149 



should be mixed with dry fine earth or sand. If when the seed is sown 

 it does not rain the soil must be moistened with a fine-rosed watering- 

 pot, raising the hand as high as possible so that the water may bury the 

 seeds, being careful at the same time that the water does not wash away 

 or throw the seeds together. The seed should be sown a month and a 

 half before the seedlings are required for planting, for at the end of this 

 time they should be fit for ti anspl anting. The proper sowing season is 

 from the middle of August up to the beginning ot October, on such a 

 day as it is likely to rain. Should ir not rain the soil must be watered 

 as before explained. 



Care of the Nursery. 



When the leaves of the seedlings are about the size of a sixpenny 

 piece or a shilling piece, the corn and branches of the trees left must 

 gradually be cut away so that the young plant may become gradually 

 accustomed to the heat of the sun, preventing by this means the risk of 

 their perishing when transplanted. 



The Nursery must be frequently weeded to prevent exhaustion of 

 the soil and weakening the seedlings. The weeds must be rooted up 

 with the hands, being careful not to injure the seedlings. Whenever 

 the Nursery is weeded or seedlings have been removed for transplantation 

 fresh seeds should be sown in order to always have a supply of seed- 

 lings. According as the shade is taken away the supply of water to 

 the seedling should be slightly watered with lime water, sufficiently 

 diluted so AS not to burn the seedlings, and the larger grubs des- 

 troyed every morning by hand. The seedlings, to be fit for transplant- 

 ing, must have six leaves and these leaves of the size of a half 

 dollar piece. Before rooting up the seedlings for transplanting, 

 if no rain occurs, the ground should be properly wetted to 

 facilitate their extraction with all their roots. They should be 

 slightly shaken to remove some of the earth attached to their 

 roots. In taking out seedlings for transplanting the fingers should 

 be carefully put down to the root in order to avoid breaking the stalk, 



CHAPTER III. 



PLANTING AND PREPARATION OF THE LAND FOR 



PLANTING. 



The proper moutii for planting is September, but if inundation of 

 the land be expected, planting should commence in November. 



We have noticed in various works on Tobacco Culture that artifi- 

 cial manures are highly recommended. We believe that by this means 

 the Tobacco can be made to yield larger leaves, according to the quality 

 of the artificial manure, but it can never be obtained possessing the 

 aroma and other qualities essential to Smoking Tobacco. The only 

 application admissible is that of lime, which should only be used 

 when the soil is very much exhausted. In the Island of Cuba, the 

 Smoking Tobacco produced is doubtless without a rival in the world 

 and there manuring with artificial manures is never practised, as the 



