Tobacco Culture

The island of Sumatra is famous for its tobacco, as all lovers of the weed know. Its preparation, its growth and the various stages through which the fragrant leaves must pass, before they are ready for the smoker, form the interesting theme of this beautiful colored picture. The first scene shows the young plants growing close together, and the transplanting as they increase in size. The soil is poor for anything but tobacco, and one wonders how a good crop may be obtained in such poor land. We are shown, successively, the natives picking the largest leaves the inspection of the picking, and the natives carrying bundles of green tobacco to the tallying room.