156 THE CULTURE OE TOBACCO. 



Tlie Sumatra leaf is wonderfully thin in texture, and l.iecause of 

 this fact, it is prized very highly foi' cigar wrappers. Its value is 

 based partly on the appearance of the leaf, partly on the skill involved 

 in the grading and packing, and partly on the economy in its use. It 

 requires two hundred leaves to weigh a pound, and two pounds will 

 wrap a thousand cigars. 



The portion of Sumatra where this tobacco is produced is 

 practically on the equator, and borders on the Straits of Malacca. The 

 climate is tiuly a tropical one, and the temperature remains uniform 

 throughout the year ; the mean maximum for each month being aljout 

 90 degrees, the mean minimum 74 degrees, and the mean about 81 

 degrees. The daily temperature ranges from about 70 degrees at sun- 

 rise to 94 degrees at noonday. 



The average yearly rainfall is aljout one hundred inches. Some 

 i-ain falls every month, but the heaviest downfall is Ijetween October 

 and Decemlier. The lowest average for any month is about three 

 inches and the highest average eighteen inches, although months have 

 been recorded with but a quaiter <if an inch, and other's with thirty- 

 five inches. 



Beginning at a distance of five or ten miles back from the Straits, 

 the tobacco belt extends for a distance of forty-five miles, and up on 

 to the slopes of the mcmntains. 



The soil is mostly volcanic in its origin. That on which the 

 finest, silkiest, brown tobacco is produced is inclined to be somewdiat 

 clayey or silty. Lighter coloured tobaccos are produced on sand 

 loams resting on a clay sulisoil. 



The land is leased from the Sultan for a term of seventy-five 

 years. At least seven thousand acres ai'e thought necessary to ensure 

 success, for the reason that a portion of the land is permitted tti lie 

 idle each year and thus restore its fertility. 



An estate is laid out by the building of a main road through it. 

 On each side of the main road at the distance of nine hundred and sixty 

 feet from it and from each other, smaller roads are constructed. All 

 the land between these roads is divided into fields sixty feet wide. 

 Each field contains al.iout one and a thii'd acres, and is allotted to a 

 coolie for cultivation. 



The labour is mostly done by Chinese coolies, who are secured 

 directly from China by the planters, who clu)) together and pay some 

 of their number for securing them. Without the coolie, tobacco 

 culture could not be carried on in Sumatra at all. They stand the 

 climate well, are industrious, learn rapidly what is required of them, 

 and are regarded as generally very satisfactory by the planters. They 

 know absolutely nothing of tobacco culture when first secured, but 

 must learn from those that have been at the work. Each Chinaman 

 is given a small advance of money to live upon until the crop is 

 harvested, and he is given another small advance at the beginning of 

 each month. Each coolie is allotted a field by himself, and is paid by 

 the thousand plants produced. Later he is employed at piece work in 

 the fermentation shed and packing house. 



The coolies are grouped into companies of forty, over whom is 

 placed a foreman coolie wdio has been some time on the estate and 

 understands the work. He receives a percentage based on the amount 

 that the coolies earn. Over all the coolies and foremen is a head 

 coidie who has been promoted to that position because of his ability. 

 He is neces.sary to adjust matters between the Europeans and the 



