370 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



been the main centre for tobacco research in the Union, but in 

 1937 the purchase of a new site at Kroondal for a station to be 

 devoted entirely to tobacco was announced. Selection is made of 

 plants for air-curing and flue-curing; for the latter Amerillo and 

 White-Stem Orinoco have been found most promising. Fertilizer 

 experiments are conducted by the Oudtshoorn station, in co- 

 operation with farmers. 



In Southern Rhodesia tobacco research is financed on the basis 

 of an annual government grant of ^^5, 000; any additional expendi- 

 ture is divided between government and the tobacco industry. 

 The research station at Trelawny has a staff of eight, with the 

 senior plant pathologist in charge. Nematodes have been the 

 subject of special investigation; an inquiry recently initiated con- 

 cerns the possibility of the spread of the root gallworm by river 

 water. Soil research has been carried out with special reference to 

 tobacco, and experiments designed to improve the flavour of flue- 

 cured tobacco have been undertaken by the chief chemist. 



The Fort Jameson area of Northern Rhodesia has long been 

 noted for the high quality of its flue-cured tobacco, and this 

 industry, which has in recent years been hard hit by low prices, 

 has now been assisted by a special tobacco station to study its 

 problems. Here it has been shown that tobacco grown from newly 

 imported seed does not fully thrive in its first season, but gives a 

 good crop in the next year, after which there is an increasing ten- 

 dency to coarseness and late ripening. Accordingly, the station 

 imports seed annually and supplies growers from selected progeny. 

 A rotation of two crops of tobacco followed by one of sunnhemp, 

 which is ploughed in, and one of maize has been found satisfactory: 

 a modification is now being tried in which the sunnhemp is cut 

 and composted for application to the maize and the second 

 tobacco crop. Trials of types suitable for native production were 

 instituted in 1937 at the Mvuvye River. In Nyasaland studies on 

 rotations, ridge-terracing and fertilizers have been made at Zomba 

 and Lilongwe. In Tanganyika fire-cured tobacco is grown by 

 natives in the Songea and Birharamulo districts, and by Europeans 

 in the Iringa area. Some trouble with 'red-rust' has been experi- 

 enced at Iheme experimental station, where new varieties from the 

 United States of America were under trial in 1935. In Uganda the 



