TOBACCO. 



STILL THE Large quantities of tobacco are grown by the 



SUBJECT OF native population in various districts. This tobacco 

 EXPERIMENT, is coarse in quahty and not suitable for consumption 

 by Europeans. 



At the coast, natives in the Tanaland Province 

 grow a superior class of leaf which in appearance 

 resembles "Bright" American tobacco; the writer 

 inspected some most attractive leaf of this description 

 on the Island of Patte in the year 1915. 



The cultivation of tobacco suitable for local 

 European consumption or export has not so far been 

 attempted by settlers on an extensive scale. 



The trials which have been carried out by the 

 Department of Agriculture during recent years have 

 shown that tobacco of this class can be grown in 

 certain areas of the Protectorate, e.g., Kibwezi and 

 Machakos, where light sandy loams are found suitable 

 for cigarette tobacco culture. 



A PROMISING A sample of sun-cured leaf grown from imported 



SAMPLE. American seed at Kibwezi was sent together with 



other samples from Kabete to the Imperial Institute 

 for report in 1914. It was submitted to a commercial 

 firm who stated their opinion as follows : "This is 

 the best sample sent. It is of very good colour and 

 appearance, and of smooth texture." 



A small trial of several varieties of tobacco was 

 made at Malindi in 191 5 with promising results, and 

 it is thought that Turkish cigarette tobacco might be 

 grown in the coast belt. This variety has not proved 

 a success in the highlands owing to its high suscepti- 

 bility to fungous diseases. 



In the Rongai and Uasin Gishu districts, settlers 

 produce a limited quantity of tobacco for local con- 

 sumption. 



The trials at the Government Farm, Kabete, 

 which have extended over several seasons and 

 included experiments with most of the principal 

 varieties of leaf and known methods of curing, prove 

 that tobacco of a strong coarse character can be 

 grov^m, but the Kikuyu red soil does not produce a 

 light or mild tobacco. 



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