234 Tobacco as a Farm Crop Jor England. 
to many people to be tasted. Among others, Lord Crawford and 
Balcarres said that out of the thirteen sorts some were mild and 
pleasant, but in all there was a peculiar flavour quite different 
to what one looks for in tobacco, and his impression was that 
it would be some time before they would be used, as the flavour 
needed an acquired taste. The Jibeli tobaccos from near Smyrna 
are quite out of the market in England, though largely used by 
all poor Arabs. There is a great similarity in the darker qualities 
of the Kent tobacco to the Jibeli sort. He said he used the 
Jibeli tobacco largely, when abroad, mixed with one third of 
Salonique. This makes a most pleasant smoke — the best of all 
to Lord Crawford's taste. Dr. Voelcker determined by analysis 
that the light tobacco contained 3 • 62 per cent, and the dark 
2 "41 per cent of nicotine. Although this assured me of a 
certain amount of success, it is not really a true test, for it is 
hardly fair to judge of the quality of the tobacco yet, as there 
are certain disagreeable organic substances in the leaf that can 
only be got rid of by fermentation. 
Again, I believe that no variety of tobacco is manufactured 
alone, various tobaccos being always blended (by the manufac- 
turer) for smoking. I had some very expensive American tobacco 
made into cigarettes without blending, in precisely the same 
way as the English tobacco, and they were not considered so 
good as the English. 
Q. — What is indicated by the terms, " birds-eye," " honey- 
dew," " cavendish " and the like ? Are they merely technical 
terms, or do they denote any special variety ? 
A. — Tobaccos are classed into upwards of thirty different 
kinds, as Virginia, Maryland, China, German, Latakia, Sumatra, 
Trademonde and Paraguay ; but all such specific designations 
are lost when tobacco is manufactured, and the terms you 
mention merely indicate a peculiarity in the mode of blending 
or of manufacture. 
As a rule tobaccos are classed under five heads, namely 
" common," " middling," " good," " fine," and " selected." All 
these tobaccos when once passed into the hands of the manu- 
facturers are manipulated and blended and are known under 
particular brands, such as Cope's " Prairie Flower," " Sultan 
Cigarettes," and English tobacco might possibly be used for 
purposes of blending, in the same way as China tobacco, which 
is a light, mild, and somewhat flavourless tobacco. The qualities 
which Lord Crawford mentions may give a value of their own, 
even if the flavour is not so good as to create a taste for English- 
grown tobacco. 
