47 



quently still more valuable to the colonies, especially to such 

 colonies as maintained Botanic Gardens which were in constant 

 communication with Kew. 



The history of the tobacco industry in Jamaica is a good 

 illustration. 



Sir Joseph D. Hooker has been good enough to state in a letter 

 to me written in October, 1905, what he did to assist it, as 

 follows : — 



' When Sir J. P. Grant was appointed Governor,* he, being an 

 Iudian friend of mine, asked me what he could do for the intro- 

 duction into the island of useful vegetable products, and he came 

 and stayed with me for a couple of nights, to talk it over. I 

 reminded him that it was a scandal that with the East and West 

 Indies in our possession we had not a good cigar from either, 

 and that in Indiaf nothing but Manilla cheroots were smoked by 

 Europeans, and in England Havanas. I suggested my getting 

 seeds, together with histories of their manufactures, of various 

 kinds from Cuba, Manilla, etc., through our Consuls, and that he 

 should get some enlightened Jamaica proprietors to commence the 

 cultivation. This we carried out, and in the third year Sir J. P. 

 Grant sent me a sample of tobacco grown in Jamaica from these 

 seeds, which I sent to an expert in London who pronounced it 

 most promising. I also suggested to Sir John offering prizes for 

 the best cigars. 



' My old friend Musgravef sent me several boxes of excellent 

 cigars. Afterwards, the quality of the article went down, some 

 boxes I ordered arrived full of weevils and were carelessly packed, 

 and I gave up smoking the Jamaicas. Quite lately I have had 

 good accounts, and the box you sent bears testimony to them.' 



Mr. Robert Thomson, Superintendent of Public Gardens, in his 

 Annual Report for 1868-9, acknowledges the receipt from Kew 

 of packets of tobacco seed of Manilla, Havana, and Latakia. 

 A plot was grown at Castleton of Latakia on account of its free- 

 growing and vigorous habit and a sample of it forwarded, 

 through the kindness of Dr. (now Sir) J. D. Hooker, to a London 

 authority on the subject, who reports favourably of it, and says 

 after suggesting some improvements, etc., as to preparing it for 

 market, that ' the general appearance of the leaf is such that its 

 cultivation should be encouraged In Jamaica.' 



In the Jamaica Gazette for July 8, 1869, appears a short paper 

 on Tobacco by Dr. Thomas Allen, giving Cuban methods of 

 cultivation and curing. 



In the Gazette for April 7, 1870, the Governor directed the 

 publication of the terms and conditions under which prizes were 

 offered by the Government of £250 for encouraging the cultivation 

 and curing of tobacco. 



t Sir J. P. Grant, Governor, 1866-74. 

 tExcellent cigars are now made in India. /. D. H. 

 J Sir A. Musgrave, Governor, 1877-83. 



