lo Feb.. 191 1. 



Tobacco Culture. 



85 



Two long plates of steel, which are curved in front and gradually run 

 out to nothing on each side of the plough, break up the soil and close it 

 up round the plant, leaving a dry surface over the water in which the 

 plant is set. This is a great advantage over hand-setting as there is less 

 loss of moisture and no caking of the soil round the young plant. A fer- 

 tilizer can be distributed, if required, at the same time, but as already 

 mentioned it is best to apply fertilizers beforehand. 



The extra working of the soil at the last moment before planting has 

 a good effect. Three hands can put out from 2 to 4 acres a day,, 

 and all the work is done sitting down, a circumstance that ajipeals to 

 many. 



The rows should be kept straight, if possible both ways, to allow for 

 cultivation. Where hand-planting is done a line any length, with a piece 

 of cloth 2 inches long, can be knotted in every 3 feet to mark the 

 distances. 



THE BEMIS TR-ANSPLANTFR. 



The cost of the machine is ;^i6, and the lile with care is easily lo- 

 or 15 years. It is also useful for planting potatoes, maize, grass- 

 roots, &c. 



The system of deep planting has given best results in A'ictoria and 

 more plants have been lost through shallow than t(X) deep .setting. The 

 jilant should be set so deeply that the outside leaves are Icept by the soil 

 in an upright position so that they i)rotect the heart. The.se leaves will, 

 later, drop off in any case and the heart of the plant will soon push 

 its way upward. 



It is possible in sonx' localities to transplant too early. Tobacco that 

 matures before the end of the summer is liable to miss the night dews, 

 which ha\e a most beneficial effect on the leaf during the ripening stage. 

 On the other hand, if planted late, frosts may do some damage before the 

 crop is harvesteil. In the Xorth-l-lasti'm District the best time to tr.ms- 

 plant is linm the third we<'k in (^(•to|)er to the end of N'ovember. PI int.v 



