“NEVER A COMMERCIAL PROPOSITION?”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 12 April 1934, Page 7

“NEVER A COMMERCIAL PROPOSITION?”

RAISING OF TOBACCO PLANTS IN CANTERBURY WEATHER THE DIFFICULTY Doubt that tobacco-growing could ever become a sound commercial proposition in Canterbury was expressed by a representative of a Christchurch tobacco company, on the ground that the weather in the province was not sufficiently reliable, reports the "Sun.” Specimens of locally-grown tobacco which have been submitted to the company for an opinion have been rejected, because of their unsuitable quality, but, it was pointed out, faults in culture and curing could bo overcome by experience. The weather was the only permanent handicap. Certainly, the weather this season has been discouraging. The crop grown at Brighton by disabled returned soldiers was spoiled by a February frost the day before it was to have been harvested. The crop grown on Technical College plots at Papanui has been so much damaged by hail and frost that it may not be worth harvesting. The Christchurch Disabled Soldiers Re-establishment Committee has yet to decide whether it will continue to experiment with tobacco on the eight-acre plot at Brighton. It, has been proved that the land, of a 'light, sandy loam type, can grow good-sized plants, and a kiln has been built on the property. The Technical College authorities have decided that they will not raise any more crops for the meantime, at any rate. Their object, like that of the Reestablishment Committee, was to see whether it was possible to grow tobacco plants here, and to that extent, at least, they have been successful. “The Re-establishment Committee has not spent a great deal of money on its tobacco-growing experiments, therefore it has not lost much,” Mr W. E. Leadlev remarked to a “Sun” reporter. “Where the loss came in was in the prospective value of the crop that was spoiled by a two-degree frost.” Mr Leadley added that crops were being grown by farmers in various parts of the district —Little River and. Darfield,' for example—and satisfactory growths had been obtained. As yet, however, nothing had been achieved with tobacco as a commercial proposition. The committee had hoped that the Brighton crop would be the first in Canterbury actually sold to a tobacco company for commercial use. The representative of the tobacco company, remarking on the weather difficulty, pointed out that in Nelson also this season, some growers had been heavy losers through early frosts. Tobacco plants were highly susceptible to frost damage. Tie explained that specimens of local-ly-grown leaf submitted to the company had been too rank in burning to be commercially satisfactory. A lack of experience had led to errors in the raising of the crops. For one thing, tobacco plants had to bo brought on quickly if they were to yield a, good leaf. There wore evidently faults in curing methods also.

Growers could overcome these, faults in time, but no matter how skilful they became, the speaker believed that the weather vagaries of Canterbury would always prevent tobacco-growing from being a safe proposition hore. This season had shown what unexpected hailstorms and early frosts could do to tobacco plants, and growers could never feel secure. Conditions were not sufficiently reliable, and weather was a very important matter with tobacco crops.