THE PLANT. 21 



that it becometh earthie, that is to say, all turned into earth, 

 and not making any shew any more of dung : which is like- 

 wise moist and shadowie, wide and roomy, for in a narrow 

 and straight place it would not grow high, straight, great and 

 well-branched. 



" It desireth the South sun before it, and a wall behind it, 

 which may stand in stead of a broad pair of shoulders to keep 

 away the northern wind and to beate backe againe the heat of 

 the 1 sun. It groweth the better if it be oft watered, and 

 maketh itself sport and jolly good cheer with water when the 

 time becometh a little dry. It hateth cold, and therefore to 

 keepe it from dying in winter, it must be either kept in cel- 

 lars where it may have free benefit of air, or else in some 

 cave made on purpose within the same garden, or else to 

 cover it as with a cloak very well with a double mat, making 

 a penthouse of wicker work from the wall to cover the head 

 thereof with straw laid thereupon : and when the southern 

 sun shineth, to open the door of the covert made for the said 

 herb right upon the said South sun." 



The most ludicrous part of " The discourse on Nicotian " 

 will be found in that portion which relates to the making of 

 the plant-bed and transplanting : 



" For to sow it, you must make a hole in the earth with 

 your finger and that as deep as your finger is long, then you 

 must cast into the same hole ten or twelve seeds of the said 

 Nicotiana together, and fill up the hole again : for 'it is so 

 small, as that if you should put in but four or five seeds the 

 earth would choake it : and if the time be dry, you must 

 water the place easily some five days after : And when the 

 herb is grown out of the earth, inasmuch as every seed will 

 have put up his sprout and stalk, and that the small thready 

 roots are intangled the one within the other, you must with 

 a great knife make a composs within the earth in the places 

 about this plot where they grow and take up the earth and 

 all together, and cast them into a bucket full of water, to the 

 end that the earth may be seperated, and the small and ten- 

 der impes swim about the water ; and so you shall sunder 

 them one after another without breaking of them." 



THE STALK. 



The Tobacco stalk varies with the varieties of the plant. 

 All of the species cultivated in the United States have stalks 

 of a large size much larger than many varieties grown in 



