32 



III. INTRODUCTION OF SUPERIOR VARIETIES 

 FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. 



So far we have dealt with two phases of improvement, 

 viz : (i) by breeding and selection, and (2) by the adop- 

 tion of up-to-date methods of curing ; both of which 

 directly apply to the indigenous crop, the cultivation of 

 which has been going on in India for years. Now we 

 shall deal with the question of introduction of superior 

 varieties from other countries ; and growing and acclima- 

 tizing them in suitable soils, and under proper climatic 

 conditions. There is a great demand for high class 

 tobacco in India, both for the manufacture of cigars and 

 cigarettes. The tobacco factories in Calcutta, Madras, 

 Monghyr, Rangpur and other places are sure to provide 

 ample markets for superior varieties of tobacco that may 

 be introduced into this country. So far attempts have 

 been made in India to grow foreign varieties of tobacco 

 not 011 commercial but mostly on experimental scales. 

 Several hundred maunds of "yellow tobacco" were sue- 

 cessiullv grown and cured from imported American seeds 

 in the Cooch Behar Tobacco Farm, and sold to some of 

 the above factories at an average price of Rs. 35 per 

 maund (the best grades fetching Rs. on per maund), 

 against Rs. 5 to 10 per maund of the indigenous product 

 i^rowii by the cultivators. Several maunds of Sumatra 

 tobacco were also grown at the (Government Experi- 

 mental Farm nt Rurir Hat, Rangpur, and fetched as 

 much as Rs. 100 per maund. 



It must be observed that while the improvement of 

 the indigenous product by proper curing, etc., is not a 

 difficult affair, the introduction and acclimatization of 

 foreign tobacco requires a lot of time and patience to 



