Vot. XII. No. 302. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



383 



But although the appearances produced are the same, 

 there are, as pointed out by Dr. Smith, important differences 

 in the incidence of the diseases in the two countries. Thus 

 in the United States the disease is confined to seedlings and 

 young plants, whereas in St. Croix it attacks cotton at almost 

 all stages, while the American disea.se is favoured by conditions 

 as regards close planting and soil moi.sture exactly opposite to 

 those already mentioned for the St. Croix disease. In both 

 countries the attacked plants frequently lise the disease in an 

 abrupt manner. 



Last year's recommendation to St. Croix growers to 

 plant wider apart 'appears to have lieen followed with success, 

 for there has been much less of the disease this season.' ' 



Obviously there is much more to be learnt of both the 

 St. Croix diseases, and the result of further investigations 

 will be awaited with interest. 



TOBACCO GROWING. 



GROWING CIGAR WRAPPER TOBACCO 

 IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



The growing of tobacco of one class or another ha.s been 

 practised by the farmers of South Africa for many years, but 

 it is only quite recently that organized attempts have been 

 made to produce those delicate leaves which are used for 

 wrapping cigars. 



Cigar leaf tobacco is grown under cheese cloth shade in 

 South Africa. The idea of growing tobacco under shade 

 originated however, in Florida, where it was noticed that 

 Sumatra tobacco grown near trees where it had been partly 

 shaded was superior in quality to the rest of the field. 

 Experiments were started, and in a few years the growing of 

 cigar tobacco under artificial shade became an industry 

 in itself. 



Last year in South Africa (1912), with a poor season 

 and with no irrigation there was produced with about 

 80 per cent., of a stand, 795 Bb. of cured leaf, and it may be 

 said that splendid wrapper has been grown under shade, and 

 even fair quality leaf in the open. During the present year, 

 the crop consists of I acre under cheese cloth and 4 in the 

 open. It is estimated that the crop will yield 1,000 lb. per acre. 



Sumatra varieties are the best for wrapper leaves, and 

 the value of them lies in the thin luit tough elastic leaf, the 

 absence of any strongly marked taste or aroma, and the fine 

 finished appearance it gives a cigar. 



Turning to the question of cost, it is seen that the 

 expense incurred in erecting an acre-tent consisting of cheese 

 cloth, wire and wood posts is £41 9s. 3rf.: this includes 

 £35 13.S-. Id for material (one-fifth of the cost of supports 

 and half of cost of cheese cloth), and £o Los. 8d. for labour. 

 These figures, of course, hold good only for Barberton, 

 South Africa. 



The usual care has to be exercised in the selection of soil, 

 and in transplanting and cultivation. As regards topping 

 and suckering, it is stated that if Sumatra tobacco is topped 

 at all, it should be done just as the bud of the flower shows; 

 then twenty to twenty-eight leaves should be left on each 

 plant. About two weeks after this the suckers will have to 

 Ije removed from the axle of the leaf. The latest approved 

 method of producing fine wrapper tobacco, however, is to 

 leave the tops on the plants. Harvesting is done by priming, 

 i.e. picking off the leaves as tbey ripen from the bottom of 

 the stock upwards. Picking should usually begin just after 



the plants come into flower. The proper condition in which 

 to pick the leaves is told by the feeling and appearance of 

 them. Exactness in determining the correct stage of ripeness 

 is best acquired by experience, as all plants that are ready 

 to harvest do not look alike; but, in general, the leaf will 

 have a dull appearance and feel thick and leathery, sometimes 

 showing faint yellowish flakes. These flakes are very 

 characteristic on the top leaves, but are often indistinct on 

 the lower ones, so that if we wait for them to become distinct 

 before picking begins, the bottom and middle leaves will be 

 over-ripe. The middle leaves of the plant are not thoroughly 

 ripe until these flakes are developed, but the best wrappers 

 are obtained by picking them a little under-ripe. The top leaves 

 being small, are used for filler instead of wrapper, and should 

 be allowed to get thoroughly ripe. 



In curing leaf tobacco no exact rule can be laid down. 

 The curing shed must have thorough ventilation and should 

 not allow of too high a temperature inside. When green 

 tobacco is first hung in the shade, the doors .should be closed 

 tight for three or four days until the leaves have yellowed. 

 When this has happened the ventilators must be opened in 

 order to permit the driving off of all surplus moisture. Some- 

 times it is neces.sary to increase the moisture in the shade by 

 hanging up wet sacks. When all of the leaf except the 

 midrib is cured, the shed may be opened during the day and 

 closed at night. When the tobacco is fully cured it should 

 be kept thoroughly dry and the shed kept tightly closed. 



Other information is given, in the article from which 

 this information has been taken (see Agricultural Jouriialof 

 the Union of .Smith Africa for September 1913), in connex- 

 ion with curing, but, as previously stated, it is alt largely 

 a matter of local conditions and personal experience. In 

 concluding it may be stated that the fermentation of cigar 

 tobacco is not a process to be carried out by the planter, and 

 therefore it is unnecessary to discuss this question in the 

 present consideration of the production of cigar-wrapper 

 tobacco. 



Experiments with Tobacco Seed. — Recently 



ertbrts to get a quicker germination of the seed of beet roots 

 and a stronger growth of the young .shoots have been made 

 with some success. The method adopted is to dry the 

 young seed during twenty-four hours and at a temperature 

 of -55' Celcius. The seeds do not suffer from root blight, 

 whereas those that have been untreated are generally 

 destroyed. 



Similar experiments have lately been carried out with 

 seed of Sumatra tobacco. Small quantities were dried 

 during twenty-four hours at -50° Celcius in a dry air tube 

 above un.slaked lime, above calcium chloride, and lastly 

 also above strong sulphuric acid. Equal quantities of the- 

 original samples were sown as controls. No quicker ger- 

 mination of the dried seeds could be noticed. The plots did 

 not show any ditt'erence compared with the controls after 

 seven, ten, fourteen and twenty days. Neither '.vas it 

 proved that the treated seeds can resist diseases, as part of 

 the shoots grown from the treated seed was badly attacked 

 by Phytophthora. It is believed that the beneficial effect of 

 heating on the seed of beet root is due largely to its peculiar 

 construction, which causes it to profit more by being well 

 dried than tobacco can. 



The above information is taken from some translations 

 made by Mr. J. Heyliger."!, Chemist to the St. Kitts Central 

 Sugar Factory, from Meihdeelingen ran het Deli Proef&tation. 



