TOBACCO GROWING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 49, 12 October 1911, Page 4

TOBACCO GROWING.

A social philosopher recently pointed out that it. is strange to note that one of the few things not made in Germany now-a-days is German sausage. It looks as if Turkish tobacco will soon he grown in Norfolk. At any rate a daily paper is responsible for the statement that a Major Whitmore, of Methwold, in that country, has received from an old soldier a “tip” with regard to the resemblance of the fine sandy soil of that neighbourhood to that of Smyrna and other Eastern countries where tobacco growing is the chief industry. Major Whitmore’s interest was at once aroused, and, it is said, after securing further valuable information from trustworthy sources he determined to try an experiment. Securing a licence from the Government lie planted small quantities of both Smyrna and Virginia tobacco seeds. The result was a thousand Turkish plants and over three times as many of the American variety, all of the finest quality. These were then transplanted to the waste land of the Methwold estate between June 12 and July 14, and in spite of the long drought they give splendid testimony of the possibilities of England as a tobacco-producing country. It is stated that the Turkish specimens have grown luxuriously, some of them measuring as much as 7ft. Sins, in height, and being crowned with beautiful lilac-tinted flowers. While the barren soil of Norfolk seems to ho admirably adapted to the growth of tobacco, the experimenters are not yet certain whether the plants would always flourish as they T have this year, although the season lias not been generally favourable, and the lateness of planting was another disadvantage. An interesting fact, candidly stated in connection with the Methwold test is that the crop received no expert attention. The only man in charge of it was the caretaker of the property, who is a. carpenter by trade, and knows nothing of gardening, let alone How shold hep

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