Edible Products. 



358 



[June 1907. 



dry to thresh. Every plant saved for seed should be labelled, its special qualities 

 noted down, and the label left on the stalk until the seed is threshed, when it should 

 be tied on to the bottle in which the seed is placed. 



In studying the number of leaves, shape, texture, ribs, &c, much will depend 

 on the purpose for which the tobacco is to be used, and the class and type to which 

 it belongs. If for filler purposes, the texture, vein, and appearance is not considered 

 to the same extent as for wrapper, neither is the shape of so much importance, but a 

 good filler leaf must have good flavour, aroma, and ash, with the minimum amount 

 of mid-rib and good burning quality. For wrapper, which is the higher priced leaf, 

 the shape should be such as to allow of cigar or plug wrappers being cut to the best 

 advantage from each half-width of leaf. The broader the leaf in proportion to 

 length, the more useful and valuable it will be to the manufacturer, as he will be 

 purchasing less mid-rib as compared with the workable portion, and can, therefore 

 afford to pay more for a wide, than a narrow leaf. The proportion of mid-rib to the 

 blade of the leaf varies from 24 per cent, to 83 per cent., and when it is remembered 

 that the mid-rib is waste tobacco for smoking purposes, the advantage in growing 

 wide leaf is obvious. A leaf that widens rapidly at the butt, and has a round point 

 or tip, will contain much less rib in proportion than the long, narrow leaf with 

 tapering ends. For cigar wrapper especially, the leaf should be silky, of fine texture 

 and elasticity, and good colour. To obtain the fine texture, it is sometimes advisable 

 to grow as many leaves as the plant will comfortably mature. Therefore, the plant 

 that produces a large number of leaves is one that should be saved for seed for 

 wrapper tobacco, provided other qualifications are present. When a plant produces 

 leaves with the latteral ribs close together, or at very uneven distances between, it 

 should be avoided. Sometimes two latteral ribs, or veins, will start together from 

 the mid-rib, branching out as they near the outer edge of the leaf. Such a condition 

 indicates deterioration of seed, or starved growth, and leaves so formed never make 

 the best wrappers. 



Plants of the same variety that grow a large number of leaves will often be 

 found growing beside those that produce only a few. It is almost always best to 

 choose the plant that grows the greater number, as by pruning off the top 

 and bottom leaves, greater uniformity can be obtained, and a larger quantity 

 of high-grade leaf secured. Some plants ripen more evenly than others. That is, 

 the leaves all ripen together. This is an advantage, as the cure and sample will be 

 better. Early maturing plants save labour and risk, the differences being very 

 marked. Some plants will ripen in from twelve to sixteen weeks, others taking as 

 long as twenty -two weeks ; that is, from the time of transplanting. The saving of 

 a month's work in the field is well worth trying for, while the risk of loss from frost, 

 hail, wind, &c., is minimized. Quickly-grown tobacco is always best. Plants that 

 grow the leaves without a frill, or lug, round the stalk or butt of the leaf are more 

 easily suckered and stripped than those that do, and there is less cover for grubs, 

 moths, and thistledown, A fair distance between the leaves on the stalks also makes 

 easier working. Where the leaves are well apart, a good cure is more easily effected, 

 as they are not so bunched together in the shed. 



It is not wise to save seed for general purposes from plants that have not been 

 acclimatized, but when a variety has been grown for two years, and has proved 

 auited to soil and climate, seed can be taken. It is important that a healthy season 

 be chosen in which to save a large quantity of seed. If the disease known as Blue 

 Mould has been prevalent in any one season, it is better not to save seed unless 

 necessary. The same remark applies to other diseases, though^ fortunately, we in 

 Australia are free from many diseases of tobacco which occur in other parts of the 

 world. One healthy tobacco plant will, if properly treated, provide sufficient seed 

 ior the planting of from 25 to 50 acres ; consequently, it is not necessary to preserve 



