56 



appearance and quality, whereas tobacco grown in a drier climate 

 will keep longer, and cigars made from the latter kind will keep 

 for fully three years. His opinion is that there is a very general 

 liking amongst English smokers for cigars mild as to strength, 

 but delicate in aroma — a taste which is met by well-known and 

 well-cured Havana tobacco grown in a rather dry but not arid 

 climate. He says there is plenty of good soil in Jamaica, at 

 present in ruinate, perfectly adapted to grow this quality of 

 tobacco, ranging over an extensive tract of country comprised 

 principally in the parishes of St. Catherine and Clarendon.' 



In 1884, Messrs. Thompson & Weitzman failed, their Agents 

 in England having overtraded and their capital having become 

 exhausted. 



In the year 1888, the London Chamber of Commerce offered a 

 prize of fifty guineas for the best specimen of tobacco grown in 

 India or in any of the British colonies and possessions. Each 

 specimen submitted was to consist of a minimum quantity of 

 400 flb. in weight. The prize awarded in the following year was 

 divided between samples from Jamaica and British North Borneo. 

 The Jamaica winner was the firm of Messrs. B. & J. B. Machado, 

 whom I persuaded to enter for the competition. 



As the Cubans alone, speaking generally, understood the art 

 of cultivating and curing tobacco, any increase of the industry 

 among the native small settlers could only be successful and 

 permanent if reliable and practical information could be given 

 in a form that could be assimilated by them. An attempt in this 

 direction was made in 1889 by the publication of a short treatise 

 on tobacco in the Jamaica Bulletin by Mr. J. C. Espin, a Cuban. 



In 1893, 25 Itj. of the best Vuelta Abajo seed was obtained from 

 the British Consul-General in Havana and distributed to growers, 

 and other consignments were received from time to time in 

 subsequent years. 



In 1897-8 and in the following year tobacco was grown at 

 Hope Gardens for the express purpose of obtaining a large stock 

 of seed from carefully cultivated and well grown plants both of 

 Havana and Sumatra varieties. 



During the years 1898-1901, a very important experiment in 

 cultivation on a large scale was undertaken by the Hon. Evelyn 

 Ellis at Montpelier in St. James. No less than 1 50 acres were 

 cultivated in tobacco, and no expense was spared to make the 

 experiment a success. A short account of this undertaking was 

 published in the Jamaica Bulletin for January 1899. Other Indus- 

 tries were under experiment at the same time, such as dried 

 bananas, and cattle food, under the management of Mr. Zurcher. 

 But none of the experiments appeared likely to yield a profit, and 

 they came to an end in the year 1901. Some excellent tobacco 

 and cigars were produced, but the soil is not of the proper physi- 

 cal texture to give really good results. 



In the Annual Report for 1898-9, I wrote as follows: 'The 

 engagement of an expert in curing tobacco at Montpelier at a 

 high salary is justified as a mere matter of business. It would be 



