Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/237

 settlers. Hitherto their attention had been confined entirely to products that could be used as food, to grain, vegetables, beef, and pork. To obtain grain and vegetables, they had been in the habit of relying in part upon the stores of the savages. Some crop was needed that, from the readiness with which it could be sold in England, would furnish means for the purchase of clothing and other necessaries. So far, the shipments from Virginia had been limited to a few articles like sassafras and clapboard, which could not properly be included among agricultural commodities. That the consumption of tobacco in England was already very large, may be inferred from the fact that it was supposed, only two years after the experiment of 1612, that the amount used entailed a national outlay of two hundred thousand pounds sterling. It has already been pointed out that the adaptability of the soil of Virginia to the plant was recognized at an early date, and that confident anticipations were entertained as to the profitableness of its culture, which, however, were not at once turned into a reality, because the question of obtaining a supply of food was for several years of the foremost consideration with the settlers. The first colonist who was led to make a trial of the weed which was to exercise such an enormous influence on the history of Virginia and the United States, was the celebrated John Rolfe, the husband of Pocahontas. His attention was in a measure called to it by the fact, that he was himself addicted to the habit of smoking. In