756 Journal of Agriculture. Victoria. [15 Dec, 1919. 



arsenic to 50 lbs. of bran, witli sufficient water and molasses to 

 rhoroiighly moisten the whole, the bran being poured into the solution, 

 which .should be kept well stirred until tlie water is all absorbed. 



Horn-worms or caterpillars, " the larA'fc of the Sphinx moth," often 

 cause much trouble during the growing period of the crop and some- 

 times attack the plants at all times from transplantation up to harvest. 

 They commence to live on the plant from the time they are hatched 

 until they mature, and must either be taken off by hand or the plants 

 aiTected should be sprayed with a solution made of 1 lb. of paris green 

 to 200 gallons of water, applied by a knapsack spray pump, the nozzle 

 being so adjusted as to throw a fine, misty spray over the plant. The 

 young tender leaves in the centre of the plant are those most liable to 

 damage, and care should always be taken to spray this portion 

 thoroughly as soon as the caterpillars make their appearance. In certain 

 seasons very little trouble is experienced from this pest, while in other? 

 it is serious and causes a considerable amount of woi*k. During the 

 hotter parts of the day they •usually shelter under the leaves. 



Removal of Flower. 



In eight to ten weeks the flow^er bud should make its appearance, and 

 this should be taken out of all plants not intended to be kept for seed. 

 Where the plant is strong and healthy no leaves are taken with the bud 

 unless the season is getting late and it is the desire of the grower to 

 hasten the ripening process. If the latter is the case the four top 

 leaves can be taken wnth the bud, the stalk being broken oif below the 

 leaves. As a general rule sixteen to twenty leaves can be well matured 

 on a good, healthy plant grown in good soil. If only from eight to ten 

 leaves are left on they are liable to be coarse and strong, and the class 

 of leaf now required by manufacturers is the lighter, thinner textured 

 type. On poorer soils fe\:er leaves are left to mature, and the exact 

 )nmiber to each plant is a matter for the judgment and experience of 

 the grower to decide. 



Suckering. 



After topping, the tobacco, in its effort to produce seed, will send 

 out suckers fi'om the junction of the leaf with the stalk, and these must 

 be nipped out by hand as they appear; the process being called sucker- 

 ing. Care must be taken to break these off before they reach 4 inches 

 in length, otherwise they will draw too heavily on the plant and reduce 

 the yield, and also cause the plant to become tough and difficult to 

 remove. They should always be broken out sideways, as to pull them 

 downward will break the leaf immediately beneath, and cause loss. 

 Suckering in some seasons has to be done two or three times, in each 

 succeeding suckering the number of suckers being less than at first. 

 Varieties are now being produced Avhich sucker much less than the 

 earlier kinds, one of the latest productions being known as the One- 

 sucker Tobacco Plant. 



