, 1896-09-05

varying rates according 10 SIZE an" L U0UI'
readily sell thousands more OF the same quail
tv at increased rates, which OF itself !
further proof of the quality OF tobacco o
1891" For q period OF three years MI
Wnuouam.}t cultivated tobacco at Sparta
and in the result his experiments proved INA
tobacco of good quality can undoubtedly b'
crown in Trinidad, but as regards the curing
Of the tobacco his results would seem to have
been far less satisfactory.
At the Colonial and Indian Exhibition
Trinidad exhibited some tobacco and cigars
upon which the following report was made by
the Society Of Arts, London: "ILe cigars
manufactured here are Of Il very good appear
ance carefully selected, and of It good colour,
and. taken throughout, the tobacco is as good
in quality as Havana The sample
marked l05 3, though inferior locking, had q
good deal Of favour. They were rather short
and would require Il sweet filler, being more
like caVendish. The leaN es are not properly
wrapped round, and require llquorice to bring
out the gloss The late Mr.. |. Mccarthy
F.I.C. Of Trinidad, appended the folio wing
note to the report: The tobacco from Trinl-
dad VAS f4vourabIy received. My opinion Is
that we can grow very fine tobacco. Oul
difficulty lies rather with fermentation, cur
ing aud drying, as we'll as with the Subse-
Quent problem Of putting It into a marketable
form or shape. ! might furthermore add
that with ono or two exceptions we have yet
to learn the secret Of making cigars which
will not collapse on being lgnited. The re-
mark made TO me by Il gentleman connected
with the London tobacco trade was simply
tLis:-'You can grow tobacco, Learn how to
cure and ship it. >"
Mr.. r. +. Anderson, at his estate "Ste
Marie" in the CaIaro Valley, Trinidad, has
grown and cured tobacco with success and at
a considerab q profit, aud be has manufactur-
ed cigars which have been readily bought
at a paying plice by London tobacco mer-
chants. 1t should be remarked, however,
that this gentleman gained his experience Of
tobacco under Cuban experts In Jamaica.
1t has been found that the soil in British
Guiana is quite adapted to the growing Of
good tobacco; in fact tobacco is now being
grown in that colony with the aim, we believe
Of gradually supply ing local consumption
with home grown tobacco. And the Commits
siuners appointed III British Guiana to report
on the banana industry and N minor indus
tries strongly recommend the growing Of
tobacco by way of establishing a profitable
new industry,
The cultivation Of tobacco in Grenada in
recent years cannot be said to have been un.
successful while on the contrary, the curing
of the Tobacco recently grown here, SO far as
we are able to learn, has not been attended
with the best results. But the cause Of this
is on the surface, visible to any inquirer into
the matter. The difficulty 10 curing tobacco
hes with the fermentation, fol it Is during
this dlthcHl and important process that Gel
tain chemical changes are set up IN the leaves
whereby the burning quality and the favour
Of the tobacco are attained; without these
qualities the tobacco is unfit for use. 1 he
difference betN cen a well-cnred and an i'll.
cured tobacco leaf is Just the Inference
between plus and minus. AMI it is Il
commonplace among tobacco experts that
there are many difficulties in curing tobacco
which only expert assistance of experience.
gathered over Il lengthened period by the
observant, can overcome. In Grenada no eX.
pert assistance has been obtained in the ex-
psriments made with tobacco, nor have any
persistent efforts been Systematically under
taken to acquire the art of curing tobacco by
practice aud experience, and SO, III these
circumstances 1t is no matter for surprise
that we have neither cured tobacco MOI
produced cigars of the best quality. And tht
literature on tobacco Obtainable in Grenada
is of the vaguest kind, partaking mainly O
information as to the manner of growing
tobacco. But despite all these drawbacks +
Is clear that the experiments with tobacco
Ill Grenada have net been conspicuous fail
ureS.
Ar ~ TT Race ouuu- 4.I...