Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 1884. TOBACCO CULTURE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 257, 26 September 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 1884. TOBACCO CULTURE.

? On a previous occasion we dealt with thp mode of cultivating the to- . bacco plant, and promised to touch upon the subject again, with a view to explaining to those who were not already acquainted with it, the best methods of curing the leaf after it had been successfully reared, and to giving an approximate idea of the probable returns that an average crop of tobacco .might usually 'be expected to yield. On referring to a variety of works on the subject we find that there is a uniform drying and curing process which is adopted by most tobacco growers. When mature the wl/Jle of the stalk is cut off -at about three inches from the ground, and hung up m a drying shed. In about three weeks time the leaves are ready to be stripped off the stalks, which opera* tion is usually conducted on a damp day, so that the leaves may be removed without cracking. When; stripped they are laid together m small parcels called " hands," and jhese are packed closely together m a cool dry place. The hands are not made up at random, by packing up the leaves just as they may happen to come, but are composed of distinct classes of leaves, which are sorted m the same manner as fleeces of wool before being put m the press. Thus there are the inferior leaves called the "fillers'" which are used to fill up the cigars with when they are ready for manufacturing, and the " seconds," which are also put inside, and the " wrappers.-" or the best leaves with which the cigars are finally wrapped. Each hand should weigh about half a pound. The hands when made are then packed closely togetherffetween ; flat boards, and after a little sweat- • ing the tobacco will be ready for the market. There are. details which <we have omitted, and . which would ? be use£j^to.growef sy but to nientlSh them all would occupy more space jthan the limits of an article would \allow. But by using ordinary judgement, or by procuring . w a pamphlet on the subject, no one should be at a loss as to how the drying and curing of tobacco should be conducted. The next question is that of the returns which tobacco culture may be Calculated to produce, and it is perhaps the most important point of - the whole industry. - The statistics to which we have been able to refer are deduced from experiences m American plantations, and there are consequently some differencesin price for which it is necessary to make allowance. But m one great re-' spect, the cost of labour, the American estimates agree very fairly, with" our own, arid this is the mest important item m the whole of the industfy;"sT> wje may accept to American statistics as accurate enough for our purpose. From them we find that an average crop off an acre of land was nearly 24001bs of tobacco leaf, weighed after, it was dried, and the value of this m America at the time, of growth, was about lid per lb, making a crop, the total values of which was equal to =£1 10 off one acre of. land. The expenses amounted to jPJ34, labor, manure, ploughing, cost of plants, and interest on capital sunk m the land all included, thus leaving a net profit of LB6 from a single acre of land. When it is considered that the instructions distinctly say that bush land does not require manuring, that the plants can be, readily reared from seed, and ■that the greater proportion of the i, labour required is so light that it /cotild be undertaken by the memxljters of a family, there is every reas'ori to expect that the actual profits realised would be even more than that which we have estimated. This is surmising that the price of tobacco is lid per lb, and it should not be less than this, considering that the wholesale price is very' little under 6s per lb for ordinary sorts. Supposing that land is sufficiently good to feed a beast to the acre, and such land is not common, even m the bush, the annual returns from it will not be more than L 2 gross at the most, if used for ordinary

grazing purposes. Surely then the difference m the profits received from grazing land and growing tobacco, hops and other things is sufficiently great to encourage a few people to give the latter at least a fair trial.