Tell me why ?

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
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I was at a tornament on the weekend and a buddy of mine was talking about the high price of pipe tobacco . He said if he could get seeds he would grow his own . Another buddy said that he would never find some as tobacco companies did their best to make sure none can fall into the hands of consumers . He said it wasn,t illegal to grow tobacco just that the companies have so much money they can "corner the market "
While anything is possible I find it hard to understand how they could control the distrbution of seed on a grass roots level .
I asked on a seed exchange forum I am part of and had my question yanked faster than the pull cord on a gasoline powered beer cooler ! L:O:L
All I was looking for was a few seeds to grow pipe tobacco !
 
Why?

I don't know.

Perhaps because tobacco was/is illegal to sell without a base?

Perhaps because they were concerned about viral infections of the seed?

Perhaps because the didn't have a clue?

Perhaps it's illegal and we don't know it?

But you can search google.

(note: I use mozilla, no guarantees the linky will work if you don't)

**Edited to correct error and to add the following**

www.coffinails.com I'm a reformed smoker and don't want to encourage smoking, but if you gotta...
 
You can buy the seeds and plants locally here:thumbup:

I have several friends that grow it but you have to cure it if you want to come up with anything remotely like commercial.

One year a guy over on the other hollow leased my barn to hang his tobacco. I don't smoke or chew, but as it dried and the smell drifted down it smelled great.
 
I think some strains of seed are protected by patents or are otherwise specifically licensed. I remember a few years ago there was a scandal where a tobacco company allegedly illegally exported tobacco seed. I'm fuzzy on this, but some might have been developed by or for the agriculture department, and was for domestic US use only to try to help domestic farmers.

The tobacco companies themselves (e.g. RJR, etc.) don't grow their own plants (at least in the US). It's actually been grown by small, family farms on relatively small plots and as a supplement to regular jobs. A lot of production has, however, moved out of the country.

I am puzzled why this would be sensitive on a seed forum. Perhaps I'm missing something.
 
I,m a reformed smoker myself . Two packs a day for eleven years . I still smoke Captain Black sweets on vacation . I,ll try those vendor links suggested . I hope they,ll ship across the border . I don,t want to encourage my buddy to smoke either . He is 70 years old and puffed a pipe for decades . Personally I think those around him inhale as much as he ! Thanks.
 
Yeah, i can't see why it would be a big deal. I mean the only people that aren't allowed to smoke by law are kids under 18. The amount of work for a 14 year old to plant, tend, cut, hang, dry, roll, and smoke tobacco is a lot harder than finding an 18 year old kid, handing him a 5, and asking him to buy you a pack of cigs. I could see patents and such, but I'm sure there are some farmers out there just growing the generic stuff and selling it to whatever company will buy it.
Heck, i bet I could find someone with just a couple of phone calls. Kentucky is prime 'baccy country. If I understand correctly, the "whacky" type grows in the same kind of soil pretty well as the "regular". Could that be part of the seed hoopla?

Jake
 
FallingKnife said:
.

I am puzzled why this would be sensitive on a seed forum. Perhaps I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

We never know what agenda forum owners have of their own . I am on several forums where you can lambaste each other with hickory switches for days and yet if you mention one joke about the natural expansion of gasses your threads will get yanked more often than the hem of a cheap suit !

Some do mistake liberty for license . At least I give myself permission to think so ! L:O:L
 
I would expect that they would be very annoyed if people were carrying on discussions on where to get and how to cultivate pot seeds.

Perhaps they think the same treatment should be applied to tobacco. Actually, when you consider that it's illegal for minors (and pretty much in NYC), they might not be too far off the mark.
 
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=tobacco+seeds

Pages of them available on ebay. The problem, I would guess, would be getting a particular type of seed. Some will be more common than others. I think the big companies may have engineered a particular strain and are protecting it. I don't see a problem with that as it sounds like intellectual property. Also, if they let it out it will get variances, and they may be guarding against that too. I do wonder about the thread being pulled. Wierd.
 
Did you ask the forum owners for an answer?

Sometimes they give 'em and sometimes they don't, sometimes they don't even answer.
 
45-70 said:
Did you ask the forum owners for an answer?

Sometimes they give 'em and sometimes they don't, sometimes they don't even answer.
Click to expand...

There is one forum I am on where my threads get pulled about once a month . This will usually be due to jokes considered too low brow for family viewers . I understand that completely and never question it . I only once asked for a copy of a really humdinger of a joke I made up about what bigfoot would put in an advertisement if he wanted to meet mrs . Bigfoot . Nothing too heated just good clean hilarious humour . Unfortunately it was yanked due to a comment by a reader . I never heard back from the forum mods about my request for a copy . It is a forum where heated issues often get discussed and the mods have to step in with reluctance . They are anonymous to us and in truth I do not mind as I think it is for their protection .

Personally I think that at least the occasional admonishment received is just an indication of someone empassioned by his beliefs who may step over the boundaries of good taste or at least the boundaries agreed upon by the needs of the forum .
Heck , we can,t all be perfect or we,d all be archers ! L:O:L
 
Perhaps I can help out a fellow forumite here.

Kevin-
I've grown a few tobacco plants of my own for my pipe. I got my seeds from Horizon Herbs. They offer several heirloom varieties. I got the hopi and I forget what the other one was. The hopi had a sweeter smell as I recall.... But I only got a few leaves of each. I just don't have enough space in my little yard for them, and I planted them too close to my dog's area. Fur stuck all over the sticky leaves, rendering most of it worthless. :)

I let a few of the plants go to seed, and still have some of it squirreled away in little bags. If you're interested, I'd be more than happy to send you some. The seeds are tiny, so I could just send 'em in a regular envelope. (i.e., no big shipping charges.) I don't even know if they're still good after 3 years now, but you're welcome to some.

edit- Even if you take me up on my offer, I'd recommend calling Horizon Herbs to send you a free catalog. They only sell plants that have historically been used for "medicinal" purposes. The catalog is chock full of all kinds of nifty lore about plants that we've always considered "weeds".
 
Richter's Seeds (in Toronto) sells two different varieties - a German variety, and "Delgold" (which is a Virginia tobacco). between $2.50 and $3.50 per packet of seeds. Richter's does a huge mail-order business, and their website has their whole catalogue.

http://www.richters.com/
 
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