In order to avoid that the structure of the soil be changed, they only
use animal traction. The following step is the sowing of the plants.
The
yoke of oxen, the plow and the rake or comb, fundamental tools of the
Cuban peasant
The
oxen
The Cuban peasant and mainly the tobacco producer plows the lands with
animal traction and it consists on yoking two oxen, which are united by
a carved wooden piece called yoke, for the jars, and a cushion (yoke pad
for draught-oxen) in the forehead that is the center of traction of this
singular couple to pull the plow or the tool that is used.
The peasant
shows us the frontil (yoke pad for draught-oxen) and the yoke, tools with
which the oxen are yoked, the frontil is the cushion that each ox keeps
in the forehead because these animals pull with the forehead and not with
the jars as many people think, these additions are tied to the jars of
the oxen with a rope that in Cuba the peasant calls cabuya.
Finally this
couple is united this way to pull the plow or any other implement that
be necessary. The ox-driver controls the animals with voices and the guides
that are tied to the noses of the oxen with metal rings.
The
ring, holds up the guides
The
plow
In Cuba the peasant uses two types of plows, the Creole or wooden plow,
and the metal plow or American plow.
The
Creole or wooden plow at present is only used to furrow the earth
before sowing and later to mark the furrow before hoeing the tobacco plants,
this furrow makes that the earth loosen, it facilitates this way the work
of hilling around the plants and the growth of the roots of the plants.
This plow
is made of wood almost completely; except a screw that regulates the depth
and a metal grill that is the one that breaks the earth.
The
yoke of oxen, the plow and the rake or comb, fundamental tools of the
Cuban peasant
The
American plow is the most used in Cuba by peasants for breaking
the lands for the sowing of tobacco or any other cultivation.
This important
tool is made of metal (iron) and is made up of many pieces all changeable,
although those that they need to change the most are the grill, the mould-board
of the plow and the cover of the grill.
With this
plow of animal traction the farmers can make furrows in the earth with
a depth that oscillates from 10 cm to 30 or 35 cm and a width of some
35 cm approximately.
These pictures
show how to use the American plow.
The rake
or comb that is made of wood with metal pins, is also made of metal at
present because it lasts more than the wooden one, this tool is used after
having plowed the earth to eliminate the irregularities of the land and
to pick up impurities (grass and small bushes), whose cycle of decomposition
and reincorporation to the soil like organic material takes a long time.
The rake
is pulled by the oxen; in some cases the peasant puts some heavy objects
on it so that the pins or teeth penetrate more in the earth.
In Cuba the
preparation of the earth carried out with manual traction lasts about
80 or 100 days and the technology used is not very aggressive for the
environment, because mechanical traction is less used, then the work in
the soil is reduced at about 45 days approximately, and they work in the
field when the humidity of the ground is in optimum conditions.
The preparation
of the lands begins in July and it extends until November in the case
of the seedbeds, in this case if they begin in July they plant tobacco
in September. The work in the plantations begins at the end of August
and it concludes at the end of January, for example if they are going
to plant tobacco at the end of October the work begins at the end of August.
Next is shown
a suggestion of technology of working the land with animal traction to
plant tobacco for cigar filling in the first fortnight of November. They
begin the breaking of the ground from September 1 to 15 and 25 or 30 days
later is carried out the first work with the rake, from October 1 to 15
is carried out the second work with the plow that receives the name of
crossing, the process continues with the second work with the rake carried
out between October15 to 30.
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