PRODUCTION AND COMMERCE. 



195 



Note. — One bale equals 176 English lb. 



" Prices for Deli tobacco have ruled on the whole fairly- 

 high, the special quality of the leaf lying in the fact of its 

 being light and elastic in texture, with thin fibres, so that 

 it is admirably adapted to serve as cover-leaf, and as such 

 is a good substitute for Havana tobacco. As a smoking- 

 tobacco it lacks flavour. There is a pretty general con- 

 currence of opinion that the seed of the Deli tobacco was 

 indigenous, and obtained from Batak tribes in the interior ; 

 and although many experiments have been made with seeds 

 from Java, Manilla, and other places, the planters have 

 invariably come back to the original seed, finding that the 

 new kinds develop a coarseness of leaf attributed to the 

 extraordinary richness of the virgin soil, a soil partly 

 alluvial and partly volcanic, but covered throughout with 

 dense forests. 



" The tobacco estates consist of grants of land taken out 

 by individuals or companies, and are as a rule of such an 

 extent that every year a new district can be cleared and 



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