51 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



The Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. 



Preface. 



One of the most promising of the new industries of Jamaica is the cultivation 

 of tobacco. Jamaica cigars and cigarettes have now become so widely known that 

 the industry deserves to be taken up on thoroughly enterprising lines, for the cultiva- 

 tion of tobacco in Jamaica appears to be likely to repay the judicious outlay of 

 capital in suitable localities. 



Jamaica tobacco and cigars were well represented at the recent Colonial and 

 Indian Exhibition at the Crystal Palace and secured four awards, including a ' Grand 

 Prize.' Trinidad also secured an award for manufactured tobacco and cigarettes. 

 Experiments in tobacco growing have been conducted at the Botanic Station at St. 

 Kitt's since 1901, and some measure of success has been attained. 



With the view of generally encouraging the cultivation of tobacco in the 

 West Indies, the present pamphlet has been prepared. It is mainly based on infor- 

 mation reprinted from the Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture, Jamaica. 



The notes on the cultivation and curing of tobacco were written by Mr. T. J. 

 Harris, formerly Assistant Superintendent of Hope Gardens and now Superinten- 

 dent of the Botanic Station at Bermuda. Mr. Harris was for some years in charge 

 of the experiments in tobacco production at the Hope Experiment Station, and his 

 notes, based on this experience, are likely to be useful to planters who may desire to 

 take up the cultivation. They form a simple and reliable guide to the various 

 details of cultivation of the tobacco plant and the curing of the leaves for the 

 market. 



For some time an interesting experiment has been carried out at the Hope 

 Experiment Station in connection with the cultivation of Sumatra tobacco for cigar 

 wrappers under shade. This experiment has so far been successful, and it may lead 

 to this class of tobacco cultivation being taken up on a fairly large scale. 



The notes on growing tobacco under shade in Jamaica were written by Mr. 

 W. N. Cunningham, who succeeded Mr. Harris as Assistant Superintendent of the 

 Hope Experiment Station. The notes are supplemented by information on similar 

 work in the United States, Cuba, and Sumatra. 



The cost of producing Sumatra leaf in Jamaica has been placed at 2s. to 

 2s. 2hd. per lb. Samples of this leaf were estimated by an expert to be worth 6s. per 

 lb. These figures are, however, liable to revision with wider experience in Jamaica 

 and elsewhere- 



The experiment has demonstrated that cigar wrapper tobacco equal, if not 

 superior, to Sumatra can be grown in Jamaica, and that its cultivation would 

 probably leave a good margin for profit. 



Appended to the notes on the cultivation and curing of tobacco is the report 

 of Mr. F. V. Chalmers, who visited Jamaica last year for the purpose of reporting on 

 the prospects of the Jamaica tobacco industry. The matter has also received atten- 

 tion from the Director of the Imperial Institute, who advises that expert assistance 

 be obtained from Cuba, or from Sumatra, or from Florida. 



Mr, Chalmers expresses the hope that the production of cigar leaf wrapper 

 will be largely taken up, as he is confident that ' thei'e is a large fortune waiting for 

 somebody who will only produce this tobacco as herein indicated,' 



