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TOBACCO BREEDING. 



value of the variety for cigar- wrapper production. It is likely that 

 more or less variation will be developed in crops of this variety 

 for several years, but that this variability will not be very marked. 

 Small crops ought to be grown at first, even in the Connecticut Valley 

 where the variety was produced. From these crops selections can 

 be made in accordance with the directions given in this bulletin 

 under the head of " The selection of seed plants," whereby acclimated 

 strains of this variety adapted to local conditions, which will be an 

 improvement over the present variety, can be secured. 



THE BREWER HYBRID. 



The history of the origin of the variety known as the Brewer 

 Hybrid is as follows: Plants of the Connecticut Broadleaf variety 



raised from seed of the 

 strain grown by Mr. N. S. 

 Brewer, Hockanum, Conn., 

 were crost in 1903 with 

 pollen secured from plants 

 grown in the Connecticut 

 Valley from imported Cu- 

 ban seed. Many crosses 

 were also made in 1904. 

 The plants raised from the 

 hybrid seed in 1901 showed 

 that a marked change had 

 been effected by hybridi- 

 zation. The hybrid plants 

 produced short, broad 

 leaves of fine, even tex- 

 ture with small fine veins, 

 an increased number of 

 leaves with little increase 

 in the height of the plants 

 and, in some cases, a much 

 improved type of plant for 

 cigar-wrapper production. 

 Selections from the crop of 1901 were grown in 1905, and one 

 strain in particular showed such fixity of type that it may be con- 

 sidered ready for distribution to growers. 



In the Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco the large size of the leaves 

 is correlated with large veins and rather coarse and inferior basal 

 portions of the leaves. These basal parts of the leaves are only suit- 

 able in most cases for cigar binders and for blending with fillers. As 



Fig. 13.— Typical plant of the Brewer hybrid tobanco. Con 

 necticut Broadleaf, female parent; Cuban, male parent. 



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