TOBACCO CULTURE IN THE WEST INDIES 17 
BEDDING 
Select land in or near the tobacco field, which is well 
drained and free from noxious weeds, such as Parad, Ber- 
muda or nut grass. Plow and harrow the land until it is 
fine and mellow, lay off the beds three feet wide with a 
one foot furrow between. The furrows do not need to be 
over six inches deep, but they must be even in the bottom 
and conform to the fall of the land so as to carry off all 
the water from heavy rains and also to be suitable for irri- 
gation. In watering, it is common practice to sprinkle 
water on the top of the seed-beds, but it is far better to 
irrigate in the furrow and let the water remain until the 
beds are soaked throughly. 
FERTILIZING 
Apply a commercial fertilizer at the rate of 1,000 pounds 
per acre containing 8 % potash, 8% phosphoric acid and 
4% nitrogen. Mix this with the upper four inches of sur- 
face soil and with a garden rake remove all the straw and 
undecayed organic matter, which might serve as a breed- 
ing place for fungi, after which leave the bed lay for 
from two to three weeks. 
The amount of fertilizer here recomended is at present 
used on many seed-beds in Cuba, and as high as 2000 pounds 
per acre would probably pay, because a seed-bed must first 
of all things be fertile. 
The formula 4 - 8 - 8 is one well suited for tobacco seed- 
lings. The nitrogen is the element most necessary but it 
has been proved that with a high nitrogen content and a 
low potash and phosphoric acid content the plants grow 
