2 .STUDIES IN INDIAN TOBACCOS. 



The first step in the improvement of Indian tobaccos was 

 necessarily the stud)^ of the various races at present cultivated in 

 the countiy. The material for this work was obtained from a 

 larsfe collection of Indian tobaccos ofrowino^ on the Piisa Farm in 

 1907. This collection was made in 1905 and our selections were 

 made from the second generation of Piisa-grown plants. All the 

 types, both of N. fahacum and also of ^Y. rnsfica, were selected 

 in 1907 and have been grown in pure culture in the Botanical 

 Area at Piisa for the last two seasons. 



The objects of the work are threefold : — 



1. The study of the varietal characters and the amount of 

 v^ariation in the Indian types of tobacco. 



2. The isolation and growth in pure culture of all the con- 

 stant forms obtained and the determination of the best t}^ pes in 

 cultivation. By this means seed of definitely described types is 

 now for the first time available for variety trials and also for 

 hj^bridization work. We have already found that the value, both 

 as regards yield and quality of leaf, of the various types of N. 

 rustica varies very considerably. It appears exceedingly likelj^ 

 that by the cultivation of the best of the pure types alread}^ 

 isolated, a considerable improvement in the crop would at once 

 result. The quality of the various types is still under investiga- 

 tion and will be dealt with in future papers. 



3. The study of the iahei'itance of characters in tobacco 

 and the production of new and improved races. 



The present paper contains an account of the work so far 

 done on N. rnsfica with res^ard to 1 and 2. The results obtained 

 in the case of N. fahacum and also in tobacco breedin©- will be 

 described in subsequent papers. 



Since the publication of Dunal's enumeration of the species 

 of the genus Nicofiana^ in 1 852, a monograph on the same subject 

 by Comes^ has appeared. This author has reduced Dunal's 58 

 species to 4 1 and has considerably altered the sections Tahacum 



• De Candolle, Prodromvx, XIII, 1, 1852, p r>r>G, 



- Comes, iMonographie dn genre Nicotiana, Naples, 1899, 



