Upon the Cultivation of Tobacco, for Garden purposes, 209 



graph referred to, suggests the propriety of cultivating Nicotiana 

 rustica in that country, in preference to finer varieties. 



Mr. Brodigan's mode of curing as detailed by him, in his Work 

 upon the Growing and Curing of Tobacco in Ireland, has been tried 

 in the Garden, and it was found that the leaves began to suffer 

 from heat, at many degrees below the maximum temperature men- 

 tioned by Mr. Brodigan, which is 126°. This is an extreme, which 

 it is to be presumed, will readily account for the great waste of 

 Tobacco during the curing process in Ireland. Taking off four 

 or five of the bottom leaves of each plant, suffering them to lie 

 on the ground for some time, gathering and carrying them home to 

 a barn, fermenting them two or three times, spreading out as often 

 to cool, and finally hanging them on lines of pack-thread to dry ; 

 all which has to be repeated when a few more of the lower leaves 

 are considered ripe, must also be attended with very great labour 

 and expense. 



The principle of fermenting Tobacco in a green state is sanc- 

 tioned by a long course of practice ; but from every observation of 

 its effects, which has been made here, it seems to be productive of 

 the worst of consequences; for it is dependent upon conditions, 

 so difficult to govern, that notwithstanding the greatest care, it 

 never fails to be injurious to the tender leaves. 



The sort which is grown here for the purpose of fumigation, &c. 

 is a very large leaved variety of Virginian Tobacco, which was ob- 

 tained from the* Sandwich Islands: it is the best which has yet 

 been received at the Garden. 



In the last season it was managed in the following manner. The 

 seeds were sown about the middle of March, covered very lightly 

 with fine loam, and placed upon a moderate hot-bed. When 

 the plants were come up, and had acquired sufficient strength, 

 they were pricked into shallow pans, about two inches apart ; they 

 were then gradually inured to the open air on good days, and finally 



