Tobacco as a Farm Crop for England. 
219 
and to draw their own conclusions with regard to the future. 
If it were proved that tobacco could not be grown, the matter 
would there end ; if it were proved that tobacco could only be 
grown profitably in consequence of the alteration of the present 
laws, it would be for the country to decide whether those 
alterations should be made. 
It must be evident how necessary it is that these experiments 
should be carried out on a scale large enough to enable the 
Government to arrive at a true decision, seeing" there is in the 
balance 9,000,000/. per annum on one side and a good trade 
on the other. 
It is for these reasons, therefore, that I suggested the limitation 
in the number of experimenters, and the quantity of land to 
be experimented upon. I cannot express too strongly my con- 
viction that, in its present stage, the cultivation of tobacco in 
this country should be looked on as an experiment, and as an 
experiment only. Nothing could be more injurious to the 
experiments, or could more discredit the growth of tobacco in 
this country, or add to the cost of a Government enquiry, 
than a large number of small, ill-conducted attempts to grow it. 
The large revenue that is derived from tobacco, and the great 
indirect advantage this country might derive from its cultiva- 
tion ought to induce those who seriously wish to promote its 
growth not to hurry it prematurely forward, but to establish a 
firm foundation to work upon. I regret to find that some pro- 
moters are inclined to press forward its cultivation in this country 
at any cost, and it is one advantage of a society like the Royal 
Agricultural Society of England, that it is able, while aiding 
a great agricultural movement where millions are concerned, to 
judge dispassionately, and thus check any ill-advised promoters 
of this scheme from ultimately injuring the result we all wish 
to bring about by premature and precipitate advocacy. 
Q. — You have shown that concessions ought to be made, from 
the experimenter's point of view, but what benefit is the public 
to derive from this disturbance of the Revenue ? 
A. — The public will be benefited indirectly through the 
advantages that would accrue to the agricultural interest. If 
you grant that it is well for the Government to allow experi- 
ments, a payment of a duty per acre in lieu of a duty per 
pound will be a direct encouragement to the experimenter to 
grow as much tobacco as possible to the acre, and (which is 
much more important) to insist upon good and careful work 
from the men, women and children that he employs, to whom 
he could consequently give higher wages, and who would 
actually receive an education from the careful cultivation of a 
plant so delicate and so valuable, seeing that a single plant 
