46 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



Manuring. — It has been found at Pusa that the success 

 of this crop in Behar depends on the rapidity of growth 

 during October and November, and that this rapid growth 

 is only possible provided a large supply of organic manure 

 in the right condition is added to the soil. It is usual to 

 use indigo seeth, oilcake and cattle manure for this pur- 

 pose, but the application of these substances in sufficient 

 quantity is a costly process. In 1909 it was found that 

 green manuring with san, if carried out in good time so as 

 to allow of a thorough incorporation with the soil, was not 

 only as effective as the organic manures usually employed 

 but also far cheaper. During the present year the results 

 were repeated, and trials of the same varieties with seeth, 

 san, cattle manure and oilcake were made. Both in yield 

 and quality of cured leaf the results with san were entirely 

 satisfactory, and accordingly the Pusa results have been 

 brought to the notice of planters interested in tobacco grow- 

 ing in Behar, and extensive trials with san are now being 

 made in the district. As in wheat growing it has been found 

 at Pusa that attention to the details of cultivation and mois- 

 ture conservation are of the greatest importance in tobacco 

 cultivation. About 34 maunds of cured leaf (omitting the 

 lower portions of the stalk usually included in Behar) were 

 obtained to the acre at Pusa last year — a yield greatly in 

 excess of the crops in the neighbourhood. 



Curin?.— Results of considerable promise have been 

 obtained in the curing experiments which are being 

 conducted in collaboration with the Peninsular Tobacco 

 Company at Monghyr. The varieties used were both Ameri- 

 can, and also the most promising of the Pusa selections, 

 and the method adopted was a modification of that usually 

 employed by the people. Under the conditions of the ex- 

 periment the Indian tobacco gave better results than the 

 American, and one of the Pusa selections gave leaf of con- 

 siderable promise. The experiments are being continued 

 on a large scale. 



Breeding. — Both in Nicotiana tahcum and in Nico- 

 tiana rmstica considera])le progress has been made by the 



