374 
The tropical AORlCULtUftlST. 
[November r, 1896 
realised, and, consequently, they have only had to re- 
port ou 1 he three specimeos from North Borneo, the 
West Indies, and the East Indies, which had been 
entered prior to the extension of time being granted. 
These three entries were duly inspected by the 
judges on February I8th, 1889, at theFenchurch Street 
warehouse, and their awaru was agreed upon ; at a 
subsequent meeting after they had had an opportmiity 
of comparing the merits ot the North Borneo and 
West Indian tobacco — from which samples were drawn 
for manufaclu-e into cigars. The East Indian tobacco, 
as stated below, was only suitable for cutting imr- 
poses, and hardly entered into competition with the 
others. 
The judges much regret that through inadvertence 
a sample of East Indian tobacco, marked L B X and 
T F 782, was not brought under their notice; but 
they have added (Appendix B) a report by Messrs. 
Grant, Chambers and Co., of 37, Fenchurch Street, 
on its commercial qualities, which was drawn up s^me 
time subsequent to their inspection of the three ex- 
hibits mentioned in the foregoing paragraph. 
Some difiSculty was experienced by the judges in 
arriving at a decision, owing to the varying charac- 
teristics of the tobaccos submitted to them, and 
opinions being nearly equally balanced in favour of 
the West Indian and North Boruer specimens — which 
were comparable as cigar tobaccos — they decided to 
recommend to the Section that the prize of fifty 
guineas should be divided between the growers of the 
two specimens. 
The judges are much indebted to Dr. Bell, of 
Somerset House, for his analysis of the specimens 
submitted to competition, which they append to this 
report. 
Subjoined are particulars as to the cultivation and 
preparation furnished by the growers, and our re- 
marks on the tobacco sent in for compe'ition : 
1. West Indian Tobacco (445 lb ). Grown by Seiior 
Nicacor Moreno, box 80, Kiugstun, Jamaica. This 
parcel, in two cases, w^s grown from Havana seed, 
on an estate at Airy Oastle, St. Andrew, the to'al 
quantity of the crop being 2,500, lb,, and the ap- 
proximate yield per acre about COO lb. The cost of 
production for the whole is stated at fiom 60s. to 
80s. per 100 lb., and the grower explains that ‘on 
account of dry weather the produce was not half of 
what it should have been.’ The entry was made by 
Messrs. B. and J. B, Machado, of Kingston, Jamaicj, 
who point out, with reference to the two cases, that 
the first contained about 200 lb. ratoon tobacco or 
second cut, viz., first and .second fillers mixed, and 
that the second included about 245 lb. of first cut, 
mostly first and second wrappers. At the top of the 
latter, however, there were also about 50 lb. of fillers 
as a fair sample of the first cut. The method of 
assorting adopted, it was explained, was due to the 
fact that the tobacco was not intended for expor- 
tation, but only for use in Messrs. Machado’s factory. 
These points were duly brought under the notice of 
the judges. 
Remarks of the Judges . — lu some important respects, 
this tobacco most fully complied with the conditions 
of the competition. Its general appearance was good, 
and it was of a uniformly dark brown colour. The 
leaves were fine and clear, there were some white 
veins, and about 18 per cent, of stalk. Viewed com- 
mercially, the tobacco was more suitable for fillers 
than for covers, the leaves being comparatively small, 
and consequently not very proJuctive for wrapping 
purposes. The flavour was good, but too strong for 
the English market, and more suited for Continental 
consumption. The tobacco burned wo'l, though slowly, 
and did not liold the fire as satisfactorily as the 
Borneo ; but if matured it would improve in burning. 
For blending with Cuba, Brazilian and Havana, it was 
specially suitable. The samples submitted apparently 
embraced all the classifications in the crop, thereby 
satisfying the conditions of the competition. They 
p-jssessed some resemblance to some sorts of Havana, 
and for certifin qualities justified the opinion that 
parts of .Jamaica are well adapted for raising the finer 
^iads gf tobacco. In the Island of Cuba only some 
limited districts produce the more valiuble descrip- 
tions, and similar selected places probably exist in 
o; her islands of the same group. 
2. British North Borneo Tobacco (533 lb).— 
Grown by Mr. P. Persyn, Panow Estate of the 
Borneo Tabac Maatsebappy Kudat, British North 
Borneo. This parcel, in three ba'es, was grown from 
Sumatra (Deli) seed on the Ranow Estate, the total 
quantity produced being 58.6C0 lb., and the approxi- 
mate yield per acre 1,100 lb. The entry was made by 
the British North Borneo Company. 
Remarks of the Judges - — Taking the three bales as 
a whole, the leaf naturally rerembled Sumatra tobacco ; 
the colour varied from medium brown to light brown, 
and there were seme unripe spots; the veins were 
hard and wiry, but the leat was thin, silky and 
tender. The proportion of stalk was about 16 per 
cent. Commercially considered this tobacco was the 
most valuable submitted to the judges, on account of 
its productiveness J and suitability for cigar covers. 
According to one estimate, about one pound, if care- 
fully worked, would be sufficient to coa-er about 450 
middle-size cigars. Made up into cigars by itself, the 
flavour of the tobacco was pungeul ; neutralised by 
mixture with other tobacco, so as to overcome the 
Sumatra flavour, it wou’d probably be better liked. 
Generally speakiag, however, it lacked the rich aroma 
peculiar to the fiuer classes of Wist Indian tobacco. 
The burning quali;ies of the leif were good, there 
being a clean ash, and cigars made from average 
samples k'^pt alignt for at lea.st five minutes. The 
specimens submitted were part of a large consign- 
ment, and apparently did not represent all the classi- 
fications of the crop, and for this reason the judges 
have not been able to form an opinion on the merits 
of the entire growth. 
3. East Indian Tob.acco (514 lb.).— Grown by the 
Superintendent of the Government Tobacco Farm, 
Ghazftepore, Bengal, of which Messrs. B“gg, Su’her- 
laud and Co,, of Cawnpore (Begg, Dunlop and Oo., 
London), are the lessees. The sample weighed 1,133 
lb., and it was one of 91 hogsheads shipped for sale 
to the United Kingdom, and not put up specially for 
the competition. The tobacco was raised from ‘ Pryor ’ 
seed, and about 60 tons weve produced. Messrs. Geo. 
D. Wishart and Co., of Liverpool, who made the 
entry, bolieve the hogshead to be ‘a fair representa- 
tive sample’ ot the entire growth, and state that 
‘for some years past the produce has shown steady 
progression especially in the handling and curing. 
Only at the last minute did we decide to enter this 
competition, and we regret that wo are unable to 
give any exact details as to the total quantity grown, 
or cost of production. The quantity shipped, however, 
shows that the tobacco is grown on a considerable 
scale, and that it has passed the experimental stage,’ 
Remarks of the Judges . — This tobacco was only suit- 
able for cutting purposes, and of a common quality. 
The leaf was coarse, though bright, and the stalks 
large. Nevertheless, the strength ot the leaf pointed 
to the capabilities of the soil on which it was grown 
for the cultivation of tobacco suitable for the pipe, 
provided there is a judicious selection of seed and the 
conditions of scientific culture are observed. The to- 
bacco submitte I resembled the lower American grades; 
in fact, with proper cultivation, it would be a good 
substitute for such kinds in the event of any stop, 
page in the supplies from the United States. It was 
estimated that in its then slate the tobacco would 
be worth in the English market about 3J. per lb., and 
perhaps more to buyers requiring it, on account of 
its colour for blending with other varieties. The fact 
that during the American war large quantities of to- 
bacco grown from American seed were imported from 
the East Indies should ba some encouragement to 
growers there. 
General Observations. 
In conclusion we have to repeat our expression of 
regret that the prize offered by the Section has failed 
ill its object to stimulate further attempts to develop 
a lucrative branch of production in the British 
colonies and possessions. This is the more to be re- 
gretted, because, in the great varieties gf climate aud 
