was placed in a retort with milk of lime and steam passed through it
till the distillate was no longer alkaline. Alkaloid in abundance was
found in the distillate, which had a distinct odour of nicotine. The
distillate was then extracted with ether, and the ether slowly driven
off. The residue obtained was a light straw coloured oily liquid of
powerful odour, giving off irritating fumes when heated.
“Estimation of Nicotine.—In the estimation of nicotine much difficulty
was experienced, owing to imperfect knowledge of the alkaloid, and to
the imperfect methods recommended in various papers on the subject. The
only method we found reliable was by using a standard solution of
Mayer’s reagent, obtained by mixing 13·546 grams of mercuric chloride in
solution with 49·8 grams of potassic iodide, in solution, and adding
water to make 1 litre.[D] One c.c. of this solution represents ·003945
grams of nicotine, the precipitate having the formula C₁₀H₁₆N₂I₂.HgI₂.
“The method we adopted of working with this solution was as follows:—One
or more grams of dried and powdered tumbeki were treated with diluted
sulphuric acid (2·5 per cent.) for several hours on a water-bath,
filtered, and the leaves washed with hot 1 per cent. acid till the
filtrate was colourless.
“The filtrate was then either evaporated to a low bulk and extracted
with alcohol, to get rid of albuminous matters which interfered with the
reaction, or neutralized with sodic hydrate and the alkaloid extracted
with chloroform, the chloroformic solution being shaken with diluted
sulphuric acid as in the ordinary methods of alkaloid extraction.
“The objection to the first method is that the alcohol has to be driven
off before the Mayer’s reagent can be added, which is troublesome and
lengthens the process.
“The solution of the alkaloid in excess of sulphuric acid having been
obtained, Mayer’s reagent was carefully added till no more precipitation
was observed, the end of the reaction being ascertained when on
filtering some of the nicotine solution into a watch-glass and adding a
drop of the reagent, no precipitate was formed. With careful
manipulation concordant results were obtained.
“Other methods tried were as follows:
“Volumetric method.—Ten or more grams of powdered tumbeki were distilled
with a solution of sodic or potassic hydrate, the distillate being
passed into a known volume of decinormal standard solution of sulphuric
acid, and the amount of acid neutralized by the nicotine was determined
by a standard decinormal solution of soda and the nicotine calculated.
“By this method the results obtained were invariably too high owing to
an appreciable quantity of ammonium salts contained in the leaves. Dr.
Kissling[E] has also noticed the high percentages obtained by this
method of estimating nicotine.
“Kosutány treats the leaves with milk of lime till all the ammonia is
driven off, and then extracts with water; shakes the aqueous solution
with petroleum ether and proceeds as before.
“This method was not found to give good results, for though the ammonium
salts do not interfere with the reaction, yet the petroleum ether does
not extract the whole of the alkaloid, and thus a low percentage is
obtained.
“Extraction by Ammoniacal Ether.—This consists in extracting the
powdered leaves in an upright extractor, by an ethereal solution of
ammonia, and either driving off the ether and weighing the residue as
nicotine; or volumetrically estimating the residue by decinormal
solution of sulphuric acid, or precipitating the alkaloid by platinum
perchloride. In either case, whichever way the residue is estimated, the
results are too high, owing to the difficulty of entirely getting rid of
the ammonia.
“The following are the percentages of nicotine in the tumbeki:—
‘_Ispahan._’—I. By Mayer’s Reagent.
A. (midrib) 8·156 per cent.
B. (leaf) 5·508 ” ”
C. (leaf and midrib) 5·589 ” ”
D. (leaf) 5·3865 ” ”
——————
5·4945 per cent. average.
II. By Volumetric Method.
By working on 10 grams = 7·2 per cent.
By working on 50 grams = 7·228 ” ”
‘_Hidjaz._’—I. By Mayer’s Reagent.
A. (leaf and midrib) 2·025 per cent.
B. (leaf and midrib) 2·268 ” ”
C. (leaf and midrib) 2·028 ” ”
D. (leaf and midrib) 1·863 ” ”
—————
2·046 per cent. average.
II. By Volumetric Process.
A. 2·37 per cent.
III. By Ethereal Solution of Ammonia.
3·6 per cent.
‘_Kechan._’—By Mayer’s Solution.
A. (leaf and midrib) 2·835 per cent.
B. (leaf and midrib) 3·0375 ” ”
C. (leaf and midrib) 2·85525 ” ”
——————
2·90925 per cent. average.
‘_Shiraz._’—By Mayer’s Solution.
A. (leaf and midrib) 5·8725 per cent.
B. (leaf and midrib) 5·7975 ” ”
——————
5·835 per cent. average.
-----
Footnote D:
Dragendorff, ‘Chemische Werthbestimmung starkwirkender Droguen,’ § 63,
p. 52 _et seq._
Footnote E:
The ‘Analyst,’ January 1886, p. 16; ‘Chem. Zeit.,’ ix., 1886.
-----
“Estimation of Saccharoid Matter; calculated as cane sugar.—The
fermentation process was the one adopted, not that we consider it by any
means a good one, but because it was the only one practicable. Fehling’s
solution was inadmissible, owing to the precipitation of colouring and
other matters, and the polariscope gave no indication. The objections to
the fermentation process are due to the small amount of alcohol produced
in the relatively large bulk of liquid. This renders the solution liable
to acetification, and the ultimate distillate obtained is very weak in
spirit, making it extremely difficult to obtain the correct specific
gravity; the specific gravities obtained were always between ·998 and
unity.
“We worked as follows:—200 grains of dried tumbeki were exhausted by
repeated infusion in boiling water. The filtered liquid when cool was
mixed with 100 grains of German yeast and allowed to stand three days in
a warm place to ferment.
“About one-third was then distilled, the distillate being redistilled
and three successive fractions of 500 fluid grains collected, the
alcohol in each being estimated; the third portion contained little if
any spirit.
“It being stated that basic acetate of lead removes saccharoid matter
from the kindred plant tobacco; we tried its action on the infusion of
tumbeki.
“At the onset it was found impossible to thoroughly wash the bulky
precipitate caused by the lead; so, to ensure a definite result,
sufficient basic acetate of lead was added to the infusion of 200 grains
of tumbeki and the whole made up to 30 fluid ounces with distilled water
and well mixed. An aliquot part (20 fluid ounces) was then filtered off,
excess of lead removed by sulphuretted hydrogen, the sulphide filtered
out, the solution boiled to drive off the sulphuretted hydrogen and the
infusion, when cool, was fermented in the usual way. But acetic acid was
necessarily present from the decomposition of the lead salt by the
sulphuretted hydrogen, and this on distilling would tend to raise the
specific gravity. To remedy this, slaked lime, or preferably potassic
hydrate, was added before redistilling, but considering that from one to
three per cent. of ammoniacal salt is contained in the original tumbeki,
it is probable that some might still remain and by the action of the
fixed alkali furnish a trace of free ammonia which would lower the
specific gravity, and thus apparently raise the percentage of alcohol.
As far as we can judge basic acetate of lead does not seem to remove
fermentable matter from infusion of tumbeki.
────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────
│ I. │ II.
────────┼─────┬────────────┼─────┬────────────
│ │ Pb │ │ Pb
│ │ treatment. │ │ treatment.
Ispahan │2·64 │ 2·67 │ — │ 2·35
Hidjaz │3·00 │ 2·8 │ 2·7 │ —
Kechan │5·58 │ 5·33 │ — │ —
Shiraz │3·48 │ 3·88 │3·23 │ 3·1
────────┴─────┴────────────┴─────┴────────────
“Ash.—The following bases and acids were uniformly found in the
ashes:—Sodium, potassium, lithium, magnesium, calcium, iron, aluminium,
silica, chlorine, phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, carbonic acid.
GENERAL TABLE OF RESULTS.
─────────────────────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────
│Ispahan. │Hidjaz. │Kechan. │Shiraz.
─────────────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────
Nicotine │ 5·4945 │ 2·046 │ 2·909 │ 5·835
Saccharoid matter │ 2·64 │ 2·85 │ 5·58 │ 3·355
Saccharoid matter after │ │ │ │
Pb treatment │ 2·51 │ 2·80 │ 5·33 │ 3·49
Soluble in water │42·0 │42·3 │39·9 │55·6
Insoluble in water │58·0 │57·7 │60·1 │44·4
Ash │22·0 │28·5 │28·5 │26·15
─────────────────────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────
“The foregoing work has been carried out in the laboratories of the
Pharmaceutical Society.”
_Philippines._—The soil and climate of the Philippines are eminently
suited to tobacco culture; but the unjust Spanish monopoly cripples the
industry, and it is declining. Next to the Cuban (Vuelta abajo) and a
few prime Turkish sorts, Manilla tobacco is admitted to be the best.
Most of the Philippines produce it. According to the quality of the
produce, the provinces rank as follows:—(1) Cayagan and Ysabel, (2)
Ygorrotes, (3) Island of Mindanáo, (4) Bisayas, (5) New Ecija. On the
average, over 400 million cigars, and a quantity of tobacco sufficient
to bring up the total weight to 56,000 cwt., are annually exported. The
advantage of the plantations in Cayagan lies in the annual deposit of
alluvial matters by the overflowing of the large streams. The
cultivation in Bisayas promises to become extinct, whereas if the
natives were free to sell in the best market, the industry would
increase immensely. The yield of the Cebu district in 1878 was 8780
_quintals_, the whole of which went to the cigar factories of Cadiz and
Alicante. The exports from Manilla were:—in 1877 17,526,700 lb. tobacco,
value 525,801_l._; 87,007,000 cigars, value 243,619_l._; 1878,
15,630,400 lb. tobacco, value 468,918_l._; 136,835,000 cigars, value
383,136_l._; 1879, 9971 _quintals_ (of 101½ lb.) tobacco leaf to Great
Britain, and 74,490 _quintals_ to Spain; cigars, 10,571,000 to Great
Britain, 6,557,000 to Australia, 44,586,000 to the Straits Settlements
and India, 25,861,000 to China and Japan, 693,000 to the United States,
100,000 to California, 1,521,000 to Spain and the Continent; the total
values amounted to 480,263_l._ The exports of tobacco from Yloilo were
25,454 _piculs_ (of 133⅓ lb.) in 1878, and 20,600 _quintals_ (of 101½
lb.) in 1879, all to Spain.
_Roumania._—Tobacco was extensively cultivated at one time, with
success, near Macin and in other parts; but the monopoly has greatly
affected the condition of the industry.
_Russia._—As regards the production of tobacco, Russia ranks second
among continental countries, but the consumption is less per head than
in other lands. Consul Stanton says that smoking began in the latter
part of the sixteenth century, and the habit steadily increased,
notwithstanding the fact that it was punished by the knout, slitting of
the nostrils, and banishment to Siberia. It is most extensively
cultivated in Tshernigoff, Poltava, Bessarabia, and Samara. In Poland,
the production is not large, and is mainly confined to the vicinity of
Warsaw. It is chiefly cultivated by the peasants and is often their only
occupation.
In 1883, Riga exported 70,722 _pouds_ of leaf tobacco, valued at 194,486
_rubles_. Sevastopol shipped 59 _pouds_, value 1100 _rubles_. Tobacco is
now cultivated largely in all parts of the Crimea, and is likely to
become an export of considerable importance. In Taganrof plantations are
on the increase, and the culture promises well.
_San Salvador._—The exports of tobacco in 1884 were 16,113 dollars’
worth of leaf, 5898 dollars’ worth of manufactured, and 826 dollars’
worth of other sorts.
_Servia._—It is estimated that there are 4000 acres under tobacco
culture in Servia.
_Spain._—The port of Cadiz is a great centre of the tobacco industry.
The imports here in 1878 were:—123 _kilo._ from Germany, 304,538 _kilo._
from the United States, and 6,776,900 _kilo._ from Spanish colonies; the
exports were 15,600 _kilo._ to Germany, and 213,846 _kilo._ to France.
Corunna exported 58,280 _kilo._, value 87,420 _pesetas_, in 1884. Cadiz
exported 514,817 _kilo._, value 2,574,085 _pesetas_, in the same year.
_Sumatra._—This great island is assuming a first-rate importance in the
tobacco industry.
The year 1883 was an exceptionally favourable one, as the harvest in
Sumatra was very good, while prices for Java tobacco were higher than of
late years, in consequence of the short harvest of 1882.
Large quantities of Sumatra tobacco found buyers in the United States,
in consequence of the protectionist measure introduced in that country
in favour of the home tobacco producers. The duty was raised from 35 c.
to 75 c. per lb. on and after the 1st July, 1883, and great efforts were
made to import as much as possible at the lower duty before that date.
The principal owners of the plantations are Dutchmen, and the labour
employed is Chinese coolies, brought to the island principally from the
Malaya peninsula. The crop, according to one of these successful
planters, is scarcely ever reared two years in succession on the same
lands. The jungle is first cleared, and then the seed planted. After the
first crop of tobacco is gathered, it is the next season used for rice,
or something else, and tobacco is not planted again until the sixth or
seventh year after the jungle is cleared. By adopting this method, a
better result is obtained.
The drying-house is thus described by a recent visitor to the island:—
“The interior is very much like a rick-yard, with tobacco stalks instead
of hay-ricks, among which a perfect army of half-clad Chinese coolies,
400 strong, are hard at work sorting, ranging and stowing. So
overpoweringly strong is the scent of the half-dried tobacco leaves that
a smoker would have nothing to do but to take in an empty pipe with him
and enjoy a good hard smoke gratis, merely by inhaling the air through
it. But the Chinamen, whether habituated to it by long use, or fortified
against it by the superior power of opium, breathe this perfumed
atmosphere as easily as if it were the purest air of the sea. ‘That is
how we measure the heat, you see,’ says our host, calling our attention
to the hollow bamboos thrust through the heart of each stack, with a
stick inside it, which, when pulled out, is almost too hot to touch. ‘It
must never be above or below a certain point, you know. Instead of
stripping off the leaves at once, we hang up the whole plant to dry, and
do not strip it till it is quite dried. The Sumatra tobacco, however,
will not do for cigars. It is only used for what we call the ‘deckblatt’
(cover leaf), which covers the outside of the cigar.’”
Consul Kennedy reports that “the main cause of the prosperity in Deli is
the tobacco, the first crop of which was shipped in 1869.
“The crop for 1884 will turn out about 122,000 bales, valued at
2,080,000_l._
“The accompanying table shows the export during the last 11 years:—
Year. Bales. Value.
──────────────────────────
£
1873 9,238 208,333
1874 12,811 250,000
1875 15,147 291,666
1876 28,947 520,833
1877 36,167 541,666
1878 48,155 750,000
1879 57,544 875,000
1880 64,965 937,500
1881 82,356 1,187,500
1882 102,032 1,750,000
1883 92,000 1,583,333
[Estimated.]
──────────────────────────
NOTE.—One bale equals 176
English lb.
“Prices for Deli tobacco have ruled on the whole fairly high, the
special quality of the leaf lying in the fact of its being light and
elastic in texture, with thin fibres, so that it is admirably adapted to
serve as cover-leaf, and as such is a good substitute for Havana
tobacco. As a smoking-tobacco it lacks flavour. There is a pretty
general concurrence of opinion that the seed of the Deli tobacco was
indigenous, and obtained from Batak tribes in the interior; and although
many experiments have been made with seeds from Java, Manilla, and other
places, the planters have invariably come back to the original seed,
finding that the new kinds develop a coarseness of leaf attributed to
the extraordinary richness of the virgin soil, a soil partly alluvial
and partly volcanic, but covered throughout with dense forests.
“The tobacco estates consist of grants of land taken out by individuals
or companies, and are as a rule of such an extent that every year a new
district can be cleared and used for the coming crop, and this state of
things will continue for many years to come; indeed, hitherto only a
small portion of the ground cultivated (not one-fifth) has borne two
crops, although it is expected that, unless fresh ground is taken up by
the planters, a time will arrive when use must be made of old fallow
lands, and then guano will be required.
“The planters consist of three or four large companies, principally
Dutch—such as the Deli Company, the Amsterdam Deli, and the Batavia
Deli—as well as of individual planters of many nationalities, Germany
and Switzerland being strongly represented, while there are also a good
sprinkling of Englishmen, the principal English firm being the Langkat
Plantations Company, with its headquarters in London.
“The grants of land are taken direct from the chiefs before mentioned,
and are only valid after confirmation at Bengkalis. The term is for 75
years, and for such a grant a sum of money, by way of premium, amounting
to from 1 dol. to 2 dol. per bouw (equal to an acre and two-thirds), is
paid in cash, while an annual rent of 40 c. a bouw, payable at the
expiration of the fifth year, is also reserved. Such at least are the
terms of the last recognised agreements. The whole of the
conveniently-situated land in the three districts before-mentioned has
now been taken up, and it is only in the outlying regions that fresh
ground can be obtained; but as in such outlying regions settled
government is not so well established, the Dutch authorities are now
very chary in confirming grants in places where the tobacco-growing
community would be less under control.
“It is estimated that at least 2,000,000_l._ sterling is now invested in
the tobacco industry in the Deli districts.
“The tobacco when ready for shipment is all sent to Clambia on the L
angle at river, to the Deli river, or the Sirdang river (as the case may
be), and is despatched thence viâ Penang or Singapore to Amsterdam,
which is the tobacco mart for the continent of Europe. The United States
have also bought the Deli tobacco in the Amsterdam market in late years.
Very little of the tobacco goes to England. The leaf remains so moist
that the English import duty would press it heavily in comparison with
other tobaccos, and this circumstance operates as a check on the import
of tobacco from Sumatra into England as compared with tobacco from Java.
The principal purchasers are German manufacturers and Dutch middlemen.
The latter retail the tobacco over the continent, and supply the several
Régies, amongst others the Austrian, Italian, and French. The Americans
confine their purchases to dark-leaved, heavy tobacco, requiring 100
leaves or less to the lb.
“It is worth remarking that the whole of the carrying trade in
connection with the Deli tobaccos is in the hands of Messrs. Holt’s
line, the rate of freight from Deli to Amsterdam being about 3_l._ 2_s._
6_d._ per ton. The shipping season may be said to last from January to
June.
“The tobacco crop of 1884 is estimated to yield about 20,000 bales in
excess of that of 1883, but the crop in 1883 was a short one owing to
unfavourable weather. The 1884 crop is the best one ever obtained, both
as regards quantity and quality. Roughly speaking, the Deli tobacco in
the Amsterdam market fetches 1_s._ 4_d._ per lb. English, and the
profits realized may be judged from the dividends given by the most
flourishing companies; the shares of the Deli Company being now quoted
at 500 per cent. premium. Of course there are exceptions where
unsuitable soils have been met with, and losses have been sustained of
no inconsiderable amount. These losses have occurred principally on
Sirdang lands, where the tobacco grown is reputed not equal to that
produced in the other two districts. This comparative defect is
disclosed in the burning, the Sirdang tobacco yielding a brown instead
of a white ash, and being probably therefore lacking in potash.
“The forests when cleared for the tobacco plantations afford splendid
timber, and this is utilized for constructing drying-sheds and coolies’
quarters, but a good deal of the wood which might be exported for
building or fuel is wasted for want of conveyance and burnt on the
ground. As a compensation there can be no doubt that this burnt timber,
or rather the ashes of it, supply an excellent manure.
“The labour employed may be distributed under three classes. There are,
firstly, Malays and Batak tribesmen, who fell heavy timber, do general
clearance, and build sheds; then come the Klings from the Madras
districts, who occupy themselves with drainage and road-making; and
lastly, we have the Chinese for planting, sorting, and preparation of
the weed. The planting is conducted on a co-operative system. Coolies
have their fields allotted to them, and plant at their own risk under
supervision. Their payment depends on the yield. Reckoning from the
estimated out-turn of last year’s crop, and that one coolie will raise
seven piculs of tobacco in the season, we arrive at the figure 23,000 as
representing the total number of Chinese engaged at Deli in tobacco
cultivation, to which number 7000 extra hands must be added, employed in
pursuits incidental to the industry. 3000 additional Chinese coolies are
reported to have been engaged for the coming year. The strength of the
Kling community may be taken at about 3000. The Chinamen go into their
clearings and begin work during January and February: those not actually
in service on the tobacco estates earning money as shopkeepers, pedlars,
or gardeners, many of the latter being old hands who, under advances,
have taken to planting patches of tobacco on their own account, for
which they find a ready sale in Penang. The Klings are also to be met
with as drivers of carts and carriages.
“An industrious coolie would, on an average, net in the course of a year
100 to 150 Dutch florins, and on this sum he pays to the Dutch
Government 2 per cent. by way of income tax. The coolie, however,
arrives in the country with a debt of from 100 fl. to 150 fl., and thus
as a rule is not clear and able to leave with a balance in hand till the
end of the second year. The coolie is engaged for a year, but he
generally re-engages, and takes his departure in the beginning of the
third year.
“The Dutch Government regulations with regard to the maintenance of a
medical man by every estate and to the erection of hospitals for sick
coolies are stringent; and, on the whole, the coolie-lines, considering
their temporary nature, are adequate, so that the lot of the coolie in
Deli may be regarded as a favourable one, even when compared with places
where he is under British control.
“The importing of British Indians, as is well known, is not tolerated,
though many have found their way into the country under the stimulus of
high wages, the latter running from 7 dol. to 10 dol. a month, according
to capacity.”
The following report by Consul Eckstein on the export of Sumatran
tobacco to the United States, and Dutch dealings in the same in 1882
will be of interest.
Consul Eckstein says “it is not quite three years since a few dealers in
tobacco and manufacturers of cigars in the United States had first their
attention attracted to Sumatra tobacco, with a view of introducing and
using it for cigar-wrappers.
“From this port shipments of the article began to be made during the
latter half of the year 1880, and, considering that this trade has only
so recently taken its rise, and that by this time it has already assumed
rather important proportions, I felt called upon to prepare the present
report, giving some information concerning the same.
“In order to show, as nearly correct as possible, the course this trade
has taken from its commencement to the present time, I made up the
following statement, which exhibits the quantity and value of such
tobacco shipped from Amsterdam to the United States during each quarter
since such shipments first began to be made, viz.:—
──────────────────────────────┬────────────┬────────────
Quarters ending— │Quantities. │ Value.
──────────────────────────────┼────────────┼────────────
│ Bales. │ $
September 30, 1880 │ 311│ 37,694
December 31, 1880 │ 454│ 52,113
│ ————————│ ————————
Total │ 765│ 89,807
│ ————————│ ————————
│ │
March 31, 1881 │ None.│ None.
June 30, 1881 │ 558│ 56,958
September 30, 1881 │ 1,162│ 128,474
December 31, 1881 │ 1,059│ 114,758
│ ————————│ ————————
Total │ 2,779│ 300,190
│ ————————│ ————————
│ │
March 31, 1882 │ 496│ 52,203
June 30, 1882 │ 1,464│ 140,184
September 30, 1882 │ 2,245│ 254,372
December 31, 1882 │ 2,785│ 333,254
│ ————————│ ————————
Total │ 6,990│ 780,013
──────────────────────────────┴────────────┴────────────
“From this statement it will be observed that the export of the article
to the United States is constantly and very largely increasing; and when
it is further taken into account that certain quantities of it were
invoiced and shipped from Rotterdam and Bremen as well, it may safely be
stated that about 9000 bales of Sumatra tobacco entered our markets in
1882.
“What has created, increased, and what sustains this trade appears to
be:
“1st. That certain qualities of Sumatra tobacco in certain dark colours
have been found to be peculiarly and advantageously adaptable for
cigar-wrappers, and are gaining more and more in favour with
manufacturers of cigars in the United States; and
“2nd. The ever-increasing crops of the article, thus also increasing the
supply of the particular sorts especially suitable for the American
market.
“The recent animation in this trade has undoubtedly furthermore been
stimulated by the removal of the 10 per cent. discriminating duty,
formerly payable thereon, being a product of the East Indies, exported
from the west of the Cape of Good Hope.
“This will be clearly evident when I state that many shipments,
aggregating large quantities of this tobacco, purchased or ordered for
months last past, were purposely delayed until late in December, so as
not to arrive until after the law abolishing the discriminating duty had
gone into effect.
“This unlooked-for introduction and now so considerable export of this
staple into the United States has begun to be viewed with great
disfavour by cultivators or growers of ‘seed-leaf’ tobacco in the United
States.
“They apprehend, as I am informed, that the imports of Sumatra tobacco
into our country will increase still further in the near future, and
seem to consider this would prove greatly detrimental to their
interests.
“I am hardly in position or prepared to express an opinion as to how
well grounded or justified their fears really are, and, moreover, am
inclined to believe that the interested parties are the better judges of
this matter, but so far as I can possibly make myself serviceable by
giving information which may assist them in reaching correct conclusions
on the subject I deem it my duty to do, and do cheerfully.
“Such information may possibly also be of some value to Congress in its
present consideration of our tariff when the article of ‘leaf-tobacco’
is reached.
“Thus I would report that up to the present the production of the
article has increased from year to year without any intermission from
the beginning of its cultivation in Sumatra in 1865, when it amounted to
only 189 bales.
“In this connection I would respectfully refer and call attention to my
report on ‘The tobacco trade of the Netherlands in 1881,’ dated March 7,
1882, and printed in the volume of monthly consular commercial reports
No. 18, of April last, as it contains a statement showing the crops of
Sumatra tobacco each year from 1865 to 1880, inclusive, and the average
prices realized from its sale.
“The crop of 1881 is represented to have footed up 82,356 bales, valued
(approximately) at 5,791,880 dol., being an increase over the crop of
the previous year (1880) of 17,433 bales as to quantity, and of
1,260,000 dol. as to the approximate value thereof.
“From the foregoing it will be seen that about one-ninth of the whole
crop of 1881 has been exported to the United States.
“The entire crop, excepting about 1700 bales remaining in the hands of
the original importers or consignees here, on December 31, 1882, was
disposed of at an advance of about 1 cent, United States currency, in
the average price as compared with that realized in 1881 for the crop of
1880; or, in other words, the total crop of 1880 brought on the average
about 45¾ cents, whereas the crop of 1881 averaged about 46¾ cents,
United States currency, per half-kilogram.
“This refers to the prices originally obtained at the various sales
throughout the year by the importers or consignees, first hands.
“As regards the prices for the particular sorts which during the year
found their way to the United States, and which are usually purchased
from quite a number of firms in the wholesale tobacco trade through the
mediation of brokers, they differed all the way from about 45 cents to
95 cents, United States currency, for the half-kilogram.
“Thinking it might prove interesting, if not important, to parties in
the United States in any way concerned in this matter, to be informed as
to the extent and quality of the crop of 1882, I made inquiries relating
to it, and ascertained as follows, viz.:—‘That whilst it is impossible
to state, at this early day, with accuracy the yield of the crop, it is
generally considered and expected to have been again in excess over the
previous one, and that it amounts to about 90,000 bales.’
“Its quality is represented by the planters to be very good, as far as
they are able to judge; but this can, of course, only be determined
later on, after the tobacco has gone through the process of
fermentation.
“The first parcels of this new crop will arrive here about the month of
March next, and will be offered for sale about a month or six months
thereafter.
“In concluding this report, I would remark that the year 1882 has been a
most favourable one for tobacco planters in Sumatra and for those
interested in tobacco plantations there, and so have those connected
with the trade here realized handsomely by the year’s operations.
“I am, therefore, induced to state that so long as the present general
demand for the article continues there will be neither lack of capital
nor labour, so long as either can contribute to an increase in its
production, and it would seem to be more a question as to the extent of
acreage in Sumatra adapted for its cultivation, as only once in four or
five years a crop can be raised on the same soil without danger of
producing a very inferior quality of tobacco.”
_Turkey._—The Turkish empire has long been known as producing some of
the finest tobaccos in the world. In the sanjac of Drama, which forms
the vice-consular district of Cavalla, tobacco is the staple article of
production and industry, and some 75,000 acres were devoted to its
culture in 1873. The whole crop of 1871 was reckoned at 11,200,000 lb.,
the exports having been 7,600,000 lb., value 37,825_l._ The tobacco of
this district, though derived entirely from one species, is divided into
two classes, known as _Drama_ and _Yenidji_. The former leaf is larger,
stouter, and more potent, and generally of deep reddish-brown colour;
the latter is smaller, slighter, less narcotic, with a peculiarly
delicate aroma, and the best is of a rich yellow colour, whence its name
“golden-leaf.” The _Drama_ kind is principally grown in the western
portion of the district, and is the class supplied to European markets.
The differences in the two kinds seem to be due solely to the soil.
The plantations in the Drama district proper occupy both plain and
hill-side. The produce of the former is much the more considerable, and
superior. The best leaves, distinguished by a stronger and more
substantial texture, and a dark-red hue, go to Constantinople; the
inferior and lighter-coloured find a sale in Russia. The mountain
product is much inferior in quality and is sent chiefly to Europe. When
the leaves are petiolate, or furnished with stems, they are made up in
_manoks_ (“hands”) of 10–15, and termed _bashi-baghli_ (“head-tied”);
when the leaves are sessile, or devoid of stems, they are simply pressed
together in small numbers, and called _bassma_. The whole produce of
this locality varies from 2,100,000 to 2,450,000 lb. yearly. The growth
obtained in the Vale of Pravista is known as _Demirli_. It is inferior,
unsubstantial, and dark-coloured, and usually made up as _bashi-baghli_.
The annual production is about 2 million lb.; the exports to England
were 1,600,000 lb. in 1871. Cavalla affords yearly about 300,000 lb. of
inferior quality, chiefly as _bashi-baghli_, and mostly consumed
locally. The shipping port for all these places is Cavalla.
The district of Sarishaban produces on the average about 2,000,000 lb.
annually, but the crop of 1871 reached 2,800,000 lb. About ⅞ is as
_bashi-baghli_. That grown on the plain and hills is termed _ghynbek_,
and forms the bulk; that from the slopes, about 500,000 lb. a year, is
the best, and is known as _ghubek_. All is packed up in small _boghchas_
(parcels), of 30–50 lb., which are distinguished as _béyaz_, from the
white cotton wrappers used for the best sort, and _kenavir_, from the
canvas coverings of the inferior kinds. The best goes to Constantinople,
secondary to Smyrna and other home markets, and the worst to Europe. The
district of Yenidji, near the Gulf of Lagos, affords some 3,500,000 lb.
per annum, chiefly as _bassma_, and bearing a very general resemblance
to the produce of Sarishaban. The best goes to Constantinople and
Russia. Ghiumirgina (Ghumurdjina, or Komuldsina) grows about 300,000 lb.
yearly of dark-coloured _bassma_, of the _Drama_ class, which is used
locally; and Sultan-Yeri gives 400,000 lb. of still darker
_bashi-baghli_. The produce of these districts is shipped at Lagos
(Karagatch) or Cavalla.
The most delicate and valued of all the tobaccos raised in this portion
of European Turkey is the celebrated “golden leaf” from the caza of
Yenidji, on the Yardar (Nestus) river. After it, in declining order,
come the products of Drama, Persoccian, Sarishaban, Cavalla, and
Pravista. Of the whole Drama and Yenidji produce, it is estimated that
Austro-Hungary takes 40 per cent. Italy buys annually about
150,000–200,000 _kilo._ France, Germany, and Switzerland receive very
little. Russia is a large customer. Before the war, considerable
quantities were sent to the countries on the Lower Danube. England
imports every year some 10,000 bales, or 400,000 _okes_ (of 2·83 lb.) of
Pravista tobacco. The _refusa_, or waste leaves, &c., is sent everywhere
for making into cigarettes, most largely perhaps to Egypt. A kind of
tobacco known as _ayiasoulouk_ is grown in considerable quantities in
the opium districts, almost exclusively for export to Europe, the
natives having a strong prejudice against it.
The necessity for manuring is well understood by the Turks. They dress
the seed-beds with goat- and sheep-dung, and manure the fields during
winter with horse- and cattle-dung. In the spring, sheep and goats are
folded on the land. The soil of tobacco lands will be found quite
impregnated with, ammonia and nitrate of potash, both absorbed by the
plant; the former is thought to influence the aroma, and the latter may
be seen in crystals on the surface of the dried leaf. In order to keep
the leaves small and delicate, the planting is performed very close, the
usual distances being 5 inches apart, and 9 inches between the rows.
The district of Latakia, in the northern part of Syria, has long been
celebrated for its tobacco, which is the chief product of the
mountainous part. There are several kinds:—(1) _Abu Riha_ or _Dgebeli_,
found in its best state among the mountains of the Nesseries (Ansaries),
which possesses a peculiar and much-admired aroma, derived from its
being exposed, from November to April, to the smoke of fires of _ozer_
(_Quercus Ilex_, or _Q. Cerris_); (2) _Dgidar_, including a number of
kinds, of medium strength, and in great favour locally on account of its
low price; (3) _Scheik-el-Bent_, almost equal to _Abu-Riha_, and often
substituted for it.
The plain of Koura is remarkable for its tobaccos, which are rather
strong, but much admired. The villages of Lebail and Serai produce
better tobacco than Koura. The district of Gebail (Gebel) in Kesrasan
(Castravan) affords the best and dearest tobacco in Syria; it is very
brittle, and its ash is quite white. The country south of Lebanon yields
very ordinary qualities, known as _Salili_, _Tanoné_, and _Takibé_, or
generically as _Berraoni_; these are mixed with stronger kinds for use.
The best of the _Abu-Riha_ is yielded by the plant called
_Karn-el-Gazel_; the second quality is termed _Bonati_.
The exports of tobacco from Alexandretta in 1879 were:—To Egypt, 91
tons, value 6380_l._; Turkey, 24 tons, 1920_l._; England, 51 tons,
2550_l._; France, 1 ton, 80_l._ The exports from Aleppo in 1878 were 30
tons, value 1200_l._, to Great Britain. The yield of the crop in
Thessaly was 1,116,000 _okes_ (of 2·83 lb.) in 1877, 210,000 in 1878,
and 890,000 in 1879. The crop of Prevesa in 1878 was 4000 _okes_, value
215_l._ The exports from Dedeagatch were about 260 bales, value
1000_l._, in 1878; and 600 bales, value 2400_l._, in 1879. Considerable
quantities are grown around Sinope. Tobacco is one of the principal
products of the district of Samsoun, and is of good quality. The average
yield is 7,000,000 lb. yearly. It is grown near the sea-shore, and not
eastward of Yomurah, at Matchka and Trebizonde, and especially at
Akché-Abad. But the aggregate crop in these localities is hardly ⅓ of
the quantity produced at Samsoun, and the quality is far inferior. The
Samsoun product is usually purchased largely on account of the French
Government. The exports from Samsoun in 1878 were:—To Turkey, 2,680,000
_kilo._, value 160,800_l._; France, 583,500 _kilo._, 28,008_l._; Russia,
575,000 _kilo._, 57,500_l._; Germany, 400,000 _kilo._, 7200_l._;
Austria, 327,220 _kilo._, 31,266_l._; Great Britain, 87,567 _kilo._,
1576_l._; total, 4,653,287 _kilo._, 286,350_l._ The exports of
Turkey-produced tobacco from Trebizonde in 1879 were:—To Turkey, 14,864
cwt., value 44,592_l._; Russia, 866 cwt., 2598_l._; Great Britain, 490
cwt., 1470_l._; Austria and Germany, 204 cwt., 612_l._; total, 16,424
cwt., 49,272_l._
In 1884, Damascus imported 1313 sacks of tumbeki, value 1674_l._, from
Bagdad. In the same year Erzeroum imported 9000 _okes_, value 1090_l._,
from Persia.
The leaf grown by the Herki Kurds and other cultivators in and around
the district of Shemdina is highly prized in Persia. In 1884, the first
year of their operations, the employés of the tobacco Régie only
succeeded in registering a yield of 25,000 _okes_, but this amount
represents less than a fifth of the estimated produce of the vilayet. It
is believed, however, that 8000–10,000_l._ Turkish worth of Shemdina
tobacco annually crosses the frontier into Persia.
Trebizonde exports in 1884 were 20,167 cwt., value 56,849_l._ Inferior
qualities are sent to Europe, good ones remain in Turkey, and the best
go to Egypt.
The shipments from Samsoun in 1884 were as follows:—
────────────────┬────────┬────────┬────────
│ │ Price. │
│ cwt. │£. s. d.│ £
To Turkey │ 29,210│4 0 0 │ 116,840
Austria │ 8,540│5 0 0 │ 42,700
France │ 5,756│1 4 2 │ 11,512
Egypt │ 4,176│4 0 0 │ 16,704
Germany │ 3,579│1 8 6 │ 5,096
Russia │ 1,730│6 0 0 │ 10,380
Great Britain│ 832│1 4 2 │ 1,002
Holland │ 712│1 12 0 │ 1,140
Greece │ 416│3 0 0 │ 1,248
│ ———————│ │ ———————
│ 54,951│ │ 206,622
────────────────┴────────┴────────┴────────
_United States._—The United States of America occupy the foremost rank
among tobacco-growing countries. The areas and productions have been as
follows:—1875, 559,049 acres, 379,347,000 lb.; 1876, 540,457 acres,
381,002,000 lb.; 1877, 720,344 acres, 489,000,000 lb.; 1878, 542,850
acres, 392,546,700 lb. The crop of 1875 (in millions of lb.) was thus
contributed:—Kentucky, 130; Virginia, 57; Missouri, 40; Tennessee, 35;
Maryland, 22; Pennsylvania, 16; N. Carolina, 14¾; Ohio, 13½; Indiana,
12¾; Connecticut, 10; Massachusetts, 8½; Illinois, 8. The average yields
(in lb. per acre) of the various districts in 1875 were:—Connecticut,
1600; Pennsylvania, 1600; New Hampshire, 1600; Massachusetts, 1350;
Missouri, 850; Arkansas, 822; New York, 800; Florida, 750; Ohio, 700; W.
Virginia, 680; Maryland, 675; Tennessee, 675; Kansas, 670; Texas, 650;
Kentucky, 630; Virginia, 630; Illinois, 550; Georgia, 550; N. Carolina,
500; Indiana, 500; Wisconsin, 500; Alabama, 465; Mississippi, 317. The
exports from New York in 1878 were:—37,484 hogsheads, 2561 bales, and
2,218,200 lb. manufactured, to Great Britain; 15,570 hh., 207 bales, and
14,800 lb. manufactured, to France; 35,700 hh., 78,331 bales, and
147,400 lb. manufactured, to N. Europe ; 23,150 hh., 6058 bales, and
120,000 lb. manufactured, to other Europe; 4628 hh., 14,360 bales, and
4,780,200 lb. manufactured, to S. America, E. and W. Indies, &c.
Baltimore exported 66,039 hh. in 1878. The shipments from New Orleans in
1877–8 were:—1226 hh. to Great Britain, 743 to France, 4552 to N.
Europe, 3222 to S. Europe, Mexico, &c., and 4500 coastwise.
Philadelphia, in 1879, exported 9,564,171 lb. of leaf tobacco, 52,000
cigars, and 515 lb. of snuff. The total American export of
unmanufactured leaf in 1879 was 322,280,000 lb.
The census bulletin on this branch of industry, recently issued, is of a
very interesting nature. The tobacco product in the United States is
divided into classes, types and grades, the basis of a class being its
adaptation to any specific purpose; of a type, to certain qualities or
properties in the leaf, such as colour, strength, elasticity, body or
flavour. It also applies to the method of curing, such as sun, air or
flue curing. Grades represent the different qualities of a type, and
vary much in the several types. The classification of American tobacco
is threefold, viz. domestic cigar tobacco and “smokers,”
chewing-tobacco, export tobacco. The domestic tobacco trade comprises
the various kinds of seed-leaf of Connecticut, New England,
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Florida and Ohio, as well
as the sorts known as White Burley “lugs,” fine-fibred wrappers, Indiana
kite foot, and American-grown Havana. In the chewing class are included
the fine-cut and the plug fillers, principally of the White Burley type
from Kentucky, while under the head of export tobacco are the Virginian
bird’s-eye cutting leaf, and the spinning fillers or shag. It is curious
to notice how each market for export tobacco differs in its
requirements. The “closed” markets, or those in which the tobacco trade
is a monopoly of the Government, are France, Italy, Austria and Spain.
The French “Régie” is supplied by wrappers, binders and fillers from
Kentucky, Maryland and Ohio; the Italian Régie from Kentucky and
Virginia; the Austrian Régie by “strips” from the same States, and the
Spanish Régie by common “lugs.” The open markets are Germany, to which
are sent the tobaccos known as German saucer and spinners; Ohio and
Maryland, spangled cigar-wrappers and “smokers” fat lugs; Switzerland,
which is supplied with Virginian or Western wrappers and fillers;
Holland, with Dutch saucer (a mottled Virginia, Kentucky or Tennessee
leaf); Belgium, with Belgian cutter (a light, yellowish-brown leaf, well
fired); Norway and Sweden, with heavy types, mainly used for spinning
and “saucing.” Kentucky, which stands first of all the States for
production, the annual produce being 171,120,784 lb., gains her chief
profits from the white burley and yellow wrapper; Illinois, from the
production of the seed-leaf; Missouri, from sweet fillers and white
burley; Virginia, from yellow wrappers, bright “smokers,” sun, air and
flue-cured fillers. Decidedly the most prosperous tobacco States are
those that grow types suitable for domestic consumption, while those
that grow it mainly for exportation stand low in the scale, the margin
of profit under this head being reduced very low. According to the
researches of Dr. Gideon Moore, the largest amount of nicotine is
contained in the Virginian heavily manured lots (5·81 per cent.), while
the Virginian heavy English shipping has 4·72, the New York domestic
Havana but 2·53, the Connecticut seed-leaf 1·14, while the smallest
amount of all is found in the little Dutch tobacco of the Miami valley,
0·63. Profits in the culture of tobacco have been in direct
proportion—first to its suitableness to domestic consumption; and,
secondly, to the amount of fertilization practised by the growers in its
cultivation. This is true in every case, except the yellow tobacco
districts of North Carolina and Virginia, where poverty in the soil is a
condition of success in the production of quality.
Professor J. T. Rothrock is of the opinion that the early natives of
California smoked the leaves of _Nicotiana clevelandii_—a species only
quite recently described by Professor Asa Gray. It is a small plant with
small flowers, and it was found by Professor Rothrock only in
association with the shell heaps which occur so abundantly on the coasts
of Southern and Central California. He states that perhaps of all the
remains of extinct races so richly furnished by that region, none were
so common as the pipes, usually made of stone resembling serpentine. The
tobacco of _N. clevelandii_ Professor Rothrock found by experience to be
excessively strong.
A recent report of the Commissioner of Agriculture contains a few pages
of sound advice to American planters on the management of this crop,
which is worthy of reproduction here.
“The principal points to be attended to if the best results are to be
attained may be stated in a few paragraphs—paragraphs which, while
referring mainly to shipping, manufacturing, and smoking tobacco as
constituting nine-tenths of the tobacco grown in the United States,
embody principles and prescribe modes of management nearly identical
with those to be considered in the treatment of other tobaccos.
“I. Select good land for the crop; plough and subsoil it _in autumn_ to
get the multiplied benefits of winter’s freezes. This cannot be too
strongly urged.
“II. Have early and vigorous plants and _plenty of them_. It were better
to have 100,000 too many than 10,000 too few. They are the corner-stone
of the building. To make sure of them give personal attention to the
selection and preparation of the plant-bed and to the care of the young
plants in the means necessary to hasten their growth, and to protect
them from the dreaded fly.
“III. Collect manure in season and out of season, and from every
available source—from the fence corners, the ditch-banks, the urinal,
the ash-pile. Distribute it with a liberal hand; nothing short of
princely liberality will answer. Plough it under (both the home-made and
the commercial) in _February_, that it may become thoroughly
incorporated in the soil and be ready to answer to the first and every
call of the growing plant. Often (we believe generally) the greater part
of manure applied to tobacco—and this is true of the ‘bought’ fertilizer
as well as of that made on the farm—is lost to that crop from being
applied too late. Don’t wait to apply your dearly-purchased guano in the
hill or the drill from fear that, if applied sooner, it will vanish into
thin air before the plant needs it. This is an exploded fallacy.
Experience, our best teacher, has demonstrated beyond cavil that stable
and commercial manure are most efficacious when used in conjunction. In
no other way can they be so intimately intermixed as by ploughing them
under—the one broadcasted on the other—at an early period of the
preparation of the tobacco lot. This second ploughing should not be so
deep as the first; an average of three to four inches is about the right
depth.
“IV. Early in May (in the main tobacco belt to which this article
chiefly refers, that is to say, between the thirty-fifth and fortieth
parallels of north latitude), re-plough the land to about the depth of
the February ploughing, and drag and cross-drag, and, if need be, drag
it again, until the soil is brought to the finest possible tilth. Thus
you augment many fold the probabilities of a ‘stand’ on the first
planting, and lessen materially the subsequent labour of cultivation.
Plant on ‘lists’ (narrow beds made by throwing four furrows together
with the mould-board plough) rather than in hills, if for no other
reason than that having now, if never before, to pay wages in some shape
to labour, whenever and wherever possible horse-power should be
substituted for man-power—the plough for the hoe.
“V. Plant as early as possible after a continuance of pleasant spring
weather is assured. Seek to have a _forward_ crop, as the benefits
claimed for a late one from the fall dews do not compensate for the many
advantages resulting from early maturity. Make it an inflexible rule to
plant no tobacco after the 10th of July—we mean, of course, in the
tobacco belt we have named. Where one good crop is made from later
planting ninety-nine prove utter failures. Far better _rub out and start
afresh the next year_. Take pains in transplanting, that little or no
replanting may be necessary. The cut-worm being a prime cause of most of
the trouble in securing a stand, hunt it assiduously and particularly in
the early morning when it can most readily be found.
“VI. Keep the grass and weeds down, and the soil loose and mellow by
frequent stirring, avoiding as much as possible cutting and tearing the
roots of the plant in all stages of its growth, and more especially
after _topping_. When at all practicable—and, with the great improvement
in cultivators, sweeps, and other farm implements, it is oftener
practicable than generally supposed—substitute for hand-work in
cultivation that of the horse. The difference in cost will tell in the
balance-sheet at the close of the operation.
“VII. Attend closely to ‘worming,’ for on it hinges in no little degree
the quality and quantity of tobacco you will have for sale. A worm-eaten
crop brings no money. So important is this operation that it may
properly claim more than a passing notice. Not only is it the most
tedious, the most unremitting, and the most expensive operation
connected with the production of tobacco, but the necessity for it
determines more than all other causes the limit of the crop which in
general it has been found possible for a single hand to manage.
Therefore bring to your aid every possible adjunct in diminishing the
number of worms. Use poison for killing the moth in the manner so
frequently described in treatises on tobacco, to wit, by injecting a
solution of cobalt or other deadly drug into the flower of the Jamestown
or ‘jimson’ weed (_Datura stramonium_), if necessary planting seeds of
the weed for the purpose. Employ at night the flames of lamps, of
torches, or of huge bonfires, in which the moth may find a quick and
certain death.
“In worming, spare those worms found covered with a white film or
net-like substance, this being the cocoon producing the ichneumon-fly,
an enemy to the worm likely to prove a valuable ally to the planter in
his war of extermination.
“Turn your flock of turkeys into the tobacco-field, that they, too, may
prey upon the pest, and themselves grow fat in so doing.
“If these remedies should fail, sprinkle diluted spirits of turpentine
over the plant through the rose of a watering-pot, a herculean task
truly in a large crop, but mere child’s play to the hand-picking
process, for the one sprinkling suffices to keep off the worms for all
time, whereas the hand-picking is a continual round of expensive labour
from the appearance of the first worm until the last plant has been
carried to the barn. We have no idea that such sprinkling will at all
affect the odour or flavour of the tobacco when cured.
“If, as stated by a writer in a California paper, the well-known
‘yellow-jacket’ be useful in destroying tobacco-worms, by all means win
it as an ally. As proving its usefulness, the writer asserts that one of
his neighbours, a Mr. Culp, daring fifteen years growing tobacco, has
never expended a dollar for labour to destroy the worm, trusting all to
this little workman, who, he says, carefully searches the plants for the
worms, and never allows one to escape its vigilance.
“We cannot speak from our own experience as to many of these suggested
means for overcoming the horn-worm, but we have no hesitation in saying
to the farmer, try any, try all of them rather than have your crop eaten
to shreds, and the labour of more than half the year brought to naught
in a few days, it may be, by a single ‘glut’ of worms.
“VIII. ‘Prime high and top low.’ While open to objection in particular
cases, even with the character of tobacco chiefly under consideration,
and altogether inadmissible, it may be, in the management of other
varieties of tobacco, this is a safe rule, we think, to follow in
general practice.
“We favour ‘priming’ by all means; for when no priming is done the lower
leaves (made worthless by constant whipping on the ground) serve only as
a harbour for worms, which are the more difficult to find because of the
increased burden of stooping. Moreover, if the bottom leaves be saved on
the cut stalk, as most likely they will be, there is always the
temptation to put them on the market; and against a _sacrilege_ like
this we are firmly set, let others say and think what they may.
“Yet another advantage to be gained by the removal of these bottom
leaves, which is what the planter terms ‘priming,’ is the increased
circulation of air and distribution of light thereby afforded, both
essential factors, the merest tyro knows, to the full development of
plant life.
“‘Topping’ (the pinching off with the finger-nail the bud at the top of
the plant) is an operation requiring considerable skill and judgment.
Let it be performed only by hands having these prerequisites.
“That as many plants as possible may ripen at the same time (a
desideratum not to be undervalued in aiming, as all should, at a
_uniform_ crop) wait until a large number of plants begin to button
before commencing to top. Going about through the crop, topping a plant
here and there because it may chance to have buttoned before its
fellows, is a damaging process not to be tolerated.
“No inflexible rule can be given for the number of leaves that should be
left on a plant. All depends upon the variety of tobacco, the strength
of the soil, the promise of the particular plant, the probable seasons
and time left for ripening, &c.
“One of the most successful growers of heavy dark tobacco we have ever
known, once stated to us his conviction, after years of observation and
practice, that one year with another, taking the seasons as they come,
eight leaves would give a better result than any other number. Our own
experience has tended to confirm this judgment.
“IX. See to it that the suckers are promptly removed. It is work quickly
done, and with worming may constitute a single operation.
“X. We come now to consider the last operation in the field, ‘cutting’
the crop. In this, as in topping, a man of judgment, experience, and
fidelity is needed. An inexperienced hand, one without judgment, and
particularly one who is indifferent to the interests of his employer,
will slash away, right and left, not knowing or not caring whether the
tobacco he cuts be ripe or green, doing more damage in a few hours than
his whole year’s wages would compensate for, even could they be
garnished.
“Therefore, be on hand to see for yourself, and do not delegate the duty
to any less interested party, that a crop managed well, it may be, so
far, from the initial plant-bed, should not be spoiled in the closing
work by an incompetent or unfaithful cutter.
“Be there, too, to see, in this supreme hour, that injury from sunburn
is warded off by the timely removal, to the shade, of the plants that
have been cut, or by a proper covering, where they lie, against the
scorching rays of the sun. The neglect of this precaution has played
havoc with many a crop when brought under the auctioneer’s hammer.
“XI. We should have no space to describe the different methods of
‘curing’ tobacco, as, for instance, ‘sun-curing,’ ‘air-curing,’
‘flue-curing,’ ‘open-fire-curing,’ &c., even though the whole subject
had not been gone over again and again in previous reports of this
Department. We can only say of this operation, as of all others
connected with the production of tobacco, that much depends on its
proper doing, and that, as much as possible, it should have the personal
superintendence of the owner.
“But the crop may have been brought along successfully even to the
completion of this operation and ‘lack one thing yet,’ if it be not now
properly manipulated.
“Therefore, go yourself, brother planter, into your barns, see with your
own eyes, and not through the medium of others; handle with your own
hands, and _know of a surety_ that the tobacco hanging on the tier-poles
is in proper order for ‘striking’ and ‘bulking,’ and act accordingly.
“When, later on, it is being ‘stripped,’ ‘sorted,’ and tied into
bundles, or ‘hands,’ as they are often called, be there again, _propria
persona_, to see that it is properly classed, both as to colour and to
length, the ‘lugs’ going with lugs, the ‘short’ with short, the ‘long’
with long, &c. Instruct those sorting that when in doubt as to where a
particular leaf should be put, to put it at least one grade lower than
they had thought of doing. Thus any error will be on the safe side.
“Prize in hogsheads to weigh what is usually called for in the market in
which you sell, and, above all, ‘let the tobacco in each hogshead be as
near alike as possible, uniform throughout, so that the ‘sample,’ from
whatever point it may be taken, can be relied on as representing the
whole hogshead,’ and that there be left no shadow of suspicion that
‘nesting’ has been attempted, or any dishonest practice even so much as
winked at.
“We sum up the whole matter by repeating:
“1. That overproduction, the production at all, of _low_ grade tobacco
is the chief cause of the present extremely low price of the entire
commodity.
“2. That the planters of the United States have the remedy in their own
hands; that remedy being the reduction of area, this reduction to
result, from the employment of the means here suggested, in increased
crops; and, paradoxical as it may seem, these increased crops to bring
greatly enhanced values.
“The whole world wants good tobacco, and will pay well for it. Scarcely
a people on earth seeks poor tobacco or will buy it at any price.
“In a word, then, one acre must be made to yield what it has hitherto
taken two or three acres to produce; and this double or treble quantity
must be made (as, indeed, under good management it could not fail to be)
immeasurably superior in quality to that now grown on the greater number
of acres. Either this or the abandonment of the crop altogether—one or
the other.”
The exports from Baltimore were 46,239 hogsheads in 1882, 43,620 in
1883, 43,192 in 1884. The State of New York, in 1883, had 5440 acres
under tobacco, producing 9,068,789 lb., value 1,178,943 dollars; and
Connecticut, 8145 acres, 9,576,824 lb., 1,292,871 dollars. The
production of Minnesota was 65,089 lb. in 1879, 48,437 lb. in 1880,
79,631 lb. in 1881, 62,859 lb. in 1882, 14,744 lb. in 1883.
_Venezuela._—The exports from Ciudad Bolivar were, in 1884, 1318
_kilo._, value 1037 _bolivares_, to the British West Indies; 9618
_kilo._, 6691 _bolivares_, to the United States; 275,329 _kilo._,
192,188 _bolivares_, to Germany. The exports of tobacco from this port
in decades have been:—7,650,656 lb. in 1850–59; 2,134,711 in 1860–69;
3,170,812 in 1870–79.
_West Indies._—The Spanish possessions in the West Indies are well known
for their tobacco. The best is produced on the _vuelta abajo_, or
low-lying districts of Cuba, near Havana, which are yearly flooded
during the autumn, just before the tobacco is transplanted. To this
fact, and the peculiar suitability of the seasons, the excellence of
this particular product is attributed. The exports from Havana in 1878
were:—93,603 bales tobacco, 75,212,268 cigars, 203,581 bundles
cigarettes, to the United States; 6169 bales tobacco, 66,795,330 cigars,
5,034,774 bundles cigarettes, to England; 32,582 bales tobacco,
9,541,498 cigars, 133,008 bundles cigarettes, to Spain; 582 bales
tobacco, 3,861,700 cigars, 8206 bundles cigarettes, to N. Europe; 5671
bales tobacco, 18,327,025 cigars, 797,513 bundles cigarettes, to France;
41 bales tobacco, 900,850 cigars, 5,709,442 bundles cigarettes, to other
countries. The totals for 1878 were 7,078,904 _kilo._ of tobacco,
182,356 thousand cigars, and 12,816,903 packets of cigarettes; in 1879,
6,371,014 _kilo._ of tobacco, 145,885 thousand cigars, and 14,098,693
packets of cigarettes. The tobacco exports in 1879 from St. Jago de Cuba
were 9653 bales to Bremen, 4015 to the United States (chiefly for
Bremen), and 1809 coastwise, total 15,477, against 10,249 in 1878. In
the island of Puerto Rico, the tobacco-plant thrives well, and the
quality, especially in the Rio de la Plata district, is very good. In
1878, the island exported 8 _quintals_ (of 101½ lb.) to the United
States, 32,109 to Spain, 4198 to Germany, and 18,123 to other countries.
The British West Indies have only recently appreciated the importance of
tobacco cultivation. Many portions of Jamaica seem as well fitted for it
as the _vuelta abajo_ of Cuba, and already Jamaica tobacco in the
Hamburg market ranks next to the best Havana, and is considered superior
to such Cuban growths as St. Jago, Manzanillo, Yara, &c. Tobacco
cultivation may now be said to have a place in the industries of
Jamaica, a fact mainly due to Cuban refugees. The most extensive
plantations in the island are Potosi in St. Thomas Parish, and Morgan’s
Valley in Clarendon. Much of the produce goes to the German market, the
remainder being made into cigars for local consumption, and said to be
quite equal to some of the best Cuban brands. Some experiments made with
Bhilsa tobacco have given great satisfaction, on account of the robust
habit and immense yield of the plant. It is especially adapted for very
wet districts, and its cultivation will be widely extended, if justified
by its market value. Tobacco is, and for very many years has been, grown
by the peasantry in small patches; from this, they manufacture a
smoke-dried leaf, which, twisted together in rope form, sells readily in
the home market. The acreage occupied by the crop was 297 in 1874–5, 442
in 1875–6, 331 in 1876–7, and 380 in 1877–8. The slopes of valleys in
many parts of Dominica, too, are eminently suited to this crop,
particularly the district between Roseau and Grand Bay. The experiment
of tobacco culture in New Providence on a large scale has not proved
satisfactory, owing to the difficulties encountered in curing and
preparing the leaf; the cigars made are fit only for local consumption.
The exports from San Domingo in 1884 were 10,513,940 lb., value 669,500
dollars.
According to a recent Consular Report, it would seem that “Cuban tobacco
has lost its prestige through forcing and artificial manures, and has to
sustain sharp competition from abroad where it formerly commanded the
market; and probably some years must elapse before the soil can recover
from the excessive and indiscriminate use of artificial fertilizers.
“A few years ago the leaf harvested in the Vuelta Abajo was not
sufficient to meet the large demand, and in order to increase the yield,
growers made use of guanos of all sorts, and with such bad results that
they find it now difficult to place on reasonable terms more than half,
and sometimes less, of their crops, at very low prices; in few
localities only the soil has not been spoilt by spurious manures, and
the leaf grown there commands very high prices and is warmly competed
for by local manufacturers and buyers for the United States.
“Notwithstanding the last crop has been of a better quality than
heretofore, growers were compelled to abandon the tobacco cultivation
for a certain time, and devote the ground to other purposes.
“It appears that this change of cultivation is absorbing the
fertilizers, and restoring to the soil its former good qualities, and,
if one can judge from the splendid appearance of the leaf and the ready
sale it now meets with, it would seem that the Vuelta Abajo fields are
regaining their former renown.
“This has been a hard but healthy lesson the Vegueros are not likely to
forget. The soil cannot and should not be taxed beyond a reasonable and
natural yield; any attempt to the contrary would only be a repetition of
the fable of the golden eggs, as the tobacco growers in the Vuelta Abajo
have had occasion to learn to their cost.
“Towards the end of the year buyers, influenced by the pending
negotiations of the Spanish-American Treaty, entered the market and
operated extensively in the expectation of a great reduction of duties
in the United States, paying prices above the established one, and
which, a few weeks later, they were utterly unable to obtain.
“Cuban growers complain much of heavy purchases made in the United
States for account of the Spanish Government for Peninsular consumption;
they say that however low the class of the Cuban leaf may be, it must
necessarily be superior to that of the Virginia and Kentucky tobacco,
and that they might easily cultivate here the quality required, and
place it in the markets at as low a price as any other country.
“Growers are unanimous in denouncing the action of some local merchants
and cigar manufacturers in forwarding at the opening of the last season
samples of leaf tobacco and cigars in condition that by no means gave a
true idea of the quality of the crop, and which necessarily gave a
result contrary to the interests of all parties engaged in the trade;
and they earnestly protest against a repetition of this injudicious
haste.
“The total tobacco production is estimated at between 400,000 and
500,000 _quintals_ (one _quintal_ about 100 lb.), chiefly from the
following districts:—
Tercios.
Vuelta Abajo and semi Vuelta Abajo 150,000 to 200,000
Parlida 30,000 50,000
Remedios 60,000 85,000
Cuba and Java 25,000 35,000
Gibara 20,000 30,000
Total 285,000 400,000
(One tercio about 124 lb.)
“As is well known, that grown in the Vuelta Abajo or district west of
Havana is the best kind, and has given Cuba its well-earned reputation.
About 67,000 acres are cultivated under the denomination.
“I have no reliable statistics to show how much of the raw produce is
manufactured in the island, probably not more than one-fourth. Very
large quantities of the leaf are exported in bales and rolled abroad.
“It is evident, however, that, given the total production and
corresponding result in the manufactured form, but a small portion of
the cigars sold in Europe and elsewhere as Havana cigars have the
slightest claim to a connection with Cuba.
“The chief and only important manufactories of these cigars are in
Havana, and much care and money is expended in producing a
handsome-looking article. As much as 40 dollars gold are paid to skilled
labourers per 1000 for making up first-class goods. About 17,000
operatives are employed in this manufacture in Havana alone. One of the
largest establishments here is that supplying the Henry Clay brands,
which is stated to turn out from 80,000 to 120,000 cigars daily; and
there are many others of considerable importance with a well-earned and
old-established reputation for fine goods.
“The quality of tobacco, like other agricultural produce, depends on
seasons, soil, and many natural causes, which may baffle the most
careful cultivator.
“There are good and bad years; abundant and scanty crops in succession.
“Except in the case of the few rich owners of plantations in the best
districts, brands and names are no guarantees for a permanently good
article. Even these favoured few are exposed to bad seasons, if in a
minor degree than less fortunate holders.
“There has been no really fine-flavoured aromatic leaf harvested since
1881. Much of that since garnered has been simply bad.
“Great hopes are entertained of the coming 1885 crop, and present
indications are in favour of this assumption.
“The manner in which the wholesale trade is carried on in Havana is
incomprehensible to an ordinary outsider, to whom it would appear that
the manufacturers prefer a prospective loss abroad to a present and
certain gain here. They will only execute orders, large or small, for
cash over the counter, giving no, or in some cases the smallest,
discount. No manufactured goods are kept in stock, but are made to order
after sample, and, unless examined in warehouse before delivery, and
that means little, must be paid in full on delivery, and the consequence
but too frequently is that, on arrival at their destination, they do not
correspond with the sample, and the deluded buyer finds that he has made
a bad bargain, and (if an Englishman) discovers that he could have
bought the same article cheaper in the English market with the
additional advantage of examining and testing the goods before purchase.
“I leave the solution of this enigma to the initiated: it probably is
that the makers consign very largely, and London importers are too
experienced and too wary to pay the full invoice price until well
acquainted with the wares, or they get large discounts refused to the
cash purchaser in Havana.
“Complaints are heard of the depressed state of the Cuban tobacco trade
and of the large unsold stocks on hand. I do not think the traders
deserve sympathy, nor have they done anything to earn the confidence of
foreign customers. My experience leads me to advise intending purchasers
to put (I do not advise regular traders) themselves in the hands of
reliable London dealers and avoid all direct purchases.
“Intelligent smokers with sensitive palates will find no cheap tobacco
here fit to smoke; 50_s._ per 100 and upwards is what must be paid at
present for really fine-flavoured aromatic cigars; beyond 80_s._ or
85_s._ prices become fancy ones, and are paid for the smart cases and
envelopes. Even at the rates I quote it is not easy to find what is
wanted. There is abundance of dark powerful tobacco of fine quality at
much lower rates, but not light tobacco with flavour or aroma or without
strength, such as the educated (I allude to taste) Englishman seeks. I
believe that only about 10 per cent. of the tobacco harvested in
ordinary years is of the light colour I refer to, hence the difficulty
in supplying the demand, and the artifices resorted to to supply the
deficiency.
“Cuba’s annual tobacco crop may be estimated as between 300,000 and
400,000 _tercios_ of 125 lb. each. About 30,000 persons are employed in
its cultivation, and its value when harvested may be fixed (according to
year’s quality) at between 8,000,000 and 12,000,000 dol. of 4_s._
“I cannot estimate the number of persons engaged in working plantation
(Vegueros) and other cigars for home consumption, nor the quantity thus
consumed; but the higher class of operatives employed in cigar-making
for export number about 20,000, and turn out at present probably
200,000,000 cigars annually.
“The export trade has fallen off considerably of late years. In the five
years, 1870 to 1874, about 350,000,000 cigars were annually shipped to
foreign ports, whereas in the period between 1879 and 1884 the annual
average export was only 200,000,000.
“Probably larger quantities have been exported in each period owing to
under valuations to escape export duty; but relative bulk proportions
between the two export periods will hardly be affected by this.”
The exports from Havana in 1884 were 11,767,200 lb. to the United
States, 613,000 to Spain, 252,600 to France, 37,500 to Mexico and South
America, 70,000 to Belgium, and 500 to the Mediterranean.