166 TOBACCO LEAF. 



from the central cluster of capsules of a well-developed 

 and carefully selected plant. A smaller quantity of seed 

 will be obtained, but it will be plump and healthy. The 

 great object is to force all the strength of the plant into 

 the production of a limited number of very nice seed, 

 and great care should be taken to keep the plant grow- 

 ing vigorously until this is attained. If there is danger 

 of early frost, the plant can be covered at night with a 

 flour or grain sack, or newspapers pinned around it. 

 Should there be any danger of a freeze before the seeds 

 are ripe, wet the roots and pull up the plants, with the 

 dirt adhering to the roots, and carefully place in a warm, 

 dry barn, and the seed will mature from the juices in the 

 stalk and roots. 



When the seed is ripe, which is shown by the seed 

 pods turning brown, cut off the head with about a foot 

 of the stalk attached and hang in a warm, dry chamber. 

 When the bulbs and stalks are entirely dry, remove the 

 bulb shell from the seed, and carefully winnow it until 

 the chaff and all the lightest seed are removed. Some, 

 however, do not shell the seed until wanted, claiming 

 that it keeps better in the pod ; in which case the pods, 

 when dried, are picked and placed in a flour sack or 

 pasteboard box and kept in a warm place until the seed 

 is wanted for planting, when the quantity desired is 

 shelled. 



SELECTION OF SEED FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES. 



Some growers of fine cigar wrappers import seed 

 from the best Vuelta districts of Cuba and grow it, as 

 previously described, for four years in succession before 

 saving seed for crop purposes, and then succeed in rais- 

 ing a uniform article year after year. Crops are never 

 raised from freshly imported seed, because several years 

 are necessary to thoroughly acclimate the plant. The 

 idea that Havana seed should be used only a few years 



