524 



Tobacco Growing in England. 



[Sept., 



that, in 1626, eight ounces cost 5s. and in 1656 two ounces cost 

 Is. [t would appear that in 1620 this country paid Spain 

 20,000 annually for tobacco. In 1907 the duty on tobacco 

 containing not less than 10 per cent, of water was 3s. per lb. 

 Owing to an extension of the experiments in Ireland, the 

 Chancellor, of the Exchequer authorised a payment of Is. 

 per lb. to be refunded to the producer out of the duty paid 

 on withdrawal from bond. The tobacco on which this rebate 

 could be claimed was limited to the produce of 50 acres. In 

 190S the Chancellor of the Exchequer financed a five years' 

 experiment costing ;£6,000 a year, and this experiment was 

 continued with Treasury assistance on the recommendation 

 of the Development Commission. 



The Finance Act of 1909-1910 removed, as far as England 

 was concerned, the ban upon tobacco cultivation, but in 1913 

 the rebate was withdrawn, and during the Great War the 

 duty gradually rose to 8s. 2d. In 1919 the present Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer gave one-sixth of the duty to Empire produc- 

 tion, and a further 2d. excise allowance to the English product. 



In 1911 Mr. A. V. Campbell of the Kothamsted Laboratory 

 visited the tobacco-growing centres of Ireland, Holland, 

 Belgium, Germany, France and the United States. His 

 Beport confirmed the opinion of the Development Com- 

 missioners that the question which requires settlement is not 

 whether saleable tobacco can be grown here, but whether it 

 can be grown at a profit. The Keport states that an experi- 

 ment should not be limited to one district and one kind of soil, 

 but should be made on a fairly large scale, because economic 

 cultivation cannot be carried out on less than 100 acres. Now 

 that tobacco-growing in England has passed the experimental 

 stage, trustworthy data are available as to the best districts, 

 soil, plants to raise, manuring, and methods of curing. The 

 British Tobacco Growers' Society has carried out experiments 

 in many parts of England and has proved that the crop can be 

 grown successfully on the poorer soils of Norfolk, and that 

 this plant can take its place as a farm crop in the ordinary 

 rotation. The Norfolk crops are looking well, and 36 acres 

 are well established in the district of which the Ministry's 

 estate at Methwold is the centre. At Fleet in Hampshire 

 20 acres are being cultivated. 



