CURING TOBACCO IN INDIA. 867 
which in the large leaves was extremel coarse and jui 
When the leaves wore made up into heads for the mee 
of fermentation before the midrib was thorou hly dry, the 
result was invariably mould and discoloration. On’ the other 
hand, when dried sufficiently to insure freedom from mould, 
the lamina of the leaf became so brittle that it was crushed 
to powder at the slightest touch, and so wrinkled and dry 
that the heaps did not ferment at all. Of the varieties sup- 
plied, the Shiraz, Havana, and Maryland attracted most 
attention and promised the best results. The great draw- 
back was the curing part of the process. So far as the culti- 
vation was concerned, there was every prospect of success; 
but not so with regard to the curing.” 
Robertson says of the curing of the leaf:— 
“In my opinion, all efforts to produce good tobacco will 
be useless until the services of a competent curer are 
obtained.” 
He considers the fault of all Indian tobacco to lie in the 
curing. The leaf itself is good, and it is simply the art of 
curing that should be studied. 
“T have cured tobacco of different varieties, some of which 
would hold a good place in the English market, but the fault 
generally found with the tobacco is that it is too full flavored. 
Further experiments were carried on in the same districts 
with varying results. In Sind the experiments and their 
results were insignificant. In Broach they were somewhat 
more successful, the superintendent thus summarising his 
experience :—‘ Havana, Shiraz, and other varieties of exotic 
tobacco will, with ordinary care and attention, yield fair and 
certain crops on ordinary black land, and dae on 
every other kind to be met with in Guzerat. By the skillful 
application of manure, leaf of any desired quality or pecul- 
iarity of flavor and texture may be obtained. The quantity 
of produce is so great that, should it be found practicable to 
cure the leaf well enough to make it a salable article in the 
European market, a source of profit by no means insignificant 
would be opened up-to the Guzerat ryot. For the native 
market the country plant is more suitable, and its cultivation 
consequently the more profitable.” In Dharwar the super- 
intendent was enabled to distribute seed in sufficient quanti- 
ties to those applying for it, but found the ryots would not 
cultivate it on a large scale, being apprehensive of loss. 
Native tobacco he considers less liable to injury than the 
