240 TOBACCO 



the nitrogen content of the soil, the practice of attempt- 

 ing to grow bright tobacco directly after green manuring 

 on medium or heavier soils is justly unpopular. Crops 

 of much better quality are produced on virgin and grass 

 lands, and it is not unnatural therefore that planters in 

 Nyasaland (where land is comparatively cheap) open up 

 new land rather than maintain their tobacco lands in a 

 high state of fertility by using green manures. More- 

 over, the rapid growth of weed soon kills out the green 

 manure crop unless reasonably cultivated, and there being 

 no possibility of profitably exporting low-valued legumes 

 to meet the expense of cultivation and a general shortage 

 of labour in the planting and growing season, local con- 

 ditions largely nullify the profits of green manuring for 

 tobacco. 



Tobacco growing in Nyasaland is a good example of 

 the exhaustive nature of annual as against perennial 

 crops, and the world-wide application of extensive rather 

 than intensive cultivation by European settlers in new 

 countries. 



It will be noticed that the writer has refrained from 

 mentioning the use of artificial manures in this con- 

 nection, but the omission may be explained by simply 

 stating that the cost of artificials, on account of present 

 transport conditions, is 200 per cent, greater than in 

 England. 



Cotton seed is sometimes used for manuring tobacco 

 lands, but on the stronger lands it has to be used 

 sparingly, as it has a tendency on such lands to increase 

 the percentage of coarse tobacco and delay ripening. 



Before leaving this question, it should be stated that 

 continuous tobacco- growing for a period of four years 

 on the same soil is not advocated, but present local con- 

 ditions frequently make such practice the most profitable, 

 and, therefore, the one most generally followed, although 

 a system of rotation with cotton has many advantages. 



Nurseries and Transplanting. 



The preparation of nurseries commences in early 

 October, when a suitable site with a dark-coloured friable 



