280 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava., 1901. 
AUSTRALIAN TOBACCO. 
By R. S. NEVILLE, 
Instructor in Tobacco Culture. 
Why do manufacturers prefer American tobacco? Why is it the manu- 
factured colonial tobacco does not makes as good a smoke as the American? 
These questions are often asked, and it may be said the last one in part 
answers the first, but is not a sufficient answer. 
The following cable from London, dated 11th June, will throw much light 
on the subject, and emphasises what is to follow :— 
“ Vicrortan ToBacco. 
“Sir Andrew Clark, Agent-General of Victoria, recently distributed 
among the leading importers and manufacturers at Liverpool samples of 
Victorian tobacco, and he has now received reports of an encouraging character 
regarding the quality of the article. 
“One firm remarked that the Victorian tobacco, if properly handled, would 
be difficult to distinguish from Kentucky strips.” 
Strips is tobacco with two-thirds to three-quarters of the stem or midrib 
taken out. 
This is the opinion of a class of men who are as fine judges of the tobacco 
suitable for their trade requirements as there are in the world. These men 
know what is required, and know the tobacco that will supply it, and you see 
their verdict on colonial tobacco. 
“Tf properly handled.” 
This involves the entire manipulation of the tobacco from the time it is 
harvested in the fieid until it passes into the hands of the manufacturer. How 
to do this has been shown in former articles in this Jowrnal, under the headings 
“Directions for Curing Heavy Pipe and Export Tobaccos” and “ Handling 
Heavy Pipe Tobacco.” 
The proper handling does not necessarily mean to take out the stem and 
make strips of it, for there is a large demand in the British market for 
unstemmed or leaf tobacco, as some forms of manufactured, notably certain kinds 
of Irish roll, take the entire stem, others simply butted—that is, the butt or pro- 
jecting part of the stem is cut off; the stems are also used to some extent 
for making a low-grade smoking, and also for snuff. That the unstemmed 
tobacco is largely used is shown by the circular of Thomas H. Edwards and Co., 
Liverpool, of 30th April:—Of the 92,178 hogsheads and tierces in stock on that 
date, 18,460 were unstemmed or leaf tobaceo. The Australian manufacturers 
use only strips for their American tobacco. 
In addition to what has already been written on the proper handling, it is 
important that growers should be more careful in assorting and tying their 
tobacco. Some will cut suckers unmatured and that ave totally unfit for use, 
and work them in; while in the United States this is never done, as buyers 
would refuse to buy it. It is unfair to manufacturers to demand payment for 
such stuff and expect them to throw it away, and when worked spoils the pro- 
duct. There has unquestionably been an improvement in the smoking qualities 
of the local product within the last two years, the result of continued effort on 
the part of the manufacturers to meet the demand of the trade for a good smoke, 
and to do this they have had to throw out the green and worthless sorts, and the 
growers are beginning to be more careful, and it is to be hoped they will continue, 
as the throwing out of worthless stuff is only a small loss to the individual 
farmer. 
The green tobacco can be brightened and sweetened by hanging in the 
open air on scaffolds, and taking the dew, frost, and sun. 
