JAMAICA. 



BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT. 



Vol. IX. APRIL, 1902 



TOBACCO : CULTIVATION AND CURING. 



By T. J. Harris, Superintendent of the Experiment Station, Hope. 



Nursery. 



Selection of site. —Select an open space quite devoid of shade of any 

 description, and with a south or south eastern aspect if possible ; bill 

 off the bush and spread same out to dry ; when dry, rake up and put 

 on one side. 



Preparation of beds. — Hoe off and clear away the grass roots, &c, 

 from the space thus cleared and then proceed to lightly fork up the land, 

 taking care not to turn up the subsoil ; when this is done peg out and 

 line off the beds, allowing three feet for the bed and four feet for the 

 path ; now with a spade or shove! lift the loose soil from the two feet 

 of the middle of the path, to the depth of four or five inches, and place 

 it upon the bed and level down with a rake : the paths will then be two 

 feet wide and the three feet beds will have a long slope on either side. 



Burning — If the soil be light (sandy or loamy) and not likely to 

 cake down after rain it will be necessary only to burn say five or six 

 inches of rubbish over the bed, just sufficient burning to destroy cater- 

 pillars &c, but if the soil is of a heavy clayey nature the beds must 

 be burned twice ; each time spreading about two feet of rubbish on 

 the beds ; the ashes to be mixed with the surface soil after the first 

 burning, and in either case before the seeds are sown. A ^erd bed ten 

 yards long will yield ample " suckers" for one acre of land. 



Time of sowing. — The best time to sow is about the middle of Au- 

 gust ; the suckers would then be ready for planting out during Octo- 

 ber. After this main sowing it is, however, very necessary to sow a 

 few beds every fortnight, for the purpose of keeping up a supply of 

 plants in the event of continued heavy rains interfering with the 

 planting out of those that are just the size for planting ; in which case 

 they over-grow and become useless. 



Sowing. — Mix the seeds with twice their bulk of fine sand or wood 

 ashes and scatter evenly over the bed (including the long sloping sides) 

 when the air is still ; water with a fine rose watering can, and keep 

 the bed moist until the " suckers" are ready for hardening off before 

 planting out. 



Part 4:. 



