396 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 May, 1898. 
Tropical Industries. 
CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. 
By R. H. NEVILL, 
Tobacco Expert. 
In selecting land to be planted in tobacco, as nearly as possible it should be 
free from weeds and grass surrounding it, as such places serve as breeding- 
grounds and hiding-places for pests that may give great trouble to the farmer ; 
it is best to have the tobacco field between other cultivated fields, such as corn 
and wheat, but not near potatoes. The ground should be well and deeply 
ploughed during the winter, in order to destroy the insect larvee as much as 
possible, and to well rot the rubbish that may be turned under; and by means 
of a spring-tooth harrow or a cultivator it should be kept clean until the time 
for planting arrives. Before transplanting, the ground should again be deeply 
and well ploughed, not cutting too wide a furrow—by cutting only about two- 
thirds of the capacity of the plough, you pulverise better; the ploughing 
should be fully 8 or 10 inches deep; then double harrowed, to get the ground 
as finely pulverised as possible. 
In other words, the ground should be in the best condition possible. 
New ground does not require so deep ploughing as old; it also gives a lighter 
yield and better colour. All the land intended for tobacco should be put in 
condition, that the farmer may be able to transplant whenever he has the 
opportunity. It should be checked off 8 feet 6 inches each way, so that it can 
be cultivated both ways, and kept clean. It is best to transplant in showery 
and cloudy weather if possible, as then the plants will not need to be watered 
or covered ; if such weather cannot be had, then it is best to do it late in the 
afternoon, beginning when the sun is about an hour high, watering the plants 
as you set them, and covering early the next morning; this covering need not 
remain more than five or six days. It is best to set a piece of curled bark, or 
stick a shingle, in the ground in such a position as to shade the plant during the 
heat of the day. This enables the plant to get light and ventilation, whereas grass 
laid over it,and watering done over the grass, has a tendency to scald the young 
plant, and also shades and protects the insectsin their work. If your plant bed. 
is very dry and hard, water it sufficiently to make the earth soft before drawing 
the plants from the bed, and itis best to leave all the dirt possible sticking to the 
roots ; the roots should not be pinched or in any way mutilated. The plants 
should not be washed before setting, for they are now free of disease or insects. 
In transplanting, use a peg, made from a piece of broom-handle, sharpened at 
one end ; this should be thrust into the ground deep enough to take the whole 
root of the plant; insert the root, and press the dirt well around it; do not 
press it about the stem, but let the dirt be thrown loosely aboutit. The 
plant should be well and firmly set in the ground, and this can be determined 
by taking hold of the tip of the leaf and pulling gently, and if the plant is 
properly set the leaf will break without the plant pulling out. When properly 
set, they will take root in about ten days; and as soon as this has taken place 
and the plant begins growing, go over the field with a hoe, chopping the weeds 
from the field and loosening the earth about the plant, and after this a man 
with a hoe is not worthjhis tucker in the tobacco patch, but do the cultivating 
with the plough. 
