Drugs and Medicinal Products. 



496 



[December, 1909. 



beds, instead of watering, is also very 

 harmful, as the required amount of 

 water cannot be well controlled in the 

 seed bed ; it is the principal cause of the 

 loss of the plants in the seed bed, and 

 even if they survive, they are more 

 easily affected by disease, and later, in 

 the field. 



On most farms seed beds have been 

 made below the level of the surrounding 

 ground, so that water was actually led 

 on to the beds. Although this may 

 assist germination, the final result is 

 very harmful. Often it will be seen that 

 in tbo centre of these seed beds the seed- 

 lings have all died off. The plants have 

 been practically drowned, and the seed 

 has been sown too thickly. But on the 

 edges of the bed where the seedlings 

 managed to obtain sufficient space, air, 

 and light, and were not affected by 

 excess of water on account of the ground 

 being slightly higher, they did well. 



By this system the area of available 

 land is not utilised to the best advant- 

 age, and much valuable seed is wasted, 

 which is a serious matter, for the pro- 

 duction of very good seed of selected 

 plants is difficult. 



It often happens also that the whole of 

 the seedlings in the beds are destroyed 

 by mildew or damp-off fungus and other 

 diseases or insect pests. Another dis- 

 advantage is that the seedlings become 

 long-stemmed and possess badly de- 

 veloped root systems which cause weak 

 plants unable to stand the shock of trans- 

 planting and which are much more liable 

 to disease than strong seedlings. 



Modern Methods. 



Selecting the Site. — Choose a spot 

 sheltered as far as possible from cold 

 winds. Winds dry out the seed beds, 

 making it difficult to keep the soil moist 

 enough for germination and growth. If 

 there are no walls or houses for protec- 

 tion, it is advisable to provide hedges 

 for this purpose. 



The best soil is a rich sandy loam 

 containing a rather larger percentage of 

 sand and humus. A well-worked garden 

 soil is the most suitable, but if only new 

 land is available the latter should first 

 be well worked, A heavy and clayish 

 soil should be avoided, for it checks the 

 development of rootlets and makes it 

 difficult to pull out the seedlings at the 

 time of transplanting. 



On account of the great care tobacco 

 seed beds need, it is advisable to choose 

 a spot as near as possible to the planter's 

 house, so that due care can be given to 

 them both day and night. Another 

 point is that the soil must be well 



drained, and at the same time a supply 

 of clear clean water must be handy so as 

 not to lose too much time carrying water 

 to the beds. It is often advisable to 

 have the seed beds on two different 

 spots, so that in case one lot of beds is 

 destroyed by disease, the other set is 

 then at a safe distance from the affected 

 ones. Good judgment must of course 

 be used. 



Laying out the Beds.— The next thing 

 to do is to lay out, or mark off, the beds. 

 E ^perience has proved that beds of three 

 feet wide (inside measurement) are the 

 best to handle. The workers can then 

 easily reach all parts of the bed from 

 either side of it. The beds can be of 

 any length desired. 



It is absolutely necessary that the 

 beds should be quite level, and this is a 

 point upon which the length of the bed 

 might depend. In order to economise 

 space, the distance between beds should 

 not be more than absolutely necessary, 

 but there must be sufficient space to 

 allow a passage between the beds for 

 working, and it has been found that a 

 distance of two feet is quite sufficient 

 for this purpose. In this case the actual 

 passage, after the frames have been put 

 up, will be about 18 inches, and this 

 distance will be found quite convenient. 



Preparation of Soil. — The preparation 

 of the soil must next be taken in hand. 

 If nevv ground is to be used, the first 

 working of this soil ought to take place 

 at least three months before sowing ; 

 better still about six months or even a 

 year. In that case the laying out of the 

 beds should be done after the soil has 

 been worked up. The final preparation 

 of the seed bed soil should take place 

 after the beds have been laid out, or 

 even after the frames have been put up. 



In districts where there is frost during 

 July and August, so-called hotbeds 

 should be prepared if the planter wishes 

 to obtain transplanting material in 

 October and the beginning of November. 

 For the latter transplanting season this 

 is quite unnecessary, nor is it necessary 

 in the low veld where there is no frost. 

 As the preparation of hotbeds is done 

 after the frames have been put up, the 

 preparation of the ordinary beds is 

 discussed first. 



The soil of the beds must be thoroughly 

 mixed with well-rotted stable manure. 

 This stable manure should not consist 

 solely of horse or mule manure, as these 

 have the drawback of fermenting very 

 rapidly, especially when a little fresh. 

 If some cow manure is added and mixed, 

 it has the advantage of decreasing the 

 production of mushrooms, which other- 



