CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. 9 



about 30 centimeters high and surrounded by ditches. The size and 

 number of the beds varies, but they are usually rectangular in size, with 

 suitable walks or passageways between them. The beds are highly fer- 

 tilized with rich manures or with any complete, specially prepared com- 

 mercial fertilizer. Stable manure, or any complete guano, may be used. 

 Care should be taken to thoroughly mix the fertilizers with the soil, so 

 'that the greatest amount of plant food may be available for the young 

 plants. In the case of old lands, it is. always advisable to burn the 

 land over, to insure safety against grass and weeds. With new land the 

 trouble from such sources is slight; but burning is sometimes practiced, 

 to increase the richness of the soil by adding the fertilizing properties of 

 the burned wood. The burning is usually done one week before planting 

 the seed. After burning, the soil is well spaded and all roots and tufts 

 arc carefully removed, and the surface made loose and smooth. Then 

 the soil is well watered and the seed mixed with sand, or sifted wood 

 ashes are nicely spread over the surface. After the seeds are sown 

 tlio soil should be thoroughly compacted with a heavy roller and, if the 

 soil is at all dry, the beds should be watered and kept continuously moist, 

 but not wet, until the plants are set out. It is best to plant new seed 

 beds at intervals of every few days, in order to be sure to always have 

 fresh plants of proper size on hand when the time comes for transplant- 

 ing. On a commercial scale it requires about 45 grams of seed to sow a 

 bed 1 hectare in size. In the Cagayan Valley the seed is sown in the 

 beds during the latter part of September and the first weeks of October, 

 while the transplanting is made during the early part of December. This 

 period of planting the seed bed varies slightly in the different parts of the 

 A rchipelago, on account of the varied climatic conditions ; but practically 

 all of the transplanting is done during the month of December, as 

 experience has shown this to be the best month for such operations. In 

 many parts of the Philippines it will be found advisable to construct 

 some sort of cover for the seed bed, to protect the seeds and tender plants 

 from the intense heat of the sun. A suitable shelter made of straw, cogon 

 grass, or nipa palm, raised about 1 meter above the ground, will suffice. 

 It should be so arranged that the covering can be put close together or 

 spread out to regulate the amount of heat received by the small plants. 

 After a few weeks this covering can be removed altogether and kept to 

 serve for another bed. White ants and sometimes caterpillars and worms 

 are destructive in the seed beds, and should be removed by hand or by 

 mixtures of poisonous substances and water, known to be effective in 

 removing such pests. When the plants are drawn for transplanting, great 

 care should be taken to secure as much root as possible. It is usually 

 considered the best practice to carefully wash away all particles of the 

 seed bed soil that cling to the roots, for the plants live and grow better 

 when the roots are perfectly clean. 



