CULTURE 



The various types of tobacco are grown in well-defined localities where 

 soil and climate have been found to yield a product with properties desired 

 for manufacture or export. In addition, the methods of growing and handling 

 are also determined by the kind of leaf required by the trade. 



Yield per acre . The market weight of tobacco ranges from 1,000 to 2,600 

 pounds per acre, depending on the type, with the average for all United States 

 tobacco about 2,100 pounds. The trend during the last ten years has been 

 toward greater yields to offset higher production costs. From 1960 to 1970 

 the average yield rose from 1,700 to 2,100 pounds per acre. However, with the 

 poundage control programs for flue-cured and burley this upward trend is not 

 likely to continue. 



Seeding . Tobacco seedlings are grown in seedbeds which are covered with 

 cloth or plastic (fig . 8). The seeds are so tiny that one ounce contains a- 

 bout 300 to 350 thousand seeds. A sixth to an eighth of an ounce of seed is 

 enough to sow 100 square yards of seedbed, and will furnish enough plants to 

 set 3 or 4 acres in the field. For security, many growers will sow about 100 

 square yards of seedbeed for each acre to be set in the ^ield. 



Pt- 







Figure 6.~Burley Seedlings ready for transplanting to the field. 



Seeding may be done with a mechanical seeder or by mixing the seed with 

 clean sand, pulverized fertilizer, ashes, or lime before sowing. Germination 

 begins when the temperature reaches about 65°. The plants are ready for 

 transplanting to the fields when they have developed 6 to 8 leaves and are 6 

 to 8 inches high. 



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