148 
THF  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[August  i,  1892. 
in  its  preparation  for  the  market.  As  far  as  aroma 
is  concerned  there  is  little  to  recommend  it,  which 
may  be  gleaned  from  the  fact  that  nobody  smokes 
it  in  Sumatra.  Although  devoid  of  that  fine  aroma 
which  distinguishes  the  Havannah  tobacco,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  the  most  serviceable  in  the  market, 
and  for  every  pound  of  Havannah,  there  are  a hundred 
or  more  of  Sumatra  used.  The  Sumatra  planters 
have  repeatedly  tried  Havannah  seed  with  the  view 
of  endeavouring  to  combine  the  qualities  of  the 
Sumatra  tobacco  with  those  of  the  Havannah,  but 
have  not  been  able  to  get  the  Havannah  plants  to 
grow  successfully,  and  have  therefore  been  compelled 
to  fall  back  on  their  own  seed.  Had  they  succeeded 
in  their  experiment,  the  tobacco  would  have  been 
greatly  enhanced  in  value,  and  weather  and  fertility 
of  the  soil;  but,  in  general  times,  it  may  be  said 
that  if  the  soil  is  good  and  season  favourable  from 
7 to  8 cwt.  per  acre  can  be  reckoned  upon,  on  some 
fields  as  much  as  9J  cwts  are  got,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  are  fields  that  yield  only  5 cwt. 
or  even  less  according  to  soil.  The  highest  grades 
of  Sumatra  tobacco  are  worth  from  5s.  to  7s.  per 
lb.  The  average  value  may  be  said  to  be  (inclu- 
ding all  grades)  2s.  6d.  or  2s.  7d.  per  lb.  Leaf 
containing  40  per  cent  of  broken  and  inferior  leaf 
lately  realised  the  average  of  2s.  3gd.  per  lb.  I 
have  reason  to  hope  that,  with  the  exercise  of 
proper  care,  so  large  a percentage  of  broken,  rusty, 
worm  eaten,  rotten,  and  other  inferior  leaf  will 
not  be  found  in  the  Fiji  produce.  In  Sumatra  there 
is  an  export  duty  of  it  guilders  per  bale.  Besides 
the  manager's  salary,  there  are  also  the  salaries  of 
clerks,  assistants,  mandors,  tandils,  directors,  adminis- 
trators, &c.,  &c.  The  freight  per  German  Lloyd 
from  Sumatra  to  Holland,  is  55fr.  per  last  of  800 
K.  G.,  or  ten  bales,  or  reckoning  the  dollars  (American) 
at  2fr.  50,  2 dol.  20  cents  per  bale  or  £5  14s.  per 
ton.  This  includes  transhipping  and  expenses  at 
Singapore  and  insurance. 
That  the  profits  attending  tobacco  cultivation  in 
Sumatra  under  favourable  conditions,  are  often 
fabulous,  is  an  undeniable  fact.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  hear  of  estates  clearing  from  £10,000  to 
£20,000  or  £30,000 — according  to  extent  under  cultiva- 
tion— in  one  season.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
dwell  at  any  great  length  upon  the  payable  nature 
of  the  industry-,  or  to  allude  to  the  enormous  divi- 
dends paid  by  the  companies  interested — reaching  as 
high  as  160  per  cent,  and  even  more  ; not  only  have 
the  Deli  companies  paid  these  enormous  dividends, 
but  they  have  in  addition  set  aside  15  per  cent,  of 
their  profits  towards  a sinking  fund  for  redemption 
of  capital.  The  present  price  of  the  Deli  Maatschappy 
Co.  s 100  guilders  share  is  680.  Such  immense  profits 
will  perhaps  in  some  instances  be  sceptically  re- 
garded, but  in  evidence,  I can  only  recommend 
those  who  have  any  doubt  in  the  matter  to  make 
more  searching  enquiries  for  themselves,  the  for- 
mation of  large  companies  in  Holland  for  the 
extension  of  the  industry  and  the  great  prosperity 
planters  and  all  classes  of  the  community  associated 
with  the  industry  enjoy — solely  from  this  one  source 
of  cultivation.  Whilst  travelling  from  Colombo,  I 
heard  a Tamil  servant  who  was  travelling  with  his 
master — a Sumatra  tobacco  planter — aptly  term 
Deli  “the  land  of  gold";  and  from  what  I after- 
wards saw  and  learnt  about  it,  I certainly  thought 
the  appellation  was  not  an  inappropriate  one.  The 
evidences  of  wealth  and  prosperity  are  to  be  seen 
in  every  direction,  amongst  all  kinds  and  conditions 
of  men — from  the  “tobacco  lord”  who  spends  his 
money  with  a freedom  rarely  met  with  amongst 
planting  communities  in  the  days  of  low  prices  and 
short  crops,  to  the  “boy”  and  native  one  meets 
with  whilst  travelling,  drinking  cordials  and  aerated 
waters,  and  smoking  “Old  Judge”  and  other  im- 
ported fine  cut  tobaccos.  Everything  is  most  exor- 
bitantly high  in  price,  yet  nevertheless  everybody 
appears  to  have  more  money  than  they  know  what 
to  do  with,  or,  at  least,  ample  means  to  provide 
far  more  than  what,  in  most  communities,  the 
same  class  of  people  would  deem  the  ordinary  ne- 
cessaries of  life.  Managers  draw  salaries,  which 
with  their  commissions,  range  from  £700  to  £300  a 
year,  drive  about  on  the  estates  in  buggies  with  a 
footman;  and  a Fiji  planter  might,  I think,  say 
they  do  the  thing  in  good  style.  Estate  management 
and  expenditure  is  of  a far  more  extravagant  and 
lavish  description  than  it  would  likely  be  in  Fiji 
among  its  more  hardworking  and  self-reliant  planters. 
The  industries  hitherto  tried  in  Fiji  have  left  so 
small  a margin  for  profit,  that  Fiji  planters  have 
been  taught  the  strict  necessity  of  economy,  where- 
as in  Sumatra  the  contrary  has  been  the  case. 
Another  advantage  which  exists  in  Fiji,  and  to 
which  I have  not  previously  referred — reducing  cost 
of  production — is  Fiji's  comparative  freedom  from 
destructive  worms,  insects,  Ac,  that  give  so  much 
trouble  in  Sumatra.  Worming  there  forms  one  of 
the  most  tedious  and  important  of  all  operations. 
Worms  are  so  bad  in  Sumatra  at  times  that  they 
become  a perfect  plague.  Another  advantage  which 
I think,  judging  from  my  own  knowledge  and  obser- 
vations in  connection  with  tobacco  in  Sumatra  and 
Fiji,  will  be  found  to  possess,  consists  in  the  fact, 
that  owing  to  its  superiority  of  soil,',  the"  second  crop 
obtained  from  the  suckers,  after  the  stalk  has  been 
cut,  will,  owing  to  the  greater  vitality  of  the  stalk, 
be  larger  and  of  a more  uniform  and  desirable 
quality  than  it  is  in  Sumatra. 
Upon  considering  the  various  conditions  under  which 
tobacco  is  grown  in  Sumatra,  and  comparing  them 
with  those  that  exist  in  Fiji,  together  with  the  re- 
sults that  have  attended  the  experimental  growth  of 
the  Sumatra  kind— irrespective  of  the  Havannah  and 
American — in  spite  of  the  unfavourable  conditions  in 
regard  to  selection  of  soil,  seed,  season  and  imperfect 
mode  of  cultivation,  with  which  these  experiments 
have  been  accompanied — it  will,  I think,  be  seen  what 
great  inducements  exist  for  furthering  the  experi- 
ment in  connection  with  tobacco  growing  in  Fiji ; 
and  as  fair  inference  from  the  facts  adduced  also  be 
seen,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that,  with  a 
proper  selection  of  soil,  seed,  season  and  mode  of 
cultivation,  not  only  the  Sumatra,  but  Havannah 
would  no  doubt  have  outstripped  all  others,  as  it 
would  not  only  have  served  for  wrappers,  but, 
having  the  necessary  aroma  for  fillers,  would  have 
served  for  that  purpose  also.  Most  Fiji  planters 
are  undoubtedly  aware  that  Havannah  tobacco  grows 
exceedingly  well  in  Fiji  as  much  so  as  any  other 
class.  This  fact  indicates  to  a large  extent  the  su- 
periority of  the  Fiji  soil  to  that  of  Sumatra.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  Cuba  (Havannah)  soil  is  of  a 
very  fine  description ; and  there  is  no  doubt  that 
the  Fiji  soil— in  many  parts  of  the  group — more 
closely  approaches  it  in  character  than  the  Sumatra. 
This  fact  should  afford  no  small  incentive  for  the 
prosecution  of  the  experiments  in  tobacco  growing 
in  Fiji. 
The  principal  old  tobacco  companies  in  Sumatra 
are  the  Deli  company,  the  Amsterdam  Deli,  the  Bata- 
vian Deli,  and  the  Langkat  company.  Besides  these 
there  are  several  other  smaller  concerns.  The  es- 
tates are  formed  on  bush  land.  A crop  is  taken 
off,  and  then  the  planter  is  compelled  by  the  Govern- 
ment to  allow  the  natives  to  grow  a crop  of  rice 
(dry)  on  it.  After  this  the  land  is  allowed  to  remain 
fallow  for  six  years  before  another  crop  of  tobacco 
is  planted.  In  a few  exceptional  cases  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Deli,  where  the  soil  has  been  unusually  good 
another  crop  has  been  taken  off  in  the  third  year. 
What  procedure  would  be  best  to  follow  in  Fiji,  or 
what  crop  would  be  best  to  grow  as  a rotation  one, 
is  a matter  open  for  consideration  and  experiment 
and  the  judgment  of  the  planter;  but  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  Fiji  soil  will  be  found  to  be 
better  able  to  endure  the  demands  on  it  than  the 
Sumatra.  Owing  to  the  system  of  cropping  I have 
referred  to,  the  possession  of  large  areas  of  land 
are  necessary  in  Sumatra  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  industry,  .especially  when  large  areas  are  planted 
every  year.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  available 
land  is  becoming  fast  played  out,  whilst  there  is  a 
very  narrow  scope  for  selection,  all  the  best  land 
having  been  taken  up.  It  is  unneccessary  for  me  to 
refer  to  the  advantage  Fiji  possesses  in  this  respect. 
In  opening  an  estate  the  land  is  divided  into  blocks 
of  100  acres  that  are  worked  in  succession.  Each 
