Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-11-13
TOBACCO IN AUSTRALIA.
The Antipodes TO Become Competitor
of the Western World.


Of the Western World.
Australia has at last set about max
ing serious effort to cultivate tobacco
For 80 years or more the feed has been
grown in limited areas in New South
Wales, Queensland and Victoria, but it
can scarcely be said to have been cult
waited Not at any stage has the indus
try been backed by scientific knowledge,
at least not until experts were sent over
from this country. Victoria secured the
services of Mr.. Bondurant, Ksntucki-a
an, if we mistake not, and New SoutE
Wales those of Mr.. Howell, also from
the south. The former has been at the
antipodes for two or three gears and
the latter only few months Sufficient,
however, has been done by Mr. Bondu-
rant in Victoria to demonstrate that a
good marketable article can be grown
there, and that in future tobacco will
figure much more prominently in the
list Of Australian exports than was
thought likely few years back. 1t was
the success which attended the efforts
of Mr.. Bondurant as practical instruct
or that induced the government Of
New South Wales to follow Victoria's
lead and also turn to the States for a
scientific teacher And now we learn
that the agricultural department of
Queensland is assisting its growers by
importing the best American seed pro-
durable. The expert, it is presumed,
will follow in due course.
There is no doubt whatever that to-
bacco can be proftably grown in all the
Australian colonies The product may
never rival Vuelta Abajo, not even
equal that of our New England states,
but the fact that the governments have
decided to push the enterprise for all
that it is worth means that tobacco i'll
large quantities will eventually be pro-
duced and placed on the markets of Eu
rope. The latest reports from Victoria
place the new crop at $50 tons, but the
average annual yield has been double
that for some years past The great
drought that afflicted Australasia in
the latter part of 1896 accounts for the
falling Off Just what percentage Of
these $50 tons will be shipped abroad is
not stated, but fair quantity is des-
tined for London and Liverpool as
sample shipments only, be it under
stood. The tobacco is probably on its
way to Europe at this moment for the
report under review was written in
June. The leaf was then being treated
for shipment, but it was thought some
little time would be consumed in get
ting it ready. 1t will be packed much
the same as are our southern tobaccos.
From this report, however, we learn
that the government expert is very well
pleased with the results attained at the
experimental farm at Edi, where he
planted large number of varieties Of
plug and cigar leaf tobacco Mr.. Bon
durants chief object has been to deter
mine what varieties of leaf were best
adapted to Victorian soil and climate,
and this, it is claimed, he has DONE
Next season a larger crop is to be set
out, and should that prove CONNER
cial success the tobacco raising industry
will be fairly launched. In all human
probability it will be years before Aus
tralia becomes competitor Of ours in
this field, but once it has been proved
that tobacco is profitable crop to grow
and the farmers have learned to handle
it, then we may have to bestir ourselves.