lo Dec, 1910.] Tobacco Culture. 749 



For cigar tobaccoes, the varieties suited to sandy soils, from 70 per 

 cent, to 90 per cent, sand, are Connecticut Seed Leaf, Havana, and Com- 

 stock. Tiie greater tlie percentage of sand the finer the texture of the 

 leaf. At the same time, when the percentage of sand is very high, either 

 regular rainfall is required, or artificial watering. The yield from the 

 first-named is sometimes very heavy, as much as 2,000 lbs. of cured leaf 

 per acre being secured in America. The plant is a vigorous grower in 

 Victoria though somewhat difficult to work, owing to its low habit of 

 growth and the closeness of the leaves on the stem. Comstock and 

 Havana varieties are easier to work, but yield less, 1,400 lbs. being a 

 good crop. All the.se are grown for both filler and wrapper purposes. 



On richer .soils, either red chocolate or gravel or strong sandy loams, 

 onlv filler leaf, or binder, can be grown for cigar making. The best 

 varieties for the purpose are Vuelta de Abajo (known as the sweetest 

 Cuban filler grown in the world), Comstock and Pennsylvania, and yields 

 of from 700 lbs. to 1,500 lbs. are possible. 



Only those varieties which have already been proved successful in 

 Victoria, are recommended in this article. These have been selected from 

 about 40 varieties imported from the United States for experimental 

 purposes. There may be many others of the 220 varieties and sub- 

 varieties known, yet to be proved suitable. One important fact to be 

 remembered in growing under new conditions is that a variety, taken from 

 a district where it has proved suitable and sown in a new locality, is 

 liable to lose its useful characteristics after a few years, or it may possibly 

 develop new and better ones. Therefore, the tobacco leaf will require close 

 watching ; if it is found to deteriorate it should not be grown from seed 

 taken year after year, but from a crop that has been acclimatized one 

 year, when sufficient seed can be saved to plant the area required for five 

 or six subsequent years. This is not a big undertaking as one good plant 

 will provide enough .seed for 10 or 15 acres, and its vitality is remark- 

 able for such a small seed. 



The bulk of this work, up to the present, has been done by the Govern- 

 ment tobacco farm at Whitfield. Seed has been distributed gratis to more 

 than a thousand applicants during the past five years, but there can be 

 no doubt that growers in different localities could materially assist the 

 industry if they would also undertake this work to some extent under a 

 greater variety of conditions. In order to keep up the standard of quality 

 fresh seed should be imported every fourth or fifth year from those parts 

 of the world where each variety has reached the highest state of perfection. 



Seed and Seed Beds. 



Tobacco seed is so small that between 300,000 and 400,000 are con- 

 tained in one ounce. Quite 70 per cent, of these are infertile, consequently 

 an ounce of seed will provide sufficient plants for from 7 to 10 acres of 

 heavy tobacco and 2 to 4 acres of cigar tobacco, the latter being planted 

 closer in the field to obtain better texture. The cost of the seed is pro- 

 bably less than that of any other farm crop, being 2s. 6d. to 5s. per oz., or 

 4s. to I2S. per lb. Seeing that the .seed is so cheap, quality should be con- 

 sidered more than quantity. It should be purchased only from reliable sources. 



A question that is often asked is, " Can the seed issued in one year 

 be sown the following with success ? " Tobacco seed, although .so small, 

 has remarkable vitality and will keep for ten years if properly cared for. 

 It should be placed in glass jars when thoroughly dry. and the top screwed 

 tightly down or sealed. The ordinary Mason jam jar is excellent for the 

 purpose. 



