The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-11-21

age Of the Planters Labor and
Supply Company. In a carefully
prepared report on this subject jos.
Marsden, Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, writes:
Mr.. Chas. Wilcox on his place at
Ulupalakua on Maui, raised patch
of tobacco from the Sumatra seed fur-
nished him. The tobacco grew we'll
but was cut before it was ripe. Last
year a patch from Sumatra seed was
grown at the Government nursery
and cured but not fermented; fermen-
tation is absolutely necessary In order
to bring out the true color and elastl-
city OF the leaf, and it was found I'M
possible to ferment the small quantity
grown, about fifty pounds. This TO-
bacco has been examined by q TO-
bacco planter from Sumatra anu pro-
nounced by him to be as good as the
average of Sumatra tobacco before
being fermented.
Samples have been sent abroad and
one manufacturer thought so highly
of the tobacco as 10 request that ten
pounds be sent, so that he could work
il ND into a marketable lot. The ten
pounds have been furnished and re-
ply is expected at an early date.
There is every reason to believe tnat
these Islands can produce fair quail
ity of cigar wrapper and with few
years of experience, perhaps rival the
Sumatra product; but in order to fully
demonstrate this, an enterprise Will
have to be started on large scale
involving an outlay of from twenty to
TWENTY-FIVE thousand dollars. In
order to create bulk for the fermen-
tation so necessary to bring the to-
bacco to a marketable condition, at
least seventy-five acres of land would
have to be planted. In Sumatra
there are some small growers who
cultivate from ten to fifty acres, but
i'm every case the tobacco is sent to q
central factory or to a larger grower
to be fermented. The large outlay
mentioned is caused by the large
number of drying sheds needed for
the crop, each eight acres OF tobacco
requires a drying shed ninety feet
long by sixty feet wide. The sheds
can be constructed of the cheapest
lumber with matched roof and
walls, but at the cheapest rate
that they can be contracted for
they will form a large item in
the outlay for the first crop; in
most cases they will serve for the sec
ond and even a third crop. One OF
the sheds can be made to serve for
ton, one Chinaman can plant, Guilt
yate and cut the tobacco on an acre
and a half of land. Other expenses.
such as blowing, curing, fermenting,
sorting and baling, would bring up
the outlay to the sum mentioned. The
crop would probably be about 500
pounds OF cured tobacco to the acre.
The highest grades OF Sumatra
wrappers are worth from S1.2o To Sl.1o
per pound, while the prices realized
for all grades is about go cents per
Mound. IN we could be certain of pro-
ducing a tobacco equal to the Sumatra
article, the prices realized would yield
a profit on the first crop which would
be largely increased on the second and
third crops, but some years would GER
tainly elapse before we should gain
the skill and experience to compete
with Sumatra in the markets OF the
world.
1t is extremely improbable that
Sumatra prices could be realized Tor
our tobacco, and unless we gain some
decided advantage over Sumatra it
will be difficult to enlist capital in an
enterprise which is so uncertain as to
results. But should the Hawaiian
Islands be annexed to the United
States or a free trade treaty be rat1-
fed, or our present duty be so amend
ed as to admit Hawaiian tobacco free
of duty into the United States, then
we should have such an advantage
over Sumatra or any other country,
that tobacco culture would offer such
tempting prospects that many would
be eager to engage in the business.
A Sumatra planter informed the
writer that il ever Hawaiian tobacco
was admitted free into the United
states many of the Sumatra planters
would come to these islands and en-
gage in the culture of tobacco. The
duty on tobacco leaf for wrappers by
the Wilson bill is $3.50 per pound, and
with such an advantage over other
countries the culture of tobacco on
these islands would speedily become
leading industry.