188 



in the island, prices tell, find it was found that Mexican tobacco could 

 not retain the temporary footing it had acquired on the American 

 market. With the fall in prices man/ people were ruined who had in- 

 discreetly invested in increased cultivation. Growers were unable to 

 reimburse advances, and purchasers were left with large supplies on 

 hand. Since then the Mexican tobacco trade has declined towards its 

 normal condition. Labour, at all times scarce and of an inferior quality 

 has been a serious factor in tnis business ; but hopes were raised by an 

 influx of Cuban labour, in consequence of the Spanish-American war. 

 This labour greatly improved the cultivation, sorting, and preparation 

 of the product for market, and enabled it to compete for better prices ; 

 but since the termination of the war the pick of this labour has returned 

 to Cuba, and although this immigration has been of permaneut benefit 

 to Mexico and the tobacco trade, yet the increased, and still increasing 

 demand for labour, without any apparent adequate means of supplying 

 the deficiency, makes labour the burning question of the day with 

 regard to developing the resources of the country. The tobacco 

 industry requires a supply of skilled and unskilled labour that can be 

 depended upon, and such a supply can only be obtained from free 

 labour that can command a fair wage and a standard of living superior 

 to that at present obtained by the ordinary Mexican field hand. 



When the necessary supply of reliable labour shall have been 

 found, and the means for improvements in the cultivation and prepara- 

 tion of the product introduced, there will be an opportunity for the in- 

 vestment of large capital in this business, for good tobacco is grown in 

 the country, and there is no reason why, with proper handling, it should 

 not obtain an advantageous footing on the markets. Tobacco is one of 

 the Mexican articles of export that will greatly benefit by the establish- 

 ment of direct communication with the United Kingdom, and there are 

 reasonable grounds to expect that before long a direct and regular 

 fteamship service will be offered to the public. 



INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HYBRIDIZATION. 



At the International Conference lately held in London under the 

 auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mr. Herbert J. Webber, of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, gave an interesting lec- 

 ture, on the work of his department in plant hybridization. He said 

 that the work of hybridizing was started not more than three years 

 ago, and the results attained were far from complete. All the plants on 

 which they had worked were, in the main, horticultural products of 

 America, and one of the principal was the orange plant. A few years 

 ago almost the entire orange industry for a season in Florida was des- 

 troyed by frost in a single night, and about a hundred million dollars 

 was lost by the damage done. In consequence of this they arrived at 

 the conclusion that either they must abandon the orange industry 

 in Florida, or secure a variety of orange which was very much hardier, 

 and which would resist the frost. Accordingly they set to work to 

 hybridize the Japanese orange, Citrus trifoliata,with the sweet orange 

 The trifoliata was found as far north as New York, and was used as 



