So, with more experimentation, shading the plants began. Through these experiments it was discovered that tobacco which was light in color and silky in texture demanded the highest prices. The post-war search for a money crop led to the resurgence of the tobacco culture. Those days were tremendously difficult, and recovery was a slow process. Of course, during the war and the Reconstruction Era, very little tobacco was grown except for personal use. Growing tobacco continued to be profitable until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, even when the European markets were no longer available. So began a tobacco industry at a time when the South was suffering from the low price of cotton. From these seeds, a new plant known as "Florida Wrapper" was developed. Smith began saving the seed from the hybridized stalks. When the Virginia tobacco was grown in Florida soil, it was much thinner and lighter in color. Several years passed and the two tobaccos blended. He purchased some Cuban tobacco seed and planted them with his Virginia tobacco. Because there was no market for tobacco in small quantities, it was twisted together, cured and shared with his friends. He planted that seed and found that the plants grew vigorously. When Smith ventured southward he brought with him a type of tobacco seed which was used for chewing and pipe smoking. Since there was already a resident named John Smith in the community, he became known as John "Virginia" Smith. In 1829, John Smith migrated to Gadsden County in covered wagons with his family and four related families.
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