60 THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO. 



greatly desired to have no broken leavex, as is tlie case with tiibacco 

 used for plug or cigar wrappers. The leason for having the frame 

 but four feet wide is that this is the length of the curing sticks. 

 Sometimes the frames are built of double height so that two tiers 

 may be hung. In Africa, where heavy ox teams and large wagons 

 are in use, there would apjiear to be no reason why these frames 

 should not be constructed of double width as well as double height. 



Sometimes a low frame is made of not more than a foot in 

 height, and on this the sticks are hung, and the plant laid out flat 

 in the wagon. The plants are laid one upon the other after the 

 manner of shingling or tiling, and the only advantage of the frame 

 is that it prevents the butts of the stalks from injuring the leaves 

 underneath. 



At other times the sticks of tobacco are merely piled on tlie 

 wagon with the butts of the stalks to the outside, and the ti])s 

 interlacing. A very low form of a wagon with wide tires and a 

 large top that extends out over the wheels is now becoming popular. 

 It is of light draft and also does awaj' with high lifts. If but little 

 tobacco is grown, and that little in the neighbourhoixl of the curing 

 barn, sleds or stone " Ijoats " may be used f<u- ti-anspoi'ting the tobacco. 



Where the leaves are primed they are placed in oblong baskets, 

 and these baskets hauled to the curing l>arn as soon as possible. 

 The stringing of the leaves is done under shelteis built around 

 the curing barn. 



THE GROWTH AND SELECTION OF TOBACCO 

 SEED. 



"When it is found liv a grnwer that his district is particularly 

 adapted to the production of a certain tv|je of toliacco, he should 

 aim tf> perpetuate or even improve that type by the growth and 

 selection of his own seed. 



The best ])lants in the field should be selected at the topping 

 time, and the flower buds oi these plants left to mature seed. It 

 is advisable to fiist make a preliminary examination of the field, 

 marking those plants that more nearly fulfil the conditions sought, 

 and then to go over the mai'ked plants several times, and hx a 

 process of elimination of the woist specimens, reduce the niimlier 

 left for seed to the few best plants. In selecting the plants, a 

 certain ideal must be held in mind, and the grower rigidh- judge 

 all the candidates by the standards of that ideal. If the growei' 

 depart fnim the standard in one particular, for- some plant that 

 seems unusually tine in some one point, and then modify his 

 standard iir some other particular for another plant, the result will 

 be that the crop growrr from the seed will be irregular iir quality, 

 and without uniformity. The ideal must be developed in the mind, 

 and the standar'd established, before the grower goes into the field 

 to accomplish the work of selection, and the result of the work 

 when conrpleted must be, that the plants left shall have a common 

 r-esemblance. Selectioir rigidly carried out for one year- will accom- 

 filish more in the improvement of the type thari a sli"-hth- less 

 rigid selection will accomplish iir several years. The selection 

 process carried out year after year will work wonders in the 

 improvement of the crop. This [joint must, however, lie regarded 



