162 
Some Minor Farm Crops. 
found more economical to grow it in rotation. And again, 
though the crop at present has not been seriously attacked, it 
will no doubt in course of time develop various diseases of 
its own. 
At the present date more than one hundred acres of tobacco 
are being grown in this country under the direction of the 
British Tobacco Growers’ Society, initiated in November, 
1912, which is itself under the auspices of the Development 
Commission. This Society is not trading for profit, but is a 
branch of the co-operative movement, and is affiliated to the 
Agricultural Organization Society. The scheme outlined by 
the Society and the Development Commission contemplates an 
experiment over a period of five years, at the end of which 
period it ought to be possible to speak with confidence as to the 
possibility of tobacco growing in England. 
Each grower, under this scheme, receives the whole cost of 
the cultivation of the crop ; this includes seeds or plants, sheds 
for air-curing, &c., and all expenses incurred for manures and 
labour, in fact, every reasonable item of expenditure except 
supervision. Beyond this the grower receives a bonus with a 
minimum of 51. and a maximum of 1(B. All the wages paid 
are to be at the rate current in the district, and the manures 
used are to be applied as directed by the Society. The Society 
reserves the right to remove sheds after March 31 in any given 
year. An application to the Society for permission to grow 
tobacco in no way binds the applicant until the sheds are 
erected, and it is at the Society’s discretion to approve or reject 
any application as they may think fit. 
If approved, the crop becomes the property of the Society 
to be dealt with as they may determine. The area to be 
grown for the next few years will only be very limited, and 
the Society have to use the greatest discretion to avoid plots 
being taken up in districts unsuitable for the culture of tobacco, 
or at too great a distance from their re-handling centre. 
The tobacco-growing industry in England, in the opinion 
of the writer, seems to be quite a feasible and profitable 
proposition. The greatest care, however, must be taken in 
placing only good and undoctored tobacco on the market or 
an almost irretrievable blow will be struck at this promising 
industry. At first only those who have the facilities for 
turning out a really good article should be allowed to grow 
this crop, as an immense amount of popular prejudice has yet 
to be overcome. 
The Excise regulations are an exceedingly heavy handicap. 
An officer has to be present at all weighings and packings, and 
he is not always obtainable when required, which often means 
delay and expense. The officer further has to take samples 
