1786 STIMUI^ANT, AROMATIC, NARCOTIC AND MEDICINAL, PLANTS 



In a series of hybrids the nicotine content increases with the Mace- 

 donian element and decreases with the increase of the Herzegovinian 

 element ; the first crosses behave in different ways according to the parti- 

 cular combination of parents, so that no general rule can be laid down. 



Albania. — Tobacco can be grown in all the regions of the lower plains 

 (Scutari basin, Musakia plain, Diakova and Prisrend basin, plains of the 

 great Albanian lakes, valleys of Argyro-Kastro, Janina and Lapsista) 

 but the crop is of little importance in the country. While Albania might 

 have been a great tobacco market she occupies, in regard to this crop, the 

 lowest place among the provinces which were formerly included in Turkey 

 in Rurope : her production rarelj^ covers her consumption. 



Tobacco growing was taken over by the Turkish Government in 1S78, 

 at the time when the vilayets of Epire and Monastir and the Durazzo San- 

 jak (vilayet of Scutari) were under Turkish rule. 



The Albanian tobacco now closel}' resembles the Montenegran type in 

 character ; it was derived from Herzego\dnian types by the old method 

 of crossing. If the plants are grown very far apart the leaves sometimes 

 develop enormously with very pronounced ribs ; in spite of this the texture 

 is usually rather fine for such a large leaf. The dominant colour is gene- 

 rally light maroon, more rarely yellow ; the upper leaves ripen with diffi- 

 culty, because the plants lose their flowers too soon. Even the best sam- 

 ples, such as those from the Scutari province, are too strong for cigarette 

 tobacco and have little aroma. Possibly the lack of flavour may be due to 

 defective methods of preparation, but this can be remedied by suitable 

 mixing. 



The tobacco seeds are sown in February and transplanting begins in 

 April ; one to three weedings are given, one being the most usual number. 

 Harvesting starts in August, and the leaves are threaded on strings, which 

 are taken under cover as soon as damp weather sets in. No trouble is 

 taken to select uniform leaves, and the strings are made up of all qualities 

 and colours. After harvesting, the leaves are sold to manufacturers who 

 turn them into fine pipe and cigarette tobaccos. All the work is carried 

 out by hand labour. 



Considering the economic condition of Albania it is doubtless advisable 

 to suggest the continued growing of the yellow Herzegovinian types, which 

 are suited to the soil and which have been improved by crooss breeding 

 carried out by the Austrian Government in Dalmatia and by the Italian 

 Government in the Lecce province. Tobaccos of this type are easily- accli- 

 matized in warm and dry soils, they do not need stopping nor special cul- 

 tivation, they can be dried in the open air in the sun (they do not even need 

 special places for treatment) and they need little hand labour in mani]5ula- 

 tion for market. 



The growing of Giant Herzegovina might be tried in the Albanian re- 

 gion. The Scafati station obtained the original seeds from Dalmatia, and 

 by careful selection very large plants have been raised, with 50 to 70 leaves 

 on a stem, 3 or 4 times as many as in ordinary Herzegoxdna. At the present 

 time the variety is grown on a large scale in the I^ecco province, where it 



