Edible Products, 



442 



[November, 1908. 



over the common form now grown, or 

 that would introduce tobaccoes of aro- 

 mas that could be used to produce im- 

 proved or new and novel blends. To 

 this end we introduced a considerable 

 number of varieties from other coun- 

 tries and planted plots of selected seed 

 and selected posturas of each variety.* 

 There was absolutely no danger of 

 any mixtures occurring in this work, 

 because it was all done under close 

 control, and all flowers were care- 

 fully enclosed in sacks. Naturally 

 many of these varieties like Little 

 Dutch, White Stem, Virginia Orinoco, 

 Tennessee Orinoco, and White Burley, 

 proved absolutely valueless so far as 

 the Cuban tobacco business is concerned. 

 There are some, however, which are 

 hybrids based on Cuban tobaccoes, 

 like Brewer's Hybrid, Cooley's Hybrid, 

 Connecticut Havana, improved Con- 

 necticut Broadleaf and Zimmer Spanish, 

 which, using seed from selections made 

 by experts in the States, gave, under 

 Cuban conditions, magnificent types 

 of tobacco that certainly demand the 

 attention of Cuban growers. Tobacco 

 men who saw this at the Estacion, 

 expressed the deepest interest in them 

 and a desire to see them grown under 

 cheese cloth on a commercial scale. 

 It can very safely be said that their 

 introduction will not injure in any 

 way the common tobacco now grown 

 in Cuban vegas, though an admixture 

 of their blood might easily bring about 

 an improvement. Besides, under current 

 methods of topping and suckering, if 

 it be thoroughly done, crops of any 

 of these could be grown here anywhere 

 with no mixture whatever resulting. 



II. Seed Beds. 

 Tobacco seed beds in Cuba under 

 present methods of management, cer- 

 tainly cannot be called an economic 

 success. They are commonly planted 

 on newly-cleared ground along hill 

 sides, it first being burnt over and 

 then the seed scratched in, and the 

 plants kept weeded as much as possible 

 until ready for pulling. These beds 

 are quite commonly remote from water. 

 This is a blind trusting in Providence, 

 not worthy of modern conditions and 

 methods and not productive of any sure 

 results. It is true that during some 

 favourable seasons good crops of postu- 

 ras are obtained, occasional showers 

 coming just right to bring things 

 along nicely, without enough dampness 

 to stimulate the fungus, and without 

 heavy storms to wash out the young 



* We acknowledge many favours in this con- 

 nection from Mr. A. D. Shamel, Tobacco Expert 

 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 



plants. But this is an utter dependence 

 on chance. Often there are tremendous 

 losses from damping-off fungus, insects, 

 excessive rains, or droughts. Last year 

 one company lost 200 out of 300 acres 

 of seed beds, and was compelled to 

 buy posturas after all the expense of 

 working the seed beds. The certaiu 

 obtaining of good seedlings when and 

 where they are needed is one of the 

 most serious problems facing the grower. 

 We have proven conclusivly through 

 three consecutive years of practical seed 

 bed management in Cuba, under all 

 sorts of conditions, that there is abso- 

 lutely no need of the larger part of 

 these losses, and we have devised means 

 and methods of avoiding them. We 

 have also shown by repeated successful 

 trials that it is readily possible to 

 produce seedlings regardless of time and 

 place, and largely independent of exist- 

 ing conditions of weather. There is 

 nothing secret about the process, nor 

 does it depend upon any specific or 

 manufactured compound or patented 

 article, but it depends absolutely upon 

 sane and intelligent management. 



The time will surely come in Cuba 

 when all the planters will recognize 

 that the only proper place for a seed 

 bed is beside the vega. By cheap and 

 very simple means water and light 

 can be absolutely controlled. Couple 

 this with proper methods of construct- 

 ing the beds and planting, and 

 difficulties with seed beds will be a 

 thing of the past. Under the old 

 methods commonly in vogue the planter 

 is at the mercy of fungus, insects, 

 storms and weather. Our experts have 

 exerted themselves to discover pallia- 

 tives for some of the troubles encoun- 

 tered. But it is infinitely better to 

 avoid the troubles even if we may 

 know a possible lemedy for them after 

 they are making inroads on our plant- 

 ings. Prevention is certainly better 

 than cure, always. In our improved 

 practice there will be no need of any 

 treatments for fungus, because there 

 will be uo fungus to treat, and the 

 possibility of insect injury will be 

 reduced to a minimum, and all this at 

 no greater expense than is involved 

 in the cumbersome older methods. 

 There is no necessity for any very 

 radical changes, but only a few 

 modifications of detail. There must be 

 a soil as good as that of the mountain 

 seed beds, a bed that a stream of 

 water coming from any ordinary rain 

 cannot wash away, and a cover that 

 will shut out water completely if desired, 

 cut off a part of the light in midday, and 

 at the same time be readily handled. All 

 this we have supplied in the methods 



