The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-02-13
TOBACCO HAS
COME To STAY
Company With Good Prospects
Formed to Operate in
k0na.

of formation. having a capital of $50,
600 to grow tobacco in Central Kona
The capital will be furnished by loca
people and c. r. Blacow, VINO ha
done more successful tobacco growing
in Hawaii than any other man, is pro
noting the enterprise. Jared G. Smith
for the past seven years special agen
in charge of the Hawaii experimental
station. will act as manager of th'
new concern.
Mr.. Smith, seen yesterday, said tha
he had decided to give up his govern
ment position because the new tobacco
company held out better prospects.
''The plantation, said he, will bt
located at Keokea, central Kona, anC
we expect to commence operations
this summer. We have 216 acres Of
land leased from the Bishop estate
The culture of tobacco in the Terri
tory has advanced beyond the expert.
mental stage and I think that this
industry has a great future here and
that homegrown tobacco will before
very long be a most important item In
the commerce of the islands.
''The local leaf should command a
ready market, and will undoubtedly dc
so, on account of it's excellent quality
The leaf is a good burner, of fine color
and possesses splendid texture. The
new company will cultivate the Suma-
ira wrapper leaf and will be able to
produce an article which will compare
favorably with any sumatra leaf grown
anywhere. 1t is better than the to-
bacco grown under artificial shade in
Connecticut and Florida.
I'VE shall cater to the foreign mar
ket and I feel reasonably sure that we
shall attract that trade. The United
States imports 100000 pounds of to-
bacco from foreign countries every
year and we figure to cut into this
c. r. Blacow, promoter of the Kona
Tobacco Company. Ltd. as the new
organization will be called had the fol-
lowing to say on the subject yester-
day:
= 1.-The culture of tobacco in Hawaii
will not interfere with sugar for a very
great deal of it will be grown above
the sugar line. Also more intelligent
class of laborers will be employed
than those who work on the sugar
AS a small mans crop the growing
of tobacco holds out greater advan-
tages than anything else. Tobacco
Yields three crops a year and this
means that a planter will not have
TO work at something else for two or
three years until his crop natures. In
Kona facilities are better for the cul-
aviation of tobacco than anywhere else
On the big island. Three different
grades can be grown at as many eie-
1ations. The new company will turn
,ut a choice Hawaiian cigar which,
Judging from the success which has
attended the experiments in making
'eally domestic cigar here, should jump
nto instant favor. The islands are
;reat tobacco consumers, $56S, 900 being
ent away for tobacco last year.
The Keokea lands are five miles
outh from Kealakekua Bay, the land
ng being at Napoopoo.
The lower lands will produce the
cigarette grades; the middle
Elevations the aromatic Cuban yarie- |
les; and the uplands the sumatra leaf, |
he perfection of all cigar wrapper to-
'acco.
The varieties of tobacco best adapted |
or culture in Hawaii are:
Cuban c., yielding per acre 1900 to |!
GOO pounds; Havana H, yields from |
600 to 1900 pounds: sumatra b, yields /
rom 500 to 1000 pounds; Turkish to-
acco, yields about 500 pounds per
ere.
The average import prices of Suma-
ra tobacco brought into the United |
tates1 in 1907 was $1.1s per pound.
'hese are invoice prices. which are
ess freights, commissions, duties and
ther marketing charges. which
rought the average New York price
D $500 per pound. Best lengths,
rades and colors of the 1906 crop sold
1 New York (season of 1000 at s4.0O
, $3.50 per pound, inferior grades at
2.25 to s2.75. Seven million five hun
red thousand pounds were imported.
he duties are s1.S5 and $3.50 per
Continued on Page Three.)