INTROnuCTIOX. 27 



Many attempts have been made in the past to introduce 

 into India the best varieties of cigarette tobacco from America, 

 but the results have been disappointing. This is due to several 

 causes, some of which are avoidable. In the first case, in- 

 sufficient care was taken to prevent cross-polhnation, and the 

 introduced varieties, by crossing with the indigenous crop, 

 deteriorated. In the second place, many of the varieties were 

 unsuited to Indian conditions by their habit of gro^vth. The 

 practice in America of topping at a high level has favoured the 

 gro\\i:h of taU kinds, which carry their best leaves well above the 

 ground, making low or medium topping impossible. This is 

 a serious disadvantage in the plains of India, where high winds 

 frequently occur and damage tall varieties or those with thin 

 leaves. Another defect w^as noticed in all the American varieties 

 tried at Pusa, namely, the slow growth of the seedlings. 

 Although sown at the same time as the indigenous varieties, 

 transplanting could only be carried out a fortnight or ten days 

 later in the case of the American kinds, and there was a corres- 

 ponding lag all through the growth period. This is a very great 

 disadvantage in Bihar, where one of the secrets of success in 

 tobacco-growing lies in the maximum utilization of the growth 

 period from October to mid December. During this period, the 

 temperature is still high enough for rapid growth to take place 

 and the soil still contains plenty of moisture. After the 

 middle of December, when the temperature falls, growth is much 

 less rapid, and the plant should then be nearing maturity and 

 be ready to be cured about the end of January, in order to avoid 

 the dry hot winds which do so much damage during the latter 

 process. A crop, which through lack of food materials or 

 through the lateness of the variety makes little growth during 

 October and November, remains more or less stationery during 

 December and January and begins to grow again as the temper- 

 ature rises in February. Such plants seldom attain any great 

 size, and very frequently do not ripen evenly. The difficulty 

 in curing the product during the period of the hot west winds is 



