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Show Tobacco the Most Profitable Weed By Professor J N. Harper Director South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station r? .-iff- -w . , i . i i 1 1 iri.r- jr.. -.,v,; 1 Ljajj., A Good Specimen of Rounded Type of Tobacco Leaves J '"TOBACCO was tlrt cultivated In America, I The early explorers of this continent found tho natives making ue of tobacco for smoking, chewing and medicinal purposes. pur-poses. Tobacco was cultivated by the first colonists In colonial Virginia, and as eaiiy as 1C1D 0.000 pounds of tobacco was shipped to 12ngland from this colony. Its consumption consump-tion rapidly Increased after this lime, 60 lint within a few years It becamo the lendlnc export of Virginia and was one of tho main sources of revenue for the people. In 1731 tho provinces of Virginia and Maryland exported $1,S73.000 worth of tobacco. to-bacco. Kentucky early became a leading tobacco to-bacco rtate, and that commonwealth now produces one-third of the entire yield of tho product In the United States. Tobacco is now being grown In twenty-five states of tho union, T76.U00 acres being devoted to thi.i crop. More than C.13. 000.000 pounds was produced in tho United Slates in 1503, tho farm value of thin crop being $33:500,000. Tobacoo belongs to the Solanueeae family, which Includes, among other plants, Irish potatoes, po-tatoes, red peppers and Jimson weeds. There are more than 100 varieties of tobacco In cultivation The lending varieties grown In Amorlca are tho White Burley, JJlmmcr Spanish, Span-ish, Cuban. Orinoco, Connecticut Seed Leaf, Yellow Prior, Havana Seed Leaf and Sumatra Seed Leaf. No plant responds so readily to careful selection as does the tobacco plant. It is a plant that crosses readily, and to lmprovo the seed It Is necessary to place a sack over the flowers before the pistil is ready to receive re-ceive tiic pollen, thus preventing Insects from bringing pollen from undesirable plants and crossing. The Hist step in .-nvlng seed Is to select the type of tobneco that one wishes to grow. It is er.sy to pick out a desirable tobacco plant, because all of Its characteristics characteris-tics ore before the eye. If one Is breeding for a long leaf, a broad leaf, or a narrow loaf, or a plant that holds Its leaves up well, or one that has long Internodes, "or short Inter-nodes, Inter-nodes, or one that has pointed leaves or round leaves, or one that haR lino veins or coarse veins, oi one that has width between veins, he can readily do so by selecting his plant and protecting its pistil from cross-polllna-lion. All lateral flowcra should be pulled o(t, leaving only a few at (ho top A f..-w dayj before the pollen Is ripe a sck should bo plaeed over the flowers In order to prevent any possible cross-fertilization. If one wishes to cross or hybridise with some other plant ho can do so by taking the stamens out before be-fore the pollen Is rlpo and the dav after ap-pljlng ap-pljlng to the floor ?rorn which the stamens were if moved the pollen from another plant by mcaii.i of a camel's-halr brush. All small leaves, suckers and lateral branches Immediately Imme-diately below the seed head proper should bn carefully removed and tho mouth of the bag tied around tho stalk Just under the lowest lemulnlng branches. Many of the Improved varieties of tobacco to-bacco have been brought about by crossing standard artcties, and many of the standard stand-ard varieties of tobacco, such as the Whlto Hurley, have been improved by careful selection selec-tion and preventing cross-polllnatlon with undesirable plants. It Is necessary 1o thoroughly prepare the soil In muklng preparation for a seed bed for young tobacco plants. Tho bed should be located in some well-protected plaro and should huve a southern exposure so as to obtain as much hent from tho sun as possible. The bed should be burned thoroughly to destroy de-stroy all weed seed and Insect ep-js. and and harrowing, and the rows Bhould o laid off at a uniform distance with a marker. If sod land Is to be planted in tobacco It should hit plowed early In the spring to give the sod time to thoroughly rot. There lo no plant that Is so susceptible to f.-rHllzatlon as 1 tobacco. Its quality is greatly affected by fertilizers. It is a plant that requires large amounts of potassium and nitrogen. Tho potassium should be In the form of a sulphate, as the chlorids are detriment.-.! to its quality. Phosphorus Increases the yield on most types of soil, but has no effect on the quality of the tobacco. Tobacco cannot be grown for a number of years on the same soil, therefore It must be In a system sys-tem of rotation with other crops. In the blue grass region of Kentucky, where White Hurley is grown entirely, it enlcrn a rotation with corn, wheat, clover, timothy and bluo gras. the fields remaining In bluo grass for a long term of years. In ether parts of the country where a number of other varieties aro grown It is rotated with corn, wheat and clover. Coarse and heavy manures aro detrimental detri-mental to the quality of the tobacco unless they are well rotted. Tobacco stems are an excellent fertilizer for tobacco, and an much as 1.300 to 2,000 pounds can be used to the acre. Tobacco should bo planted In rows, varying vary-ing from a distance of 3 to Vi feet, depending depend-ing upon tho variety, and the distance the plants are set in tho row uh;o depends upon the variety. Some varieties, as the White Burley, are set 13 to I'O Inches, while others, ns Yellow Prior, are set 3', J feet. Tho cultivation should be clean and shallow. shal-low. The plants should be topped when they first begin to bloom. Tho number of leaves left varies from sixteen to twenty-four, depending de-pending upon tho variety. All suckers should be pulled off before they get to bo six Inches long. Tobacco should never be cut before it Is thoroughly ripe. This Is Indicated by the color of the tobacco. It begins to turn yellow on rlponlng. The whole plants are I cither cut down with small knives made for the purpose or tho ripe leaves are picked, leaving tho others to rlnen. The cigar-tobacco types are primed, whereas the heavy tobaccos and Whlto Hurleys are cut whole and placed on sticks An hour or so after tobacco has been cut and placed on sticks It should be put on trestles in the field to prevent pre-vent sunburn. It Is best to leave on tho trestles for a day or two before hauling to barn. Tobacco that Is placed on sticks should always be hauled to the barn on tobacco frames rather than in bulk on an open wagon body. Whore the soil texture and other conditions condi-tions are favorable for the growth of tobacco to-bacco It can be grown successfully even whero the weather conditions arc not favorable favor-able for it by being grown under canvas. Nearly all of the types of tobacco grown In the United States have been experimented with by this method. Ry growing tobacco under shade It will resist a drought, tho soil retains the moisture, a very much larger yield Is produced, the tobacco Is of a finer quality, insect depredations aro prevented, considerable considera-ble l.ibo'r Is saved In cultivation and the physical condition of the soil is greatly Improved Im-proved Sunburn, Injury due to heavy w indstorms ind-storms and rains and Injury from eavly and late frosts are also prevented. Undesirable cross pollination Is lessened to a certain extent, ex-tent, the seasons arc considerably prolonged, and few of tho plants havo to be reset, while the southern varieties can be grown farther north. It Is questionable, however, whether It pays because of the great expense. In most kind's of seeds there is a sufficient supply of all the ten elements of plant food to feed the young plant until it sends out roots and leaves and is able to take nourishment from the soil. Tobacco has very little reserve supply of food in the seed and the seedling must "hustle" for itself almost immediately after germination. This accounts for the slow initial growth of the plant and the rapid development after the third and fourth leaves have been formed. Do not force tobacco seedlings too much at the start. Tobacco is a rank feeder on potassium, which is best supplied combined as a sulphate, as chlorine abundant in potassium chloride is injurious. this will also put I he soil in good physical condition. The bed should be protected by being surrounded by boards and the upper side should be ditched to prevent water from flooding it. The bed should also bo protected pro-tected in the early spring by cotton canvas, Tho seed shemld bo sown aiter Ihe bed has been burned and plowed and thoroughly raked and has been rid of all stones and trash. Tho seed should be sown at the rate of one thimbleful to every 36 square feer. Heforo sowing the seed the light ones should bo separated from the heavy ones and only tho heavy ones should bo sown. This can be done by a recently Invented apparatus which blows the light or chaffy ones out from the heavy ones. It has been prove 1 that the plants grown from light seed produce pro-duce not only a very small yield, but tobacco of Inferior quality. Re fore sowing the seed should be mixed with a good quantity oi cornmeal. This will dilute the seed to such an extent tliat it will be possible to mow them evenly and not too great a quantity to tho bed. Four needs to every square Inch . Is sufficient. The seeds should be tested for,' their germinating powers buforo sowing. This' Is done by pluciug a definite number of seed.", say 100. on r moist piece of blotting paji.T' In a broad (rlass Jar and keeping moist In a dark, warm place. In a few days all good se"d will germinate. The seed should bn sewn early in th spring and raked In. The young tobacco plants should be heav ily fertilized with nitrates and potash salts and should bo transplanted when the loaves are a Utile larger than a silver dollar. The earlier the tobacco Is set out tho better tho quality and the greater the yield. Transplanting Trans-planting Is usually dono by hand, and when thus transplanted the setter should be careful care-ful that the hole Is made deep enough to allow al-low the roots of the pianllet to bo perfectly straight down, otherwise a dlseaso will set up that will greatly Injure the plant. Machines Ma-chines are now being used to a considerable consider-able extent, and with their aid tobacco can be set out in dry weather and a good stand obtained- It Is necessary to water tho youn plants when thoy are set out during dry weather. No plant Is so affected by different tjpes of soils as Is the tobacco plant The variety of tl.e tobacco grown in a given locality depends de-pends upon the type of soil in that locality. Tho texture of tho Foil seems to influence the character and quality of the tobacco more than does Its chemical composition. Under given climatic conditions the class and typo of tobacco depend upon the character of the soil upon which It Is grown, especially on the physical properties, while tho grado Is dependent largely upon the cultivation and curing of the crop. If the texture of tho soil Is known It Is possible to say what typo of tobneco Is suited for that soli. Rcforo Ihe tobacco Is set out the soil should bo thoroughly prepared by deep plow ing, rolling |