COULD WE GROW TOBACCO? 



Europe. As a matter of fact tobacco was once cultivated in 

 both England and Scotland. 



There is evidence to show that in 1832 it was successfully 

 grown in Roxburghshire, where 1000 pounds an acre was 

 obtained. The land was let at about £5 to £6 per acre. 

 Experiments of recent years have also proved very encourag- 

 ing, and in fact it is difficult to see how any reasonable doubt 

 can exist as to the fact that it would be perfectly easy to 

 grow plenty of that sort of tobacco which we now obtain 

 from Holland and (Germany. A prominent Irish statesman 

 has admitted this : " There was no doubt but that tobacco 

 could be grown in Ireland, but whether there are Irishmen 

 patriotic enough to smoke it, is very doubtful," ^ 



Of course every one knows that the differences in tobacco 

 depend chiefly on the preparation, but the Constitutional 

 objection to tobacco, illustrated by the above remark, is the 

 real reason why it is not grown. 



Oliver Cromwell sent his troopers to ride down the grow- 

 ing crops. Charles II imposed a penalty of £1600 per acre. 

 Modem statesmen are flippant and unfair. 



The reason of course is that a large income is cheaply 

 obtained by taxing imported tobacco. If this were at all 

 interfered with, new taxes, which would certainly be un- 

 popular, would be required. 



There is a good deal of interest in the story of the 

 tobacco plantations. Many prisoners of the Civil War in 

 England were sold to Virginia and other places. Even 

 nowadays there is some romance in the history of a cigar. 

 In the Dutch island of Sumatra the jungle is cleared 



^ Wrightson, Journal R. Agr. Soc, Second Series, vol. 10, part ii. p. 

 312; Jenkins, Ibid., vol. 11, part i. p. 192; De Lanne, Ibid., vol. 23, 

 part i. p. 213. Carter, Tobacco in England. 

 I 129 



