PRODUCTION OF EARLY VARIETIES. 37 



and few suckers. The crops raised from this seed were found to 

 produce but few suckers, the progeny of the ditt'erent phints varying 

 somewhat in this respect. From the strains procUicing the best type 

 of leaves and bearing the least number and smallest size of suckers 

 nonsuckering plants were again selected and the seed saved under 

 bag in 1!)04. In the season of IDOo it was found that the progeny of 

 these selections were almost free from large suckers. In one strain 

 in particular only a few very small suckers, none of which grew more 

 than 4 inches in length, were produced. The plants raised from 

 ordinary seed of the same variety in the same field produced many 

 hirge suckers, and as usual it was necessary to sucker the crop several 

 times during the season. The remarkable difference in the suckor- 

 ing and nonsuckering habit has become so well fixt in this particular 

 strain that a limited distribution of the seed was made for testing 

 during the season of 100(5. 



It has been suggested that by saving seed from sucker branches 

 strains of tobacco are developed which produce an increasingly large 

 proportion .of suckers; in other words, that sucker seed tends to 

 produce suckering types of tobacco. In experiments with plants 

 raised from seed saved from the central flower cluster the writers 

 have observed little or no difference. As a rule, however, it has been 

 found that the seed pods in the central flower cluster contain more 

 large and heavy seed than the pods borne by the sucker branches, so 

 that where seed is not carefully sejiarated in order to secure only 

 heav}' seed for planting it is probably the best practise to save seed 

 from pods borne by the central flower cluster of the seed head. 



THE PRODUCTION OF EARLY VARIETIES. 



Early maturing varieties of tobacco are of particular importance 

 to northern tobacco-growing districts. Owing to the fact that 

 frost kills the plants it is necessary for northern farmers to grow 

 varieties which will mature between the time of the last frost in 

 the spring and the first frost in the autumn. ^A^fter the tobacco 

 crops have been harvested and hung in the barns the curing processes 

 are carried on most favorably during warm weather. The length 

 of time required for the completion of the curing varies with the 

 variety grown, the purpose for which the tobacco is to be used, and 

 the weather. Under normal conditions, however, the natural curing 

 period extends from four to eight weeks. It can readily be seen, 

 therefore, that early-maturing varieties are likel}^ to have more 

 favorable conditions for curing than late varieties, as has proved 

 to be the case in the experience of the tobacco growers in northern 

 districts. 



96 ■ 



