156 TOBACCO LEAF. 



tepid water every day. In from four to six days the 

 white germs will appear. In the northern part of Illi- 

 nois such cloths are kept moist in a pan of earth, of 

 which there is a layer below as well as above the cloth. 

 Great care must be observed in all these forcing proc- 

 esses. It often happens that the soil of the plant bed 

 is too wet, or otherwise not in proper condition when 

 the seed is ready, and when the delay of a day or two 

 may render the sprouted seed useless. Prudence would 

 suggest, in such a case, the preparation of several par- 

 cels of seed at intervals of a few days. 



Covering for Plant Beds. Nothing -that has ever 

 been invented or devised has effected so much for the 

 tobacco grower, at such a small cost, as a canvas cover- 

 ing for the seed bed. It is an absolute protection 

 against the ravages of the flea beetle ; it hastens the 

 growth of the plant by keeping the bed moist and warm, 

 and it prevents the accumulation, on the bed, of drifted 

 leaves or trash. The heat absorbed by the soil from the 

 sun's rays during the day is radiated, and lost at night 

 in the open air ; but under this covering it is reflected 

 by the canvas to the soil again, and thus a warm 

 temperature is preserved, highly promotive of the growth 

 of the plants. A given area, protected by canvas cover- 

 ing, will furnish at least a third more plants. Its con- 

 struction is very simple. A frame or box is made 

 around the bed, four or five inches high, as shown in 

 Fig. 15. A few wires may be stretched across the 

 frame, and closely tacked on the edges to uphold the 

 canvas. In place of wire, a small quantity of light brush 

 thrown over the bed will help to sustain the weight of 

 the cloth. Better than either are a few bows made of 

 wire, like the wickets used in croquet sets, and stuck at 

 intervals over the bed. These will hold up the canvas 

 and yet leave it flexible. 



Instead of making the frame the full size of the 



