1837.] Transactions of the Agri-Horticullural Society of India. 1?5 



produced from Virginia seed at the Society's late farm of Akra. The 

 report is drawn up by dealers and manufacturers of London, who de- 

 clare the sample in question the best " Indian tobacco they had ever 

 seen," and consider it worth from 6d. to Sd. per pound. 



Madras, we believe, now supplies the English market with tobacco 

 to the extent of about one thousand chests annually, the whole of which 

 sells in bond at these prices. This is excellent encouragement, as we 

 believe the average price of real Virginian tobacco does not exceed 

 that amount, and we have been informed, unless we mistake, that it is 

 placed in the bond warehouse at about 2d. per pound, thus affording 

 an average profit of nearly 200 per cent. 



Mr. Piddington gives an account of some very good tobacco which 

 he raised on an ordinary dark gray or black soil, and which he, so to 

 speak, manured with iron by putting a handful of " Soorky," (what 

 form of the metal that is we are unable to inform our readers) into each 

 hole when transplanting. The experiment of course must go for no- 

 thing, as the circumstances in which it was made were unfavourable, 

 and no comparative trial was made to ascertain the effect of the iron 

 by planting so many more without, and then treating them in all 

 other respects the same. 



Some Cabool seed, which was sown in Salem, and treated in the 

 same manner as the Virginia is in that district, produced a fair crop 

 of rich fine tobacco, in spite of the season proving somewhat unfavour- 

 able, and the plants being slightly attacked with mildew. We shall 

 probably return to this subject. We cannot close our notice of this 

 volume, so replete with information, without expressing a hope that 

 we may annually have an opportunity of passing in review, and be- 

 stowing on each occasion our humble meed of applause, at least a 

 similar volume of Transaction of the Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society of India. 



R. W. 



