TOBACCO 245 



rule to select seed from plants having few suckers 

 and those that have a tendency to resist all dis- 

 eases. The flower clusters should be covered in 

 a paper bag before blossoming so as to prevent 

 accidental cross fertilization. As the plant grows, 

 these bags should be loosened or larger ones used 

 so as to avoid any injury to the tops of plants as 

 they grow bigger. After the flowers that are to be 

 used for seed purposes are fertilized, the bags should 

 be removed and the seed allowed to mature in 

 the open. 



Culture Points Summarized. The soil should be 

 given a heavy coat of barnyard manure in the fall, 

 plowed either in the fall or early spring, and har- 

 rowed at intervals of about every two weeks. This 

 will cause most of the weed seeds to germinate and 

 give the farmer ample chance to kill them before 

 he plants tobacco. The early plowing will, if har- 

 rowed in this way, absorb all the spring rain and 

 better enable the plant to withstand possible drouth 

 of the summer months. After transplanting, the 

 ground should never be allowed to bake. Cultivate 

 after every shower, preferably with a drag-tooth 

 cultivator. This will leave the ground fine and not 

 lumpy like some of the old-fashioned cultivators. 

 The plant should be in the highest degree of health 

 from the time it is transplanted until harvested, 

 and this can be accomplished by constantly tilling 

 the soil until the plants are so large they will not 

 permit a horse to walk between the rows, but care 

 should be taken not to go too close to the plant 

 when it has attained any size. Tobacco should be 

 topped just as it is beginning to flower. It should 

 never be allowed to bloom. Conditions of weather 

 and climate determine the length of time a plant 



