( 72 ) 

 TOBACCO. 



Varieties. 



Des&wari or ./?<?si, country, long narrow-pointed leaf. Vildyati or 

 foreign, round cabbage-like leaf. American, being gradu- 

 ally introduced. 



Tobacco is grown in the best land available, that near the site, which 

 even then is manured with twelve tons of manure to the 



Preparation of land. 



acre. 



Sowing. 



One ft), of seed, which is calculated to supply seedlings for an acre of land, 

 is sown in about one-fifth of an acre which has been prepared 

 by manuring and seven or eight ploughings, and pulverised 

 by the " henga or mai." Some Kdchhis sow excess seed to allow for failures in 

 germinating, &c. The seedlings having germinated in about a week, weeded 

 by hand (''chutki se "j once and with the hoe twice, and also thinned out. They 

 are transplanted in October, one man picking with his fingers the young plant 

 from the ground which has been watered to allow the plants to be drawn out 

 without injury to the root r a second carries to the man planting, who dibbles 

 them in with the handle of his hoe. This is always done in the evening, that 

 the young plants may not wither ; hence only sufficient plants are pulled for 

 the evening's planting. The field is watered before planting. 



The plants are weeded with the hoe three times and watered at intervals 



of a fortnight, in all six or eight times ; each weedino- 

 Intermediate operations. . 



succeeds a watering. When the plant is about 1| foot 



high and all the leaves have sprouted, the flower-shoots at the top and all the 

 young sprouts which would form branches are pulled off to strengthen the leaves 

 left, which are seven or nine. I have counted numerous plants and found seven, 

 eight, or nine leaves on all. The lowest leaves are left ; for, though they get dirty 

 and flabby from the water and wet earth, and are comparatively useless, by being 

 left they protect the leaves above from being spoilt. The kdchhi may be seen any 

 day when he is not at his well going about his field picking off the young sprouts. 



