6 ]3uZZctin N0. 139. :
Sx
bacco being grown by a tribe of Indians at Shawanestown, the
present site of Portsmouth, Ohio. During this same time to-
bacco was being grown by the Shawancse at the present site of
lndian Fields, Ky., in Clark County. i *
ln 1775 white pioneers migrating westward from Virginia .
a11d North Carolina made a permanent settlement at Boones- ,
boro, Ky. Being familiar with the handling of tobacco and its
value, they immediately began growing it along with other
crops. Soon after the founding of Booncsboro, the price of to-
bacco increased rapidly, which encouraged the tobacco farmers
of Virginia and North Carolina. to migrate into this new and
fertile territory. As early as 1792, when Kentucky was a; in llrown
(`ounty, Ohio. llc noticed in his field of tobacco sonic plants
which were light green in color with cream—colorcd midribs and
stalks. 'l`he seed which had produced this type was furnished
to alr. Webb by the llnitcd States ("ommissioner of Patents,
in whose ollicc at that time the distribution of seeds under
Government auspices was conducted, an·l these plants were
probably mutations. or sports, due to the effect of change in
soil or climatic conditions. 'l`hcy were so different in ap-
pearance from those which produced red tobacco that hlr. \Vebb
carct`ull_v preserved them and saved the seed. It was noticed
that tobacco from this selection of seed gave a brighter cured  
product than the original red tobacco from which it was ob-