15 



trough with the earth which is to be sterilized. Then build a fire 

 underneath and heat until the soil has been thoroughly steamed. 

 The sterilizing process should be continued until the top soil shows 

 a temperature of 200° F. 



The soil for the seed beds should be the richest that is obtainable, 

 either leaf mold from the forest or silt from the rich pockets in the 

 gulches, or a compost mixture of grass turf. The richer the soil 

 used in the seed beds the better start the young plants will have 

 before transplanting. It is very important, especially in the culti- 

 vation of tobaccos of the finer wrapper types, that the plant should 

 be forced through its entire period of growth, both in and out of 

 the seed bed. The impetus which the young plants get in the seed 

 bed is probably of greater importance than any later efforts to 

 force growth after they have been set in the field. After the tobacco 

 plantation has become established it will pay to prepare each year a 

 compost heap in anticipation of the next year's sowing. 



The seed beds should be out of doors. The results of our experi- 

 ments indicate that seed beds, such as those above described, are 

 much better than either cloth seed houses or open seed beds without 

 cloth cover. If the seed beds are made of redwood their durability 

 will be prolonged from six to ten years, and they should be con- 

 structed in such numbers as experience shows to be necessary. There 

 is an advantage in having all the seed beds in one place on account 

 of convenience in watering and caring for them. Enough seed 

 beds should be prepared so that a planting can be made at least 

 once a week during* the entire season. This is very important. In 

 fact, it is one of the most important precautions for successful tobacco 

 plantations that there shall be a continuous supply of seedlings at 

 all seasons throughout the year, even though many of the plants are 

 wasted. 



Planting the seed consists of scattering it thinly over the sur- 

 face of the seed beds. Four teaspoonfuls of seed are enough for 40 

 square yards of seed bed. It is customary to mix the seed with dry 

 wood ashes, which serves the purpose of showing where the seed has 

 been sown. Tobacco seed is so minute that it is almost impossible 

 to scatter it thin enough without a liberal mixture of ashes or some 

 other indicator. The seed of the Cuban varieties is very small, 

 that of the Sumatra varieties a little larger, and that of the seed 

 leaf and other American types larger than either. 



Before sowing, the seed should be winnowed to remove all light 

 and immature seed. Only the largest seed should be used. The 

 seed may be winnowed by the use of a bicycle pump or a blast-lamp 

 bellows, attached by a rubber hose to a vertical pipe or tube, open 

 at its upper end. The A^ertical pipe is about 30 inches high. The 

 tobacco seed is placed in this or is poured into the top while the 



