1 Mar., 1898. ] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 173 
Agriculture. 
TOBACCO-GROWING. 
PREPARATION OF PLANT BEDS. 
By R. 8. NEVILL, 
Tobacco Expert. 
I wisu to say in the beginning that improved methods do not imply more 
labour, but they do imply more painstaking. It means the taking advantage 
of favourable conditions or creating conditions that are needed, and, more than 
all, it means the getting of exact results; leaving nothing to chance. It is 
not necessary to give the many reasons suggested to show that plant beds 
well burned give the best results, except to say that it destroys the vegetable 
and insect life, and permits the plants to occupy the entire soil undisturbed. 
Select for your seed bed fresh land on a hill slope, where it will not be shaded, 
and near water not subject to overflow, as the land will be moist and need less 
watering. Black soil is to be preferred, as it absorbs a greater degree of heat. 
Clear the ground of undergrowth and stone, and then put on a layer of 
brush and leaves'to the thickness of two or three feet, and then on top of that 
ut wood and logs, covering it well over, so that when it is- burned off it will 
eaye a heavy bed of coals. 
The ground should be burned until it is a red or brick-dust colour, in 
order to destroy all seeds and insect life, and so as to completely pulverise. Do 
not burn when the ground is wet. When it has cooled, rake off all unburned 
wood, but allow the ashes to remain on the bed, and then spade it up to the 
depth of 6 inches, being careful to reverse the soil. It should then be well 
chopped with a hoe and raked until the ground is thoroughly pulverised and 
the ashes well mixed with the soil, all sticks, roots, and stones being removed. 
Do not make the beds too narrow, as they will get too dry; 6 feetisa 
very good width, but they may be as long as desired. Sow a teaspoonful of: 
seed to 100 square yards of ground; this will make the plants thick enough, 
as that quantity of seed will yield 12,000 to 15,000 plants. A teaspoonful 
will hold from 18,000 to 20,000 seed, and a yield of 75 per cent. is as much as 
the best seed will give. It is better to have the plants too thin on the bed 
than too thick, as crowded plants grow weak and spindly, having no strength 
to overcome changed conditions; and when transplanted many of them die. 
They do not start to grow readily, and are more subject to the ravages of cut- 
worms and other pests, causing many missing plants, making your field very 
irregular in growth, and entailing much extra work in topping and cutting, _ 
as the field ripens irregularly. But if your plants are thin, they grow stocky, 
