THE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXXIX. COLOMBO, OCTOBER 15th, 1912, No. 4-. 



TOBACCO PLANTING IN CEYLON. 



At the meeting of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, held in Colombo 

 on September 10th last, the Hon'ble Mr. A. Kanagasabai asked whether 

 the Director of Agriculture had decided upon any definite line of action in 

 the future with regard to the subject of tobacco cultivation in Ceylon. 

 It will perhaps be opportune briefly to examine the case for a renewed 

 trial of tobacco growing by the Government or by the Society. 



The Tobacco "Expert." 



One of the difficulties to be encountered is that of securing a com- 

 petent man and we take this opportunity of saying that we are not. sure 

 that one describing himself as an " expert " would necessarily prove to be 

 the man we require. This word in our opinion is not well adapted to 

 describe those who have specialized in the cultivation of tobacco, rubber, 

 cotton or any other particular product. A man may be appropriately 

 called expert at cigar wrapping or rubber tapping or at any other mech- 

 anical work at which he is particularly skilful ; but a successful tobacco 

 planter must have many other qualities besides that of skill in planting. 

 We have known men who have proved unsuccessful in other pursuits, 

 after visiting a few rubber estates and attending an exhibition describe 

 themselves as rubber " experts," a designation never completely assuring. 

 A man who has specialized in tobacco planting must have devoted more 

 of his life to planting tobacco than to anything else ; but the word 

 " specialist" is as a rule used to describe those who have made a study of a 

 particular branch of surgery. An experienced tobacco planter needs 

 describing in no other terms than briefly a tobacco planter. No one as 

 far as we are aware is expert at tobacco planting in Ceylon, meaning 

 thereby that he knows how t plant and cure tobacco in Ceylon and com- 

 pete successfully in the world'? markets. We must seek a thoroughly 

 experienced man — one not merely to prescribe but to produce. 



The Position in Jaffna. 



Jaffna smoking tobacco is being shut out of Travaucore ; not 

 entirely but to a great extent. This will mean a serious financial loss 

 to the district unless some other market can be found, as tobacco is the 



