In 1612 a colonist named John Rolfe planted tobacco which was
known a green gold. The seeds came from a Caribbean island. Sir Walter Raleigh
helped to make tobacco smoking popular in England. The type of tobacco John
Rolfe planted was milder and very sweet. Rolfe planted the seeds and sent
the tobacco leaves to London. Tobacco was called a cash crop. It is a crop
that is grown to sale instead of the grower's own use.