NATURAL HISTORY. 279 
Weft-Indies into the royal gardens at Paris, 
where it is cultivated in fmall quantities for 
the making of fnuff. The fourth and fifth 
forts are preferred in Botanic gardens, lefs 
for ufe than for variety. 
Tobacco is railed from feeds fown in a 
rich ground, where the rifing plants are cov- 
ered, to defcnd them from the fun ; in the 
rainy feafons they are tranfplanted into large 
pieces of ground that are cleared and prepar- 
ed for the purpofe. The difiance of the 
rows in thefe plantations is about two or 
three feet, or fuch a diftance as will not ad- 
mit their extending leaves touching, which 
would caufe them to rot, by corrupting each 
other. The tobacco being thus tranlplant- 
ed, they only require to be weeded, until 
the flpwer-fiems appear, when they cut oil’ 
the tops in order to afford more nourifhment 
to the leaves : the leaves hanging on the 
ground arc likewife pulled fo as to let re- 
main about ten or twelve upon each ftalk, 
which caufes a great increafe. 1 he leaves, 
when ripened,- are cut and fpread upon the 
ground : they are then ftrung upon certain 
cords in little knots, at fuch difiances as the 
plants may not touch one another : they are 
next hung to dry in the air, in a fituation 
guarded from the wet, during fifteen or 
twenty days. When fufficiently prepared, 
they are made into fuch forms as the purchaf- 
er defires. 
C OTTON 
