Sbpt. 1906.1 237 Edible Products 



more humid than Hope. The leaves should take from sixteen to twenty days to 

 dry, turning yellow first at the tip and upwards to the midrib, closely followed by 

 the brown; whereas at Hope some of the pickings dried in two days, the leaves 

 remaining a green colour. Mr. T. G. Harris thinks that it is safe to advocate the 

 cultivation of this valuable crop only in such districts as upper Clarendon and 

 Temple Hall. Sumatra tobacco should be grown in the ordinary tobacco season- 

 August and September to March and April. At Hope the seeds were sown at the end 

 ot August in seed boxes under shade ; the seedlings planted out under the tent 

 from the middle to the end of October ; were weeded and moulded in the middle 

 of November, and the first ripe leaves picked on December 12— three and a half 

 months from the date of sowing. The tent proved to be the most expensive part 

 of the experiment, costing £S'i) 9s. 7d. The labour bill came to £3 8s. 3d. 



Mr. T. G. Harris says that it must be remembered that in conducting an 

 experiment of this kind, a great many difficulties have to be overcome, and in this 

 case the only one that was beyond us was the controlling of the atmospheric 

 conditions in the curing house during the drying of the tobacco ; it was thought 

 that adequate measures had been taken to cope with this contingent by daubing 

 the walls of the house and fixing shutters ; but the dryness of the climate was 

 all pervading ; if it is proposed to grow another crop at Hope next season, the 

 house will have to be close-boarded and fitted with a steaming apparatus. It is 

 my opinion, however, that nothing further is required to demonstrate that Sumatra- 

 wrapper can be successfully grown and cured in Jamaica, provided the work be 

 undertaken in the localities named. 



JAMAICA SHADE-GROWN TOBACCO FROM SUMATRA SEED. 



The experiment in the growing and curing of wrapper tobacco from 

 Sumatra seed under shade cloth, at the Hope Experiment Station, has been 

 successfully carried out. The texture and the elasticity of the leaf are all that 

 can be desired, while the colour is perfect. 



The cigar manufacturers who have examined the leaf pronounce it of a 

 high quality, and the colour equal to that of imported Sumatra. The local value 

 of the product, after being classed in the proper sizes and colours, pressed and 

 baled, is from 4s. to 6s. per lb. A very lucrative industry is thus open for Jamaica, 

 even although the initial cost is high. 



A quarter of an acre was laid out on a site previously occupied by Havana 

 tobacco, the tent being erected over two distinct kinds of soil ; one a heavy, black 

 loam, and the other, a sandy loam, is of a thinner and of a finer texture than that 

 from the black loam ; from the latter the leaf is heavier, and cured with a gummy 

 substance on the surface. 



In the progress of the experiment many methods were tried, and much 

 experience has been gained, and it is not supposed that improvements cannot be 

 made in the future. There will naturally be many ideas developed as to improve- 

 ments that can be made, e-cj., that the plant-! should have been topped, the picking 

 should have been done a little earlier or a little later to get the best results. 



It is well known by all tobacco growers that different soils and different 

 districts require different treatment. The production ot* the leaf, and the relation 

 of the different soils to the character of the leaf, and the necessities of cutiva- 

 tion must be further studied, and this knowledge will unquestionably be 

 beneficial. 



