Tobacco Experiments at Edi. 639 



Of the experiments shown here, the beds treated with a 

 mild sohition of bluestone were the last to take the disease, and 

 suffered least, especially those under cheese cloth covers. The 

 covered beds treated with superphosphate were next best. The 

 burnt beds and those treated with boiling water matured first, and 

 had less weeds than the uuburnt and uncovered. 



The mixture of 1 lb bluestone, 1 lb. lime to 10 gallons of water 

 proved too strong for the seed, and very little germinated, and it is 

 also too stroDg for spraying the plants. Lime and sulphur treatment 

 had no apparent effect, either in treating the beds before seeding or 

 after the plants were well up. Kerosene emulsion was also tried 

 after the disease appeared without effect. Plants grown under glass 

 were delicate and transplanted badly. 



Raised beds in wet seasons and level beds in dry are best. 



Sprouted seed is useful if late in seeding, as two weeks can be 

 gained by so treating. Good results can also be obtained by manuring, 

 the superphosphate being the best fertilizer used. 



Beds high up in the hill with a northern aspect did fairly well, 

 and should always be worth trying when possible. All the experi- 

 mental beds for prevention of mould were seeded with one variety, 

 viz., Hester, on August 24th. 



Variety Tests. 



Sixteen varieties were tried in all, 12 of which were pipe or manu- 

 facturing tobaccoes, and four cigar. The names of the former were : 

 Hester, Hyco, Conqueror, Lacks, Blue Pry or, Granville Yellow, 

 Colonial Broad Leaf, Virginia India, Long Leaf Gooch, Dark 

 Virginia, Carolina Yellow, and Kentucky Burley. The first seven 

 ■of these did well, but the last five failed partly owing to the dry 

 season, and the seed also, which was recently imported, was I think 

 very old. The Conqueror, Lacks, and Blue Pry or were the first 

 ready for putting out in the fields and the Hester and Colonial Broad 

 Leaf a few days later. The Hester is, in my opinion, the best of the 

 pipe varieties yet tried, having a nice heart-shaped leaf, not too large, 

 with small mid rib. It matures early, and cures a brighter color than 

 the others, while it is also an easy plant to handle, the leaves growing 

 well apart on the stem. The Conqueror is also a nice tobacco, having 

 s, pointed leaf, growing a long distance between the leaves, curing a 

 red color. The Lacks and Blue Pryor are fine heavy tobaccoes, and 

 would give large yields, but the mid-rib is coarse, the same remarks 

 applying to the Colonial Broad Leaf. The Granville Yellow and 

 Hyco are not such robust growers as any of the former, but have nice 

 quality and would grow bright tobacco on a lighter class of soil. 



Of the cigar varieties, viz., Comstock Spanish, Connecticut Seed 

 Leaf, Sumatra, and Cuban Havana, the three first thrived well, the 

 Cuban Havana seed failing to germinate. The two first-named are 

 strong growers, the Connecticut Seed Leaf being a heavy yielder, 

 with leaves growing close together on the stalk. It is slow in 



