TOBACCO. 



CO ; the variety with a large leaf (ma- 

 crophylla) is prel'errcd ; the N. ruxUca 

 {Fig. 2), the green, or Orinoko, as 



Fig. 2, 



it is sometimes improperly called ; 

 the N. repanda {Fig. 3, a}, which yields 



the best Havana ; the N. t/uadriralvts 

 {b) ami nanii. {r) iiiaki! good tobacco, 

 and arc cultivated by the Indians for 

 that purpose. 



The natural soil of the tobacco is 

 a forest mould ; but it grows well on 

 any light, well-tilled soil which has 

 been impregnated with manure. It 

 requires a dry soil witli a good expo- 

 sure, protected from heavy winds, 

 which break the leaves. The follow- 

 ing account of the cultivation is 

 chielly from Mr. Edmunds : 



" Raising the Plants. — The land for 

 the planl-hcd is usually selected in a 

 warm exposure on tiie south or south- 

 eastern side of a hill in a wood, new 

 ground being always preferred. From 

 this the roots should be grubbed, the 

 rubbish cleared away, and the old 

 leaves raked off. Brush of pine or 

 other wood is then to be piled on 

 until from two to three feet thick all 

 over the bed, and this is to be set on 

 fire. As the beds should be prepared 

 for seeding immediately after the 

 frost is out of the ground, the brush 



should be collected and put in place 

 some time during the winter. In- 

 stead of burning over the whole bed 

 at once, a part may be fired for an 

 hour or so at a time, proceeding thus 

 over the entire bed. The place is 

 then to be broken up with hoes, and 

 sometimes with coulters drawn by 

 horses or oxen, and the work repeat- 



! ed until the earth is made perfectly 

 fine, being careful to avoid turning 

 under the surface. All the roots 



i should then be extracted, and the, 

 land laid otTin beds (slightly elevated, 

 if dry, and more if moist or wet; four 

 feet wide ; and to 16 square yards a 

 conmion |)ipe-howl of seed is sown. 

 The bed is then trodden or pressed 



799 



