Historic, archived document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE |.
FiG. 1.—CONNECTICUT CUBAN TOBACCO, FIRST YEAR FROM CUBA.
Fig. 2.—THE SAME FIELD SHOWN IN FIGURE 1, AFTER SAVING SEED UNDER BAG AND
THE SELECTION OF THE BEST PLANTS FOR TWO YEARS.
U Sap yAhei\vieN i OF AGRICULTURE.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY—-BULLETIN NO. 91.
B. T. GALLOWAY, Chief of Bureau.
VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED
IN 1905-6, WITH CULTURAL
DIRECTIONS.
Be
A. D. SHAMEL anp W. W. COBEY,
In CHarGE OF Topacco BREEDING EXPERIMENTS, LABORATORY
OF PLANT BREEDING.
SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION.
IssuED FEBRUARY 21, 1906.
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WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
£906.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. —
B. T. GALLOWAY,
Pathologist and Physiologist, and Chief of Bureau.
VEGETABLE PATHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS.
ALBERT F. Woops, Pathologist and Physiologist in Charge, Acting Chief of Bureau in Absence of Chief.
BOTANICAL INVESTIGATIONS.
FREDERICK VY. COVILLE, Botanist in Charge.
FARM MANAGEMENT.
W. J. SPILLMAN, Agriculturist in Charge.
POMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS.
G. B. BRACKETT, Pomologist in Charge.
SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION.
A. J. PIETERS, Botanist in Charge.
ARLINGTON EXPERIMENTAL FARM.
L. C. CoRBETT, Horticulturist in Charge.
INVESTIGATIONS IN THE ptedunmetem sac OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL
VTS.
O. F. Cook, Bionomist in Charge.
DRUG AND POISONOUS PLANT INVESTIGATIONS, AND TEA CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS. -
RODNEY H. TRUE, Physiologist in Charge.
DRY LAND AGRICULTURE AND WESTERN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION.
CARL S. SCOFIELD, Agriculturist in Charge.
EXPERIMENTAL GARDENS AND GROUNDS.
E. M. BYRNES, Swperintendent.
SEED LABORATORY.
EDGAR BROWN, Botanist in Charge.
J. E. ROCKWELL, Editor.
JAMES E. JONES, Chief Clerk. -
SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION.
’ SCIENTIFIC STAFF.
A.J. PIETERS. Botanist in Charge.
DAVID FAIRCHILD, Agricultural Explorer, in Charge of Foreign Explorations.
W. W. TRACY, SR., Superintendent of Testing Gardens.
JOHN E. W. Tracy, Assistant Superintendent of Testing Gardens, in Charge of Congressional Seed
Distrioution.
O. W. BARRETT, Assistant.
GEORGE W. OLIVER, Expert.
C. V. PIPER, Agrostologist, in Charge of Forage-Crop Investigations.
J. M. WESTGATE, Assistant Agrostologist, in Charge of Alfalfa and Clover Introduction.
W. W. Tracy, JR., Assistant Botanist.
FRANK N. MEYER, Agricultural Explorer.
CHARLES F. WHEELER, Expert.
A. B. CONNOR, Special Agent.
JOHN H. TULL, Special Agent, tn Charge of Matting-Rush Investigations.
HAROLD T. NIELSEN, Scientific Assistant in Agronomy.
2
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BurREAU OF Puant INDUSTRY,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF,
Washington, D. C., December 11, 1905.
Str: I have the honor to transmit herewith a paper entitled ‘* Vari-
eties of Tobacco Seed Distributed in 1905-6, with Cultural Diree-
tions,” and respectfully recommend that it be published as Bulletin
No. 91 of the series of this Bureau.
This paper was prepared by Messrs. A. D. Shameland W. W. Cobey,
in charge of tobacco breeding experiments, Laboratory of Plant
Breeding, and it has been submitted by the Botanist in Charge of Seed
-and Plant Introduction and Distribution with a view to publication.
The illustrations which accompany this paper are considered essen-
tial to a full understanding of the text.
Respectfully,
B. T. GaLLoway,
| Chief of Bureau.
Hon. James WItLson, ;
Secretary of Agriculture.
(5%)
baa Aves
Following the established policy of this office of improving the
methods of distributing seed wherever possible, a departure has this
year been made in the handling of the tobacco-seed distribution, the
work of selecting the types which it is desired to distribute being
undertaken by the tobacco experts of the Laboratory of Plant Br eeding
of the Bureau of Plant Industry. This, it is believed, will result in
placing in the hands of really interested persons the very best seed
_of the various types of tobacco. Some of these types will be entirely
new, the results of selection and breeding by Messrs. Shamel and Cobey
during the past two or three years. Other types will be such as are
already established, but the seed distributed this year has all been care-
fully selected with reference to securing the best possible strain of each
type. 7
Special attention has been paid in the present bulletin to a discussion
of the methods of growing and handling certain varieties, especially
those that are more highly specialized. This course was considered
necessary, because even if good tobacco is grown it is easily spoiled by
improper handling. It is hoped that those who read these pages will
pay special attention also to the discussion of the selection of seed,
because the permanent improvement of tobacco types must necessarily
be left in the hands of. intelligent cultivators, and if careful selection
is not practiced by them the work which the Department of Agricul-
ture is doing will fail to attain the full measure of success which would
otherwise be possible.
Aen a LE TERS:
Botanist in Charge.
OFFICE OF SEED AND PLANT
INTRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION,
Washington, D. C., Sas HILO S
CONTE N sleSe.
HOUTEO CUBE NOM ss SS ce Sn a re ie ee Ne ea or Ve i Sd
eS Crip iLO MEO lATe Coe et ee Nene earn ee ee ek Nes ay
Cigar-wrapper tobaccos:
SP Simatras == 2 eee oa age Ns Fe he Ts ls PN Se ye ened
Conmecheuhelavanas. Sees. eas nee i esses Sk eT
6 UME CHICHtM TOA Len lebyes heseey e e P tee ee Ae
Cigar-filler tobaccos:
(CHO ORM cS Ss Fees, a lee ee Fe or cp 1 ly ge a ce
ZINN TS LOTTI S yee aie a ee ete OE nk Op ee ee a ee
Tenens Mant laereeee ere oe ats we ee Uae ek
Pipe tobaccos:
NortheCarolinasbmeintaellow 2.25. 2: Soo io ee RSLS
WV leartay slam lis sin Kel este ee Se Le gens on oe a
Plug tobaccos:
MW Tei Bria leny: es a Re ee ik eee gee ee aoe
Oninecopimdacellow- Mammoth’ 25-22. ote ee ee
Virginia types (Blue Pryor, Sun-Cured, and White Stem)-.-....----
Directions for culture:
Meanaglamdesi Okino OMWACCOM-se = 2-1 2) se 5 ko ee Bae Pe
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia tobaccos.....----.-------------
PilniemewmmMevatO WACCO =<" a8 ais ee 5 eet eee
Hrase iaerenicpeme ereme a eet De eee Le et ae a kL eee
HE ee innceiorrconimorsce de a a ee ce ish, Ce See eaten tee
ielion na ESR COLOR OOleseedss se ce ee a oe OE es See
Peery moeniepl acest sa wea. ee RS PS id Sess ee 8. eee
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3 Page.
Fig. 1.—Connecticut Cuban tobacco, first year from Cuba. Fig. 2.—
The same field shown in figure 1,-after saving seed under hag and
the selection of the best plants for two years. .___- See soe Frontispiece.
Fig. 1.—Tobacco seed bed in Florida. Fig. 2.—Tobacco seed beds
in Connecticut—tent, hotbed, and cold frame -_..-.------------- 40
Fig. 1.—Transplanting tobacco seedlings with machine. Fig. 2.—
Sterilizing soil ‘for tobaceoseed beds 222 eS 40
Fig. 1.—Tobacco seed separator. Fig. 2.—Secdiings from heavy,
medium, and light tobacco seed == =< a= ee ee 40
Fig. 1.—Method of ‘‘spearing’’ tobacco plants during harvest.
Fig. 2.—Wagon rack for transporting plants to curing shed ------ 40
Fig. 1.—Capped plants saved for seed. Fig. 2.—Curing shed in the
Connecticut. Valley. --2 =: 223. SS ee ee 40
Fig. 1.—Seed plant ready for bag. Fig. 2.—Proper arrangement of
bag on ‘seed plant =2.2 52227 5.2 Se ee eee 40
Fig. 1.—Arrangement and structure of tobacco flowers. Fig. 2.—
Two strains of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco, the row on the left
from an early parent and the row on the right from a late parent- 40
Fig. 1.—Uniformity in time of maturity and other characters of two
types of Connecticut Sumatra tobacco raised from seed saved under
bag. Fig. 2.—Lack of uniformity in time of maturity and other
characters in ordinary Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco...--.------ 40
8
B. P. 1.—193. 8. P. I. D.—82.
Paietibs OF TOBACCO SEB) DISTRIBUTED IN
1905-6, WITH CULTURAL DIRECTIONS.
INTRODUCTION.
In the distribution of tobacco seed by the Department of Agriculture
small samples of seed of improved native and standard foreign-grown
varieties are furnished for experimental purposes. The object of this
distribution in regions where tobacco is not grown at present is to
enable farmers to make a reliable test of the adaptability of their
conditions of soil and climate to tobacco culture. In the established
tobacco-growing sections the growers may secure improved varieties
by testing the seed, sent out in this distribution, adapted to the condi-
tions of culture and purposes of manufacture for which the tobacco 1s
grown. The Havana seed tobacco of the Connecticut Valley and the
Florida Sumatra type of the southern Georgia and western Florida
districts are striking illustrations of the beneficial results of the intro-
duction of new varieties or the importation of standard foreign-grown
tobaccos.
Many illustrations might be cited of the importance of testing dit-
ferent varieties of tobacco in the established tobacco-growing sections,
and it is the object of this distribution to furnish tobacco growers care-
fully selected seed of improved strains of standard varieties of tobacco,
in order that they may obtain the best types of tobacco adapted to
their conditions of soil and climate.
In all cases where foreign-grown or improved native varieties have
been successfully established in any region, small crops have been
erown until the-strains have become adapted to local conditions of
climate and soil and a uniform type has been secured by continued
and systematic selection of seed.
In the distribution of tobacco seed this season, unless a particular
variety of tobacco is requested by the growers an attempt will be |
made to send the variety of tobacco which experience has shown to be
most nearly adapted to the conditions under which the tobacco is to be
erown. It has been found by experience that an attempt to produce
a tobacco on a soil not suited to the type planted will in most cases
15804—No. 91—06——2 9
10 VARIETIES. OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6:
result in failure, from the fact that the tobacco produced is unfit for
the same grade as the parent plants and will not ineet the requirements
of an established class of tobacco, but must sell as a nondescript. In
some cases, however, new types of tobacco have been established in
this way which have proved of sufficient importance to create a market
on their own merit, and wherever it seems possible that such results
may be secured the seed of highly bred new varieties will be sent to
the particular section adapted to the growth of these types.
The tobacco plant readily adapts itself to a great variety of condi-
tions, but is easily affected by the chemical and mechanical conditions
of the soil. In fact, it has been found that the relation of the physical
conditions of the soil to the texture and quality of the leaf has become
so well established that it is possible to determine in a general way by
a study of the soil and climate the adaptability of the different sections
to a particular type and class of tobacco. The climatic conditions
largely influence the quality and aroma in the same way that the soil
influences the texture of the tobacco leaf. In a warm climate the tend-
ency is to produce a leaf with a large amount of gum and an aromatic
tobacco; in northern sections the leaf becomes larger and finer, but is
lacking in aroma. However, these tendencies may be moditied in dif-
ferent sections by excessive rainfall, which usually causes a thin leaf
and lack of aroma.
Asa rule, tobacco which is grown near the sea has poor combusti-
bility, which is supposed to be due to the action of the chlorin in the
salt of the seaair. Asa general rule, tropical climates produce the best
tobaccos for cigar fillers, and temperate climates produce tobaccos
which are best adapted for cigar wrappers. In the warmer sections
of temperate climates the best smoking and chewing tobaccos are
produced.
It has been definitely determined by experiments conducted by the
Bureau of Plant Industry that the different types of tobacco can be
greatly improved by seed selection and breeding. Inasmuch as the
tobacco plant produces a large quantity of seed, it is possible by sav-
ing comparatively few plants to furnish enough highly bred seed for
the planting of a large area. It is important that where new strains
or varieties of tobacco are tested by the growers a small number of
plants be grown the first year, in order to test the adaptability of
these tobaccos to the local conditions. If the variety proves to be
of value the grower can select the best of the individual plants in this
small field for the seed of his entire crop the succeeding year.
The importance of growing a small crop from imported or newly
introduced seed is illustrated in Plate I. In figure 1 is shown a field
in the Connecticut Valley in the season of 1903, grown from freshly
imported Cuban seed. It can be seen that in this field there area
large number of ‘‘ freak,” branching, narrow-leaved, and other unde-
DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES. 1]
sirable types of tobacco for cigar-wrapper purposes. The number of
freak plants in this field amounted to one-third the total number of
plants and caused the growera great loss. Specially good plants, free
from suckering, were selected for seed in this field, and the seed saved
under bag. The crop the following season raised from this seed was
comparatively free from freaks and undesirable plants. In 1905 the
crop shown in figure 2 from seed saved from the preceding year’s
selected seed plants of this same variety on the same field was remark-
ably uniform in type, every plant being like every other plant in the
field. A casual inspection of the two figures will show that two years’
systematic seed selection, saving the seed under bag. has served to
weed out all of the freak and undesirable types and has enabled the
grower to produce a uniform field of a highly desirable type of tobacco.
There is no general farm crop which responds so readily to seed
selection and breeding as tobacco. The transmitting power of the
individual parent plants is exceedingly strong, and the progeny of the
individual seed plants show great uniformity when seed is saved under
bag according to the plan outlined in the following pages.
It is exceedingly important that strains of tobacco be secured in
different sections resistant to the ‘*root knot,” ‘‘root wilt,” and other
fungous diseases which attack the tobacco crop. In the experiments
conducted by the Bureau of Plant Industry it has been found that by
saving the seed of resistant plants under bag it is possible to produce
uniform strains which are immune to the attack of most root diseases.
Wherever possible the Department will undertake to make selections of
resistant types and furnish small quantities of this seed for distribution.
It is advisable for tobacco growers to secure and test new varieties
in different sections, and especially to secure hybrids of the native
with the imported varieties. In order to safely introduce these hybrids
it is essential to grow a few plants of the desired imported variety in
order to procure pollen for crossing. In no instance should a large
area of plants be grown from the first year’s cross or from the imported
seed. One hundred plants of each type or variety will give a fair
indication of the nature and value of the cross or importation, and will
furnish sufficient plants for seed selection for the next year’s crop.
After the grower secures a uniform crop of the desired kind sufficient
seed may be saved for future crops in accordance with the directions
given in this bulletin.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES.
It is impossible to recommend the best variety of tobacco for grow-
ing in a new region, that being a matter which can only be determined
by carefulexperiments. If the soil and climatic conditions are known.
a study of the description of the varieties sent out in this distribution
will enable the grower to select a variety which will be adapted most
12 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
nearly to the new conditions. In the following list the best varieties
for testing by the growers are grouped with reference to their uses
and the character of soil which produces the best yield of each variety,
as determined by past experience.
CIGAR-WRAPPER TOBACCOS.
Sumatra.—Used wholly for the production of high-grade cigar
wrappers and not considered of any value for fillers. In the United
States this variety 1s grown under slat or cloth shade. Adapted to
sandy loam soil. In western Florida, where it is grown extensively,
the surface soil is underlaid by a red clay subsoil. The leaves are very
thin, of fine texture, with small veins, and vary from 12 to 20 inches
in length and 8 to 16 inches in width. The plants bear from 16 to
30 leaves, with comparatively long internodes. ‘The leaves have an
erect habit of growth. Under favorable conditions for growth the
plants reach a height of from 7 to 9 feet. This variety produces the
best grade of domestic cigar wrappers.
Grown in western Florida, in southern Georgia, and in the Con-
necticut Valley.
Connecticut Havana.—Used for cigar wrappers and binders, and the
top leaves are frequently used for fillers in the inferior grades of
domestic cigars. Adapted to light alluvial, sandy soils, containing a
small percentage of clay, and as a rule the less the clay the higher the
yield of fine cigar wrappers. Where this variety is grown for fillers
a rich clay yielding a heavy crop of leaf is probably the most desirable
type of soil. The leaves are thin, of fine texture and delicate flavor,
set very close together on the stalk, with very short internodes, and
have a very erect habit of growth. The plants bear from 10 to 15
leaves, varying in average length from 20 to 32 inches and in aver-
age width of from 10 to 15 inches. This variety was secured by con-
tinued seed selection from crops grown from seed imported from
Cuba, and is probably a cross between these Cuban plants and the
native Broadleat of the Connecticut Valley.
Grown in the Connecticut Valley, Wisconsin (mainly for binders),
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. One of the best general-purpose
tobaccos. |
Connecticut Broadleaf.—Formerly known and generally recognized
in the trade as Seedleaf. Used for cigar wrappers and binders, and
the lower grades, to a limited extent, for blending with other tobaccos
for cigar fillers. Adapted to sandy loam soil. This variety makes an
exceedingly rapid growth. The leaves are very broad, sweet tasting,
thin, elastic, silky, and with small veins. The leaves are set very close
together on the plant, having a very characteristic drooping habit of
growth, and vary in length from 24 to 36 inches and in width from
12 to 22 inches. The size of leaf varies greatly in different sections
CIGAR-FILLER TOBACCOS. Le
and with the different strains which have been developed by individual
growers. The seed of this variety has been sent to many sections of
the United States and a large number of important varieties have been
-secured from this source, as in the case of the Ohio Seedleaf., which
can be traced directly to Connecticut Broadleaf seed.
Grown in the Connecticut Valley, New Hampshire, Vermont, New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin Minnesota, and to a elieht
extent in Indiana and I\linois.
CIGAR-FILLER TOBACCOS.
Cuban.—Used for high-grade cigar wrappers when grown under
shade, but is generally grown outside for cigar fillers. Adapted to
alluvial or sandy soil resting on red clay subsoil. This variety has a
small leaf of fine texture. The leaves are short and round, with
small veins, medium to heavy body, varying from 10 to 18 inches in
length, and 6 to 14 inches in width. When this variety is taken north
the influence of the climate and soil conditions tends to promote the
development of a large leaf at the expense of fineness of texture and
quality. When grown from freshly imported seed in southern tobacco
districts the tobacco seems to retain the valuable qualities of flavor,
aroma, smooth taste, and other characters of the imported Cuban
tobacco. Whether these qualities can be retained by continued selec-
tion of seed from desirable plants is a subject for experimentation, but
the evidence obtained up to this time indicates that it is probable that in
certain districts in the United States uniform crops of Cuban tobacco
having a highly desirable flavor and aroma can be produced by the aid
of systematic seed selection.
In the Connecticut Valley this variety is grown under shade for cigar
wrappers, the top leaves being used to a limited extent for cigar fillers,
and it is grown for cigar fillers in Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Georgia.
In Florida and Texas it produces one of the best grades of domestic
fillers.
Zimmer Spanish— Largely used for cigar fillers, and is the most
popular and extensively grown domestic filler. It is frequently used
for blending with other tobaccos in cigar fillers. It 1s commonly
believed to be a hybrid of the native Seedleaf and the Cuban variety.
Adapted to light loam soil, and in the Miami Valley, Ohio, where this
variety is most extensively grown, the surface soil is underlaid by a
red-brown clay loam. The leaves are medium in size, have good body
and elasticity, with small veins, and they resembie the Cuban variety.
The leaves are set close together on the stalk, from 14 to 20 leaves to
the plant, the plants reaching anaverze height of about 4 feet. This
variety produces an average yield of about 600 pounds to the acre and
brings an average price of about 7 cents a pound.
Grown in Ohio and Wisconsin.
14 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905—6.
Little Dutch.—Used for cigar fillers, making a cigar with an aroma
resembling the Yara tobacco grown in eastern Cuba. Adapted to
clay loam soils. The seed was introduced in this country from Ger-
many. The leaves are small and narrow and the plants have a short
habit of growth, producing a light yield. This tobacco requires care-
ful curing and fermentation.
Grown in Ohio and to a limited extent in Poanedieane
PIPE TOBACCOS.
North Carolina Bright Yellow.—Used for manufacturing plug and
- smoking tobaccos, cigarettes, and for export purposes. ‘This variety
is adapted to sandy soils, underlaid by a red or yellow clay subsoil.
The deeper the sand the brighter the tobacco produced, and the nearer
the surface the subsoil comes the more inclined the tobacco is to darken
in color. The leaves are light and spongy, of rather thick texture, set
close together on the stem, with an erect habit of growth, but droop-
ing at the ends, the tops often touching the ground. This variety isa
modified type of the native Maryland and Virginia tobaccos.
Grown in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina.
Maryland Smoking.—Used for manufacturing and export purposes.
Adapted to clay loam and sandy soil. The leaves are thick and coarse
in texture, but are light and chaffy when.cured. They have a semi-
erect habit of growth, drooping at the tips, varying in length from
20 to 36 inches and in width from 10 to 26 inches. The plants bear
from 10 to 18 leaves and reach an average height of about 4 feet. This
variety was discovered in Maryland when the first settlers explored
that region. It is mostly exported to France, Germany, and Holland.
Grown in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. From the Mary-
land tobacco many of the important native varieties have been devel-
oped by growing in different tobacco-growing sections and by con-
tinued selection of seed for a particular type of tobacco.
PLUG TOBACCOS.
White Burley.— Used for plug fillers and wrappers for smoking and
for the manufacture of cigarettes. Adapted to well-drained, deep-red
clay-loam soil. In Kentucky such soils are fairly rich in lime and
produce good crops of corn, wheat, hemp, and grass, but they deteri-
orate rapidly unless the fertility is maintained by the use of fertilizers
and proper methods of cultivation. The leaves are long and broad
and have a white appearance in the field. They have a horizontal
habit of growth, the tips hanging down and often touching the
ground. They vary in length from 28 to 36 inches and in width from
16 to 24 inches. The plants bear from 10 to 18 leaves and reach an
DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE. 15
average height of about 4 feet in the field. This variety is a selection
from the original Burley, the peculiar white, translucent appearance
of the original parent plant having attracted the attention of the grow-
ers. Seed saved from this plant produced a large number of plants
the following season, and in time a large and important industry was
developed from this beginning.
The Red Burley and dark tobaccos of southern and western Ken-
tucky and Tennessee are heavy tobaccos, nearly related to the White
Burley, but on account of their peculiar characteristics are largely
exported.
Grown in Kentucky, southern Ohio, Tennessee. and to a limited
extent in North Carolina and Virginia.
Orinoco and Yellow Mammoth.—Used for plug wrappers and fillers
and are stemmed for export trade. Adapted to rich, well-drained soils,
doing: especially well on alluvial soils underlaid with red clay sub-
soil. The Orinoco variety has short, broad leaves, while the Yellow
Mammoth has large leaves, both varieties having a rapid rate of
growth. The Little Orinoco type has a long, narrow, tapering leaf,
and is the sweetest variety grown. The Yellow Mammoth is largely
exported for Swiss trade, and its culture is mainly confined to
Tennessee.
The Orinoco type is grown in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee,
West Virginia, and Missourt.
Virginia types (Blue Pryor, Sun-Cured, and White Stem).— Adapted to
sandy soil, underlaid with red or yellow clay subsoils. These types
have very broad, large, fine leaves, of fine, silky texture, with rather
tough fibers and usually have bright, fine colors. Some of the best
orades are used for cigar wrappers and others for smoking purposes.
Grown in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri,
and Indiana.
DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE.
SUMATRA TOBACCO.
The location selected for the seed bed should have a slightly southern
exposure in order to get the full benefit of the warm rays of the sun
in the early spring. The slope should be sufficient to insure perfect
drainage at all times. It is desirable that the seed bed be surrounded
by board walls and covered with regular tobacco tenting cloth, an
illustration of which is shown in Plate II, figure 1. The cover will
protect the tender plants from the cold north winds and produce more
uniform and favorable conditions, insuring early, rapid growth. The
location should be permanent, abundantly fertilized every spring, and
kept free from weeds and grass at all times. The soil becomes better
adapted to plant-bed purposes each succeeding year if this method is
16 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
followed. The most desirable soil seems to be a rich, friable sandy
loam. Deep plowing or spading should be avoided in the preparation
of the soil, the usual depth being 4 or 5 inches. The ground should
be harrowed and stirred with hand rakes until thoroughly pulverized,
and all roots, tufts, and clods of earth should be carefully removed.
After this preparation a liberal application of fertilizer rich in
nitrogen and potash should be evenly distributed over the bed. A
fertilizer containing 10 per cent of ammonia, 8 per cent of available
phosphoric acid, and 12 per cent of soluble potash is highly recom-
mended. Chlorin in any form must be avoided. After applying this
fertilizer the bed should be thoroughly stirred again and left very
smooth, in which condition it is ready for the seed. It is customary
to sow the seed at the rate of about 1 tablespoonful to 100 square yards
of seed bed. It is impracticable to sow this seed alone and it should
be thoroughly mixed with wood ashes, corn meal, land plaster, or
commercial fertilizer. In order to obtain a uniform stand of plants it
is advisable to sow half of the seed lengthwise of the bed and the
remainder crosswise.
The proper time for sowing the seed is from February 1 to March 1.
Wherever practicable it is best to prepare the land and apply the fer-
tilizer from one to two weeks before sowing the seed. After sowing,
a light roller should be run over the bed, or some other means used to —
get the soil in a firm, compact condition, in which state it will retain
its moisture, thus giving more favorable conditions for the germina-
tion of seed and the growth of the young plants. The necessity of
properly caring for the seed bed can not be too strongly emphasized,
since nothing is of more importance in obtaining a vigorous growth
in the field than strong, healthy seedlings. They should be made to
grow steadily and vigorously without being checked until ready for
transplanting. In order to obtain this condition, strict and constant
attention must be given to watering the bed, keeping down all weeds
and grass, and preventing the ravages of insect pests. In some cases
it is necessary to use an additional application of fertilizer in the way
of a top-dressing. The necessity for this is often indicated by the
plants turning yellow. The fertilizer should be essentially of the same
composition as that previously used, and often gives best results when
applied in a liquid form. This method of application makes it neces-
sary to wash the fertilizer thoroughly into the soil by means of an
abundant spray and thus avoid injury to the tender plants.
Whenever it is found that the plants are too thick in the bed it is
advisable to thin them out by drawing an ordinary rake across the bed,
allowing it to sink to a depth of from one-half to three-fourths inch.
This can be done without seriously injuring the remaining plants and
is, in fact, of positive benefit.to them. In all cases some system should
be provided tor watering the plant beds during spells of dry weather.
DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE. IL
Water should be applied in the form of a light spray. During the first
two weeks of plant growth it is essential that the surface soil be kept
comparatively moist at all times, for at this stage a few hours of hot
sun, after the soil has become dry, will be sufficient to kill most of the
plants. Where irrigation is used in growing the general crop a sys-
tem of overhead spray nozzles has been found to give excellent results.
As has been previously mentioned, great care must be taken to
remove all weeds and grass that may appear among the young plants.
In every case, before undertaking the process of weeding the bed, it
is most important to water thoroughly. This will prevent any serious
injury being done to the roots of the tobacco plants.
One of the most injurious insects to be guarded against in the culti-
vation of the seed bed is a flea-beetle. The injury to the plants by
this insect may be prevented by the use of alight spray of Paris green.
The mixture should be made at the rate of 1 pound of Paris green and
an equal quantity of quicklime to 100 gallons of water, which should be
kept constantly stirred when in use. The same remedy can be applied
in the case of the hornworm, where the seed bed is not inclosed or
covered.
A very satisfactory fertilizer consists of 1,000 pounds of cotton seed,
1,000 pounds of cotton-seed meal, 300 pounds of carbonate of potash,
700 pounds of fine-ground bone, and 800 pounds of lime to the acre.
The cotton seed should be put on the field after it has been plowed
and three weeks or one month before it is finally prepared for trans-
planting. Wherever it can be obtained cow-pen manure should be
used broadcast at the rate of 20 to 25 loads per acre. Cow-pen manure
promotes very rapid growth and often becomes the means of securing
a good crop of tobacco on land badly infested with nematodes. This
kind of plant food enables the plant to throw out new roots faster than
the nematodes can destroy the old ones.
When produced for wrapper purposes the Sumatra variety of tobacco
is usually grown under shade. The purpose of the shade is to protect
the crop from insects and other dangers and by reason of reducing
the light to secure a thin leaf. The effect of the shade is also shown in
influencing the humidity of the atmosphere and the temperature. The
plants under shade show a much more rapid growth than the outside
tobacco, and the leaves are finer, very thin and elastic, and with very
small veins. Such characteristics as these in wrapper tobacco are
desired by manufacturers.
Where no cover crop is grown during the winter the land should be
plowed frequently and kept thoroughly stirred. This destroys many
of the nematodes, and in that way greatly reduces the damage due to
these insects the following year. This constant cultivation also pre-
vents, to some extent, the depredations of the thrips; it prevents the
growth of grass and weeds, which serve as host plants for this insect.
15304—No. 91—06——3
a eS eee
18 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
The preparation of the soil for Sumatra tobacco must be thorough
and complete. The soil should be thoroughly pulverized by succes-
sive plowing and harrowing, and reduced to a fine condition before
transplanting. Deep plowing and subsoiling causes a retention of
moisture in the soil if the season is too dry, and at the same time
affords the best opportunity for proper drainage if there is an excess
of rainfall during the growing season. ‘The disk plow and disk har-
row have been used very successfully in the preparation of tobacco
soils, particularly where the content of clay is comparatively small.
When transplanting the young plants from the seed bed to the field,
it is desirable to make a selection of the best and most vigorous plants
in the seed bed. At this early stage of growth the most vigorous
plants, having the largest and best-shaped leaves, can be very easily
distinguished by the grower and selected for the field.
The ordinary distance for Sumatra under cloth is 3 feet 3 inches
apart for rows and 12 inches apart in the row. Under slat shades the
distance between the plants in the row is usually increased to about
14 inches.
Before removing the young plants from the seed bed, the bed should
be thoroughly watered and the plants taken out with all possible care.
In setting the plants in the field care should be taken to avoid bending
and doubling the roots, and the necessary application of water should
not be overlooked. Itis often found beneficial, just before transplant-
ing, to water the soil where the plant is to be set, and to water again
shortly after transplanting.
The cultivation of the crop should include the removal of all weeds
from the field, particularly during the early stages of growth, anda
thorough cultivation of the soil at frequent intervals in order to keep
a loose mulch on the surface of the soil. It is usually the custom to
hoe the young plants twice and to use some form of cultivator at least
once a week during the remainder of the season until the plants have
become too large for<cultivation. In many instances it has been found
desirable and practicable to cultivate the tobacco until shortly before
the top leaves are taken off. In dry seasons this serves to retain the
soil moisture by preventing excess evaporation due to soil capillarity.
When the plants begin to bud, all except the individual plants saved
for seed purposes should be topped. No very definite rule can be given
for this process, but it is the usual custom to break off the top of the
plant just below the first seed sucker. The height of topping must be
largely governed by the local soil and climatic conditions.
It is necessary to remove the suckers before they reach sufficient
size to seriously injure or dwarf the plant or interfere in the develop-
ment of the leaves. In most cases it will be found necessary to remove
the suckers two or three times, and more frequently if the season is
one which promotes rapid growth. If seed is to be saved on any of
DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE. 19
the plants, the flower cluster should be covered with a light and strong
paper bag before any of the flowers blossom out, in order to prevent
cross-fertilization. The bags should be kept in good condition and
not allowed to injure the top of the plant in any way. They should
remain over the flowers until a sufficient number has been fertilized to
produce a good supply of seed.
The time for harvesting will depend to a considerable extent upon
the season, but the ripeness of the leaves can be distinguished by the
development of irregular, light yellowish colored patehes over the
surface and a thickening and crumpling of the body of the leaves.
The leaves should be harvested before they become overripe, and it
is the usual practice to pick them at three or four different periods,
the lower leaves maturing first, the middle leaves next, and the top
leaves last, generally allowing from six to eight days between each
picking. After picking, the leaves are carried to the curing shed in
baskets made for this purpose and are strung on 4-foot laths specially
arranged for them at the rate of 30.to 40 leaves to the lath. The
leaves are arranged back to back and face to face, and are regularly
strung on the cord attached to the lath. The laths are then hung in
the curing shed, where the leaves are allowed to thoroughly cure out.
When the tobacco is primed from the stalk it should not take more
than three weeks to cure; when it is hung on the stalks from four
to six weeks are necessary. The manipulation of the curing barn is
governed entirely by the condition of the weather and the nature of
the tobacco, so no fixed rules can be given. However, in a general
way it can be said that the barn should be opened during the day and
kept closed at night. If there are frequent showers and but little
sunshine, the barn should be kept closed and small fires started, dis-
tributed throughout the building. These fires should be continued as
long as it is necessary to dry out the entire barn of tobacco. Where
charcoal is not available, wood which has as little odor and as little
smoke as possible should be used. It is very important to dry out
the barn without giving the tobacco any foreign odors. To obtain
the best results the tobacco should become moist and be fairly dried
out once in every twenty-four hours.
When the midribs are thoroughly cured the eee es are ready to be
taken to the packing house. To get the tobacco in condition to han-
dle, all the ventilators should be left open for one night, opening them
about 6 o’clock in the evening. Unless the night is a dry one, the
tobacco will soften before morning and be in condition or ‘good
order;” that is, it will have taken up sufficient moisture to make it
soft and pliable. The barn should then be tightly closed, in order to
retain the moisture, and the leaves taken from the laths and tied
into hands of convenient size. The bottom, middle, and top leaves
should be kept separate in the barn. After the tobacco has been
20 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
taken down and packed it should be taken at once to the warehouse
for fermentation.
The fermentation of the tobacco is to be done in bulk, and this
sweating process must be watched with unusual care in order to pre-
vent disaster to the crop. It is necessary to turn the bulk several
times during the process of fermentation in order to keep the tempera-
ture at the desired point. The object of turning the bulk is to reverse
its construction, thereby bringing the top, bottom, and outside layers
into the middle of the new bulk. This plan will permit a uniform
fermentation of all the tobacco in the bulk. A convenient and prac-
tical size of bulk contains from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. The tempera-
ture of the center of the bulk should in no case be allowed to rise
above 120° F., and after the temperature falls from 8 to 10 degrees
the bulk should be turned. The desirable maximum temperature is
115° F. It takes usually from six to eight weeks to complete the
process of fermentation. After fermentation the tobacco must be
sized, sorted according to the different market grades, tied up in
hands, and packed.
CONNECTICUT HAVANA TOBACCO.
There is a very limited amount of plant food in tobacco seed on
aceount of the small size of the individual seed, so that the reserve
material for the nourishment of the young plants is soon exhausted;
consequently the tobacco seedlings are forced to prepare their own
food much sooner than is the case with most other crops. For this
reason it is absolutely necessary for tobacco growers to get the soil
and plant food in the seed beds in the best possible condition for use
by the young plants in order to aid the slow-growing young plants
during the critical period of the first stages of growth. The seed beds
should be located so that they will get all the benefit possible from
the warm rays of the sun during the early spring days, as well as pro-
tection from the cold north and northwest winds prevalent at that time
of the year. A southern slope where good drainage can be secured
is preferable, and a good, rich, and friable soil is desirable for the
tobacco seed beds. :
As a rule 200 square feet of seed-bed space should be provided to
furnish sufficient seedlings for an acre of tobacco, although if the
tobacco is to be transferred at different periods a less area will be found
to be sufficient. The seed beds are generally 8 feet wide and as long
as is necessary to furnish sufficient seedlings for the field. They are
usually laid out from east to west.
The framework of the seed bed is usually made of 2 by 12 inch
boards, set in the ground from 38 to 4 inches, one side being sunk 2
inches lower than the other in order that the sash may lie over the
CONNECTICUT HAVANA TOBACCO. yal
top of it ina slanting position, so that the plants will receive all of
the sunlight possible.
The best method of covering the bed is by means of glass in sash
about 3 feet wide by 8 feet long. ‘These sash are laid over the top of
the framework and of course can be removed at any time when it is
necessary. In some cases heavy cheese cloth or tobacco cloth is sub-
stituted for the glass covering, but the temperature of the beds can
not be regulated so well as with the glass cover, and the cloth should
not be used where very early plants are desired. It is claimed by old
tobacco growers, however, that the plants raised under cloth are more
hardy than those raised under glass, and it is a frequent practice to
grow the early plants under glass and the later seedlings under cloth.
In Plate I], figure 2, are shown the cloth tent seed bed, the cloth-
covered cold-frame seed bed, and the glass-covered seed bed, which
are most practicable and successful for the raising of seedlings.
When it is necessary to water the seed bed the sash are removed
temporarily and the water is applied in the form of a fine spray. As
soon as the watering is completed the sash are replaced in their origi-
nal positions. If it becomes necessary to air or cool the beds one or
more sash can be raised until the desired object is accomplished.
The soil for the seed bed should be a hght sandy loam, as free from
weed seed, fungous diseases, and insect pests as possible. It has been
found that by sterilizing the soil used in the seed bed the expense of
weeding the beds can be done away with. The sterilization of the
seed-bed soil results in the production of better plants than are grown
in soil which has not been sterilized and also destroys the fungous
spores which frequently interfere with the successful raising of young
plants. In Plate III, figure 2, is shown a simple and practicable
method of sterilizing the soil with steam. The upper 6 inches of
the soil in the seed beds is removed and placed in an ordinary wagon
box, in the bottom of which three perforated pipes are laid and
attached to a steam boiler. The sterilization process requires about
40 minutes for each wagon box of soil, the time being determined by
placing a potato in the soil and supplying steam until the potato is
baked. A large quantity of surface soil in the seed beds can be steril-
ized in this manner in a comparatively short time with little expense.
A successful method of heating seed beds is by the use of fresh
horse manure. In this case the beds should be dug out 2 feet deep
about a week before the time for sowing the seed. The fresh manure
should be packed in this space to a depth of 13 feet and covered with
6 inches of the sterilized soil. Another successful method of heating
the seed bed is by the use of hot-water or steam pipes, laid around the
sides of the bed or under the surface of the soil. General experience
has proved, however, that the manure beds are equal in value, if not
superior, to the artificially heated ones, mainly from the fact that the
Doo VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
heat is distributed evenly through the soil in the seed bed, while in
the case of hot-water or steam pipes the surface of the bed or the air
space is likely to be hot while the soil may remain cold and in poor
condition for the growth of the young plants.
The soil for the-seed beds should be fertilized with a highly nitroge-
nous fertilizer, the one most commonly used being cotton-seed meal
in combination with a complete fertilizer containing phosphoric acid
and soluble potash. This fertilizer should be thoroughly worked into
the soil.
In preparing the soil for the sowing of the seed, it should be most
carefully handled, so that at the time of sowing it is in a fine, loose, and
friable condition, with an even surface. As the tobacco seed is very
small, it is necessary to have the soil in the finest possible tilth in
order to present a uniform condition for the seed. During the growth
of the young plants it is well to sprinkle over the beds a light dress-
ing of nitrate of soda, dissolved in water, after which it should be
washed into the soil with a ight and fine spray of water. It is some-
times found desirable to add a light application of phosphorus, in the
form of ground bone and carbonate of potash, if the soil is found to
be deficient in these elements of plant food. It is the usual practice
in the North to sprout half of the quantity of seed used for sowing
in moist but not too wet apple-tree punk or rotted cocoanut fiber
about one week before the time for sowing the bed. For this pur-
pose the seed is thoroughly mixed with the punk and placed in a glass
jar, which should be kept in a warm room. The seed will sprout
quickly in this medium, and it is probable that earlier plants can be
secured from such sprouted seed than from sowing the dry seed alone.
The sprouted seed should be sown about the time the sprouts are one-
eighth to one-fourth inch in length. Many growers sow the sprouted
seed as soon as the seed coats burst and the sprouts appear. If the
sprouts become too large they will be injured during the process of
sowing. An equal quantity of dry seed should be mixed with the
sprouted seed when the beds are ready for sowing.
It has been found by comparative tests made by the Bureau of Plant
Industry that in most cases the dry seed produces plants-about as
early as the sprouted seed, and the plants from the dry seed are more
uniform in size and apparently more hardy than those raised from the
sprouted and dry seed combined. In order to get an even distribution
of seed over the seed bed in sowing, it is a good plan to mix the dry
seed and the sprouted seed with several times its bulk of land plaster
or gypsum, or, if this is not obtainable, corn meal or ashes, so the
seed can be sown more evenly over the bed. One to two tablespoon-
fuls of seed should be used for every 100 square yards of seed-bed
surface.
CONNECTICUT HAVANA TOBACCO. 23
After sowing the seed it is desirable to pack the surface of the bed
carefully with a roller or heavy plank, in order to press the soil closely
about the seed. Another good plan is to cover the seed by lightly
raking the surface with an ordinary garden rake, and this method is
preferred by many experienced growers. It has been found in the
experiments of the Bureau of Plant Industry that the light seed is
undesirable and in every case should be separated from the heavy seed
and discarded. In order to make a thorough and complete separation,
it is necessary to use some form of a wind-blast machine which will
blow out the light seed without throwing out the heavy seed at the
same time. In Plate IV, figure 1, is shown a satisfactory seed separa-
tor, by the use of which the light seed can be separated from the heavy
seed and discarded, and the heavy seed used for sowing the seed beds.
The heavy seed produces the most vigorous and uniform young plants
in the seed beds, as shown in Plate LV, figure 2, and these plants are
most desirable for use in the case of all varieties of tobacco.
The Havana seed variety of tobacco is usually sown in the seed bed
from the middle of March to the middle of April, and the plants are
ready for setting out from these beds from May 10 to June 10.
One of the most important points in the raising of a successful cr op
of tobacco is the care of the seed bed in the production of the seedlings.
It is necessary to water the seed bed frequently, usually once or twice
every day during the early stages of growth. If the beds are arti-
ficially heated, warm water should be used for this watering process,
as cold water cools the beds and checks the growth of the young plants.
The surface of the seed bed should not be allowed to become dry, as a
few hours of dry surface will kill all of the young plants. The water
should be supplied in the form of a light spray, in order not to disturb
the seed or the young plants in the bed or to pack the soil so that in
drying it will cake and injure the plants.
The temperature of the hotbeds should be carefully regulated, and
in no case allowed to rise above 100° F. during the day or fall below
70° F. during the night. If it is possible to maintain an even tem-
perature the plants will make the most rapid growth, but it is a ques-
tion whether they will be as hardy as when subjected to the fluctuating
temperatures corresponding to the natural changes between night and
day. The beds can be cooled when necessary by raising the sash if
the temperature rises, or the temperature can be raised at night by
using lanterns set 5 or 6 feet apart in the seed bed and by covering the
sash with heavy cloth, such as ordinary blankets, in order to retain
the heat. After the young plants reach the proper size for setting
out, usually from 5 to 6 weeks after sowing in the seed bed, the sash
can be taken off most of the time during the day and the beds watered
only when the plants begin to wilt. If the plants come up too thick
24 ARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
in any portion of the seed bed, they should be thinned out by using
an ordinary garden rake and pulling it through the thickly set plants.
Sufficient plants will be removed in this way, and those which remain
will not be injured by the thinning process, but will be benefited by
the stirring of the surface soil. It is also necessary to keep out all
weeds, carefully pulling them as soon as they appear among the tohacco
plants. Before pulling the weeds, the beds should be thoroughly
watered. If flea-beetles or other biting insects attack the young
plants in the seed bed, the plants should be sprayed with a Paris green
mixture at the rate of 1 pound of Paris green and an equal quantity of
quicklime to 100 gallons of water. If fungous diseases begin to grow
in any portion of the seed bed, it should be thoroughly aired by rais-
ing the sash during the day, and if this method does not check the
growth of the fungus the beds should be sprayed with a solution of
formalin—1 part of formalin to 2,000 parts of water. An application
of lime dusted over the beds will also assist in preventing the spread of
fungous diseases.
The preparation of the field for the plants should be begun in the
autumn, if possible, by plowing the land 2 or 3 inches deep and sowing
a cover crop, such as vetch or some other legume. These leguminous
coyer crops not only prevent washing and loss of fertility during the
heavy rains of the fall and winter, but increase the fertility of the soil
through the addition of the nitrogen in the tubercles of these plants
and by reason of their extensive root development, which tends to
break up and put the soil in the best possible tilth for the young plants.
In the spring the land should be replowed, care being used to see that
the cover crop is thoroughly plowed under, with an application of
well-rotted stable manure at the rate of 12 to 15 tons to the acre.
In addition to the use of stable manure, it has been found that the
following or a similar fertilizer should be used in order to secure the
best results: One ton of cotton-seed meal, 200 pounds of carbonate of
potash, 500 pounds of starter, and 1 barrel of lime to the acre. This
commercial fertilizer should be sowed on the land after plowing and
worked into the soil with a disk or by some other means of thorough
stirring before the young plants are transplanted into the field. When
the young plants are pulled from the seed beds the bed should be
thoroughly wet down before pulling, in order that as little injury to
the plants as possible may be inflicted during the process of pulling.
The plants are usually set out with a tobacco setter, such as is shown
in Plate III, figure 1. If possible, it is desirable to transplant after a
shower or during a moist spell of weather, as the hot sun on the young
plants in the fields is likely to cause considerable injury. Immediately
after transplanting, the young plants should be dusted with a bran
mash and Paris green mixture made by mixing thoroughly 1 pound of
Paris green with 100 pounds of bran. This mixture can be applied to
CONNECTICUT HAVANA TOBACCO. 95
the plants by dusting through a perforated tin box, or in some cases a
small fertilizer sower is used for this purpose.
In transplanting the young plants from the seed bed it is desirable
to make a selection of the best and most vigorous plants. At this
early stage of growth the differences in shape of leaf can be detected
by an inspection of the seedlings. For the Havana Seed variety the
plants should be set in rows 3 feet 3 inches apart, and the piants should
be set 18 inches apart in the row. If the plants are set by hand great
- care Should be used not to bend or otherwise injure the roots of the
young plants, as such injury may result in a diseased condition of the
plant, making it almost worthless for wrapper purposes.
In cultivating the field a shallow or surface cultivator should be
used and the soil kept stirred frequently in order to conserve soil
moisture, as well as to remove all weeds. It is usually found neces-
sary to hoe the field once or twice during the early stages of growth
in order to remove all of the weeds and to loosen the soil around the
young plants and keep it in the best possible condition for their most
favorable growth..
-When the plants begin to bud all except the individual plants saved
for seed purposes should be topped. No very definite rule can be
given for this process, but it is the custom to break the tops off the
plants just below the first seed sucker. Asa rule the height of top-
ping must be governed by local conditions, such as the soil fertility
and the season. In most cases two or three of the top leaves are
removed in topping. It is necessary to remove the suckers before
they reach sufficient size to seriously injure or dwarf the plant or inter-
fere with the development of the leaves. It will usually be found
necessary to remove the suckers two or three times during the season
in order to keep the plants free from these injurious branches.
It has been found in the tobacco-breeding investigations that by
selecting seed from plants having few suckers, sucker-resistant types of
tobacco can be secured, and it is recommended that in the case of all of
the wrapper varieties of tobacco, particularly the Havana Seed tobacco,
such a plan of seed selection be followed. In saving seed from care-
fully selected plants the flower clusters should be covered with a light
and strong paper bag before any of the blossoms open, in order to
prevent accidental cross-fertilization. These bags should be of light
but strong paper, and should be kept in good condition and moved up
the stalks occasionally so as not to allow the bags to injure the tops of
the plants in any way. These bags should remain over the seed head
until all of the flowers that are to be used for seed-saving purposes
have been fertilized, after which the bags can be removed and the seed
allowed to mature in the open.
The time for harvesting this variety of tobacco varies with the sea-
son, but the ripeness of the leaves can be distinguished by the devel-
26 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
opment of irregular, light yellowish colored patches over the surface
and a thickening of the body of the leaves. By crumpling the leaf,
if the surface breaks in straight lines, or ** cracks,” as the old growers
are accustomed to call it, the leaf is said to be in proper shape for
cutting.
The plants are usually cut witha regular tobacco hatchet or knife
and are strung on laths, as shown in Plate V, figure 1. Five orsix piants
~ are usually strung on each lath, after which they are hauled to the
sheds in wagons specially prepared for this purpose. A wagon with
special rack arranged for transporting the plants from the field to the
curing shed is shown in Plate V, figure 2. These laths are usually 4
feet in length, and are so hung in the curing shed that a space is left
between each plant in order to get a circulation of air. A common
type of curing shed filled with tobacco is shown in Plate VI, figure 2.
The curing process requires as a rule from 4+ to 6 weeks. The
manipulation of the barn or curing shed during this period is entirely
governed by the conditions of weather and the nature of the tobacco,
so that no fixed rules can be given. However, in a.general way it can
be said that if the barn is filled with green tobacco and the weather is
hot and dry the ventilators should be open most of the time for
about 3 days, by which time the tobacco should begin to yellow. The
ventilators should only be closed to prevent too rapid curing during
this period. The barn should then be opened at night and kept closed
during the day. This is done to prevent too rapid curing, which
destroys the life of the leaf and produces uneven colors in the tobacco.
If there are frequent showers and but little sunshine the barn should
be kept closed, and if there are indications of pole-burn or pole-sweat,
small fires, at least two in every bent in the shed, should be started.
In order to dry out the tobacco in as short a time as possible, these
fires should he distributed throughout the shed and the tobacco above
the fires protected by hoods. The best material for making these
fires is probably charcoal or coke, but if these two materials can not
be used soft pine wood may be found to be satisfactory. In no case
should hard wood be used, as certain odors are given off which it is
impossible to get out of the tobacco, and these injure the quality and
the sale of the crop. To get the best results, the tobacco during the
curing process should be kept fairly moist and fairly dried out once in
every 24 hours.
After the curing process has been finished the tobacco is usually
sorted according to grade and color as laid down by the tobacco trade.
The tobacco is then arranged in hands and packed in cases, where it is
allowed to go through natural fermentation, or it is placed in a room
which can be heated and is there put through a forced sweat. If the
natural fermentation takes place it usually does not begin until the
warm weather of the succeeding summer. Great care must be used
CONNECTICUT BROADLEAF TOBACCO. Di
in the fermenting processes that the tobacco is not damaged by the
spread of fungous diseases, mold, or other causes cf injury to tobacco
in cases. The cases are usually arranged to hold about 350 pounds of
tobacco.
CONNECTICUT BROADLEAF TOBACCO.
The methods of sowing the seed, preparation of the seed beds, and
treatment of the beds are practically the same for the Connecticut
Broadleaf as in the case of the Connecticut Havana variety. Many
of the growers in the Connecticut Valley prefer the tent cover for the
seed beds for this variety, two forms of which are shown in Plate IJ,
figure 2. The advantage in the cheese-cloth or light-muslin cover for
the seed bed lies in the fact that plants grown under such conditions
are as a rule more hardy than plants raised under glass. As the
- Broadleaf plants make a very rapid growth in the seed bed and field,
hotbeds for the production of early seedlings are not as essential as
with other slower growing varieties. To sow the seed mix one table-
spoonful for every hundred square yards of seed bed with 2 quarts of
ashes or meal in order to get an even sowing, and lightly rake the
surface of the bed so as to barely cover the seed. If the seed is cov-
ered too deep, it will not germinate.
The seed bed should be kept moist, but not too wet, as too much
water not only injures the seed, but favors the development of fungous
diseases. In about two weeks after sowing, the young plants will
appear, but at this time they make a very slow growth, as the plant
food in the seed has been exhausted and the plants must meet new
conditions. At this stage, if the surface of the bed dries out, the
young plants will be. killed, so that it is absolutely necessary to use
the greatest possible care in watering the beds. After the young
plants have developed root systems and become established for inde-
pendent growth they make a very rapid growth, and it is usually
desirable to apply liquid manure. If the seedlings begin to turn
yellow, it is a sign that more plant food is necessary, and this can be
applied in liquid form. The young plants should be set out when the
leaves are about five inches long. Large plants are not desirable,
as they grow spindling, while very small plants are likely to die after
transplanting if any unfavorable conditions develop. In transplanting,
the beds should be thoroughly watered before pulling the plants in
order to avoid disturbing or injuring the roots. After pulling the
plants they should be placed in a basket, roots downward, and set in a
shaded, cool place until set out in the field.
The preparation of the land for planting should be thorough, and
the soil should be in as good tilth as possible. Cover crops, such as
vetch, are desirable for plowing under. A disk cultivator is a good
implement to fine the surface soil, after which the land should be fitted
28 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905—6.
with drag and harrow, in order to get the surface as level and fine as
possible. The land is usually fertilized with well-rotted barnyard
manure, at the rate of from 8 to 12 tons per acre, plowing it under in
the spring. Frequently tobacco stems, at the rate of from 500 to 600
pounds per acre, are used as a fertilizer in the Broadleaf sections.
Most crops of Broadleaf tobacco are grown on these fertilizers alone,
but in recent years the growers have begun to apply about 1 ton of
cotton-seed meal, 200 pounds of carbonate of potash, and from 1 to 2
barrels of lime per acre in addition to the usual tobacco starter.
The seedlings of the Broadleaf variety are usually set in rows 4 feet
apart and the plants from 22 to 24 inches apart in the rows. In all
cases water should be used in transplanting, even if the ground be
moist. If the plants are set by hand, one person distributes the plants
at the proper distance along the rows, followed by a man or boy who,
with a round stick, makes a hole for the plants. <A third person sets
the plants in the holes and presses the soil firmly about the roots,
leaving the surface of the soil as loose as possible. As the plants are
set in the holes, a cupful of water should be poured into the holes,
and some growers prefer to add water to the plants directly after they
are set, although this practice leaves the soil about the plants in such
condition as to bake, especially during a hot, dry day.
The object of the cultivation of the field is to keep the soil in as
good condition as possible and to prevent the growth of weeds and the
loss of soil moisture. In most cases a loose mulch should be main-
tained by frequent, shallow, level cultivation. As the plants grow, the
soil should be stirred with a hoe around the plants. One of the best
cultivators is called the Prout hoe, which is adjustable to the width of
the rows, the small shovels leaving the surface with a fine even texture.
The topping process is necessary in order to direct the strength of
the plant into the development of the leaves. After topping, the sur-
face of the leaves very rapidly increases, the leaves thicken, and the
ripening processes are hastened. The Broadleaf plants are usually
topped below the first large sucker. If it is found desirable to hasten
the ripening process, the plants are topped low, while if necessary to
prevent the development of too thick leaves the plants should be
topped high. Usually the topping process is delayed until most of
the flower buds appear, so that the topping can all be done in one
operation, but many growers prefer to remove the buds as soon as
they appear, going over the field later and topping to the desired
height. As soon as the suckers appear they should be broken off, and
in order to do this effectively it is necessary to go over the field once
a week after the plants have been topped.
The time to harvest the crop can only be determined by experience
with the strain which is grown. Asa rule,a ripe leaf has a rough
feeling to the touch, and there is a change in the color of the leaf from
ee
CUBAN TOBACCO. 29
a dark toa lighter green; also, by folding the leat between the fingers
a ripe leaf will break easily. In the Broadleaf variety the plants are
usually cut, and as all the leaves ona plant are not ripe at one time,
it is necessary to harvest the crop when the majority of the leaves are
- in the proper condition or about the time that the middle leaves are
ripe. Overripe leaves lose their elasticity and strength, and are not
suitable for cigar wrappers. The plants are speared on 4-foot laths,
using a detachable iron spearhead fitted in the end of the lath, as shown
in Plate V, figure 1, placing from 4 to 6 plants on each lath.
The Broadleaf tobacco is air cured, the process taking about six
weeks. After harvesting, the plants are immediately hung in the barn,
and the temperature and humidity of these sheds must be closely
watched and controlled by means of the ventilators. If the leaf cures
too rapidly the ventilators should be opened on moist days and nights
and closed on dry days. If the curing process proceeds too slowly or
the tobacco is liable to injury from pole-burn or other fungous dis-
eases, the ventilators should be opened on dry days and closed on moist
days and at night. In long-continued damp spells of weather, when
the tobacco can not be dried out by opening the ventilators during the
day, small fires of soft pine or charcoal should be used to drive off the
excess of moisture and raise the temperature in the barns.
The Broadleaf tobacco is usually fermented in cases holding about
three hundred pounds, the hands of tobacco being laid in these cases
with the butts of the hands on the outside and the tips in the center.
The tobacco is then pressed down under moderate pressure, the tops
of the boxes screwed on, and the cases kept in a room having an even
temperature.
CUBAN TOBACCO.
Cuban tobacco is grown without shade when used as a filler for
domestic cigars. The percentage of wrappers in this outdoor crop
is not large, but when the leaves are primed the percentage of wrappers
is considerably increased. The preparation and care of the seed beds
and methods of cultivation are about the same as in the case of the
Sumatra variety. The rows in the field are arranged about 3 feet 4
inches apart and the plants set about 14 inches apart in the row. A
greater distance results in thick, heavy leaves. If the plants are set too
close the leaves are too thin and lacking in body for filler purposes.
No definite rule can be laid down as to the proper number of leaves
to be left on the stalk when the plants are topped. This number varies
with the height of the plant and the climatic conditions during the
season. From 14 to 16 leaves, however, are considered desirable dur-
ing the ordinary season. The suckers begin to appear very soon
after topping and should be removed every 8 or 10 days or once a
week when rains are frequent.
0 a ee ee ee
30 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
Worms are usually very troublesome on this variety of tobacco
and must be picked off and destroyed as soon as they appear, or they
can be poisoned with a very light spray of Paris green mixture. The
‘*powder gun” has come into general use and is rapidly replacing the
spray pump for poisoning the hornworm and budworm. The growers
who still employ the spray pump use 1 pound of Paris green and an
equal quantity of quicklime to 100 gallons of water, this being sufti-
ciently strong to kill the hornworms without injuring the leaves. If
a stronger solution is used there is danger of burning the leaves, so
that patches of green will appear after curing. A mixture of 1 pound
of Paris green to 30 pounds of lime or land plaster is recommended
for use in the powder gun.
The manner of harvesting the southern Cuban tobacco is essentially
the same as that practiced with the Connecticut Havana Seed tobacco.
The number of plants to the lath, however, may be increased to 8 or 10,
where the growth is comparatively small.
Some growers prefer to prime the Cuban tobacco. This process is
more expensive, but a thinner leaf is obtained, which makes it possi-
ble to use a certain percentage of leaves for wrapper purposes. There
are no advantages in this system over the present method of cutting
the plants so far as the production of a filler leaf is concerned.
Where the soil has been abundantly fertilized and the season is
favorable, a profitable second crop of filler can be grown, which is
commonly called a ‘‘sucker crop.” A week after cutting, all the suck-
ers should be broken off the old stump with the exception of one,
which is to be allowed to remain and mature. It should be handled in
exactly the same way as the original crop. The sucker crop ordi-
narily produces about one-half the yield of the main crop. Insects
are always very much worse late in the season and become very
troublesome in the sucker crop.
ZIMMER SPANISH AND LITTLE DUTCH TOBACCOS.
The preparation and care of the seed bed for Zimmer Spanish and
Little Dutch varieties should be the same as given for Connecticut
Havana tobacco. The preparation of the soil and the methods of trans-
planting and cultivating are the same as those given for Connecticut
Havana. The plants should be set in rows 3 feet apart and the seed-
lings set from 15 to 20 inches apart in the rows. The plants should
be topped so as to leave about 16 leaves for each plant. The average
yield of the Zimmer Spanish variety is about 600 pounds to the acre,
while the yield of the Little Dutch variety is considerably less. The
methods of harvesting, curing, and fermenting are essentially the
same as those for the Connecticut Havana variety.
MARYLAND SMOKING TOBACCO. oil
MARYLAND SMOKING TOBACCO.
The seed bed should be located on a dark, friable, loamy soil with
a southern exposure. The plants may be easily watered if the seed
bed be located near a brook. The old method of burning the seed
bed has been largely abandoned, but, if used, care should be taken to
burn only small timber and brush. A large quantity of ashes is detri-
mental to the growth of the young plants. All trees within 30 or 35
feet should be cut down and piled on the north and west sides of the
seed bed for a partial protection against the cold winds.
The proper time for preparing and sowing the seed bed is from
February 1 to March 30. The bed should be spaded to a depth of 4
or 5 inches, and all roots and tufts carefully removed. The soil
must be thoroughly pulverized with garden hoes, hand: rakes, or other
sultable implements. Before the last stirring an application of a highly
nitrogenous fertilizer should be evenly distributed over the bed and
thoroughly incorporated into the soil. A mixture of 50 pounds of
nitrate of soda, 40 pounds of fine-ground bone, and 10 pounds of car-
bonate of potash, applied at the rate of 80 pounds per square rod, is
highly recommended.
Sow the seed at the rate of two tablespoonfuls to the square rod.
It can best be uniformly distributed over the bed by mixing with
wood ashes or land plaster, dividing it into two equal parts, and sow-
ing half of it over the bed crosswise and the other half lengthwise.
The sides of the bed should be from 8 to 10 inches high, and wires
3 feet apart should be stretched across it. The beds can be covered
with light cheese cloth or tobacco-bed cloth, after the seed has been
sowed. The covering serves as a protection against the ravages of the
flea-beetles and other insects, provided there are no open spaces around
the bed. All weeds and grass should be removed. It is seldom
necessary to water the plant beds, except in the case of unusually dry
weather. Water at this time is very essential. It should be applied
as in the northern seed beds, but less frequently, it being seldom
necessary to water the beds more than twice a week.
In most cases it is advisable to replenish the plant food with a top-
dressing or fertilizer of the same composition as that of the first appli-
cation. This should be applied in liquid form, wherever it is possible
to wash it in thoroughly; otherwise it is most important to top-dress
the beds only during hot, dry days. The top-dressing should be used
when the plants are from 2 to 3 inches high. Where cloth is not used
for a coyering, the beds must be closely guarded against the attacks of
the flea-beetle. When this insect first makes its appearance the plants
should be treated with Paris green at the rate of 1 pound to 30 pounds
of land plaster. The cloth covering should be removed from the heds
D2 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
at least a week before transplanting to prevent the injurious effect of
the radical change from the seed bed to the open field.
Maryland tobacco is transplanted from May 15 to June 15. Care
must be used to wet the seed bed down thoroughly before drawing
the plants, thus protecting the roots from injury. The mottled or
mosaic tobacco, so common in Maryland tobacco fields, is frequently
due to the practice of drawing the plants when the soil is not thor-
oughly moistened. This variety should be set in the field in rows 33
feet apart and the plants 20 to 35 inches apart in the row.
Tobacco should be preceded by a leguminous crop of some kind,
hairy vetch being highly recommended for this purpose. In addition
to the nitrogen from the leguminous crop a fertilizer rick in potash
and containing a moderate amount of phosphoric acid should be added
before transplanting. The best stand is obtained in the field where
the land has been plowed deeply and harrowed several times, thus
leaving a thoroughly pulverized soil for the reception of the plants.
The methods of cultivation, topping, suckering, and harvesting are
essentially the same as in the case of the Connecticut Havana variety.
NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA TOBACCOS.
The methods of sowing the seed and of preparing and caring for the
seed bed are the same in the case of North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia tobaccos as those used by the Maryland growers. The seed,
however, may be sown at least a month earlier than in Maryland.
Two systems of harvesting are in general use, both of which have
certain advantages. One of these systems is to prime the leaves as
fast as they ripen and string them on laths, allowing 30 to 32 leaves to
a lath. The other and more common system is to cut the entire stalk
and cure the leaves on it, as is done with the Connecticut Havana
variety.
The North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia tobaccos are usually
flue cured or fire cured, for which purpose a special type of barn is
used. The essential points of this barn are that it be practically air-
tight and provided with one or two furnaces haying flues leading up
through the center of the barn, giving a large heating surface. There
should be at least two smail ventilators on or near the top of the barn.
As soon as the barn is filled with tobacco, tires should be started and
the temperature raised to 90° F., where jt should remain from 24 to
30 hours, during which time the tobacco becomes a uniformly bright
yellow. The next step in curing is to raise the temperature from 90°
to 120° F. for 15 to 20 hours. This process is commonly known as
‘*fixing the color.” Then the temperature may be increased gradu-
ally to 125° F., at which point it should be maintained for about 48
hours. By this time the leaves should be almost, if not entirely, yel-
|
Cpe ye Fees
Lt
WHITE BURLEY TOBACCO. 33
low, but the stalk will still be green. In order to cure out the stalk,
the temperature can be raised to 175° F., at the rate of 5 degrees an
‘hour, where it should remain until the stalks are thoroughly dried.
Great care must be taken during the entire process of curing not to
allow the temperature to fall, for a lowering of the temperature dur-
ing the process of curing invariably produces discolorations in some
parts of the leaf.
WHITE BURLEY TOBACCO.
The seed bed should have a slightly southern exposure in order to
get the benefit of the warm rays of the sun in the early spring, and
the beds should be protected from cold winds. The best soil for the
White Burley tobacco is a rich, friable, virgin loam or sandy soil.
The best plan is to burn and prepare the seed bed on old sod lands.
Many farmers select a spot ina vegetable garden and cover it with
virgin mold taken from the woods, and sow it, after thoroughly burn-
ing the land until it has a reddish or brick-like appearance, when it
should be spaded up and thoroughly chopped over with hoes until it is
fine and even. The ashes should not be raked off, but should be thor-
oughly mixed in with the soil. As soon as the ground can be worked
in the spring, it should be lightly spaded and thoroughly loosened toa
depth of 2 or 3 inches with harrows or hand rakes. When in good
condition, it should be marked off in beds about 4 or 5 feet wide and
seeded. It is the usual custom with this variety to use a heaping table-
spoonful of seed for every 100 square yards of seed bed. After sow-
ine, the best plan is to runa heavy hand roller over the bed or press it
with a board or with the feet. As arule, the bed is tramped over with
the feet until the surface is packed. The seed bed is usually protected
by a canvas covering to prevent the ravages of flea-beetles and to keep
the bed-moist and warm.
The preparation of the land is generally begun in the month of
March, the usual plan being to turn under the soil with a 2-horse
plow to a depth of about 8 inches. -About the middle of April a
revolving disk or harrow is run over the land in order to cut the sod
to pieces, after which the field is smoothed over with a slab drag. It
is very rare for fertilizers or manure of any kind to be used in the
White Burley districts. Tobacco stalks and trash from the barnyard
are preferred to any other fertilizer for this tobacco. Owing to the
fact that the crop is grown for two years and the field is then put in
rotation with other crops, the fertility of the soil is maintained.
The tobacco plants are usually set after a shower, or when there is
no rain they are set out in the afternoon. The land is cultivated with
a bull-tongue cultivator during the first week or so, and then culti-
vated every week with a double-shovel cultivator as long as it Is possible
to do so without injury to the plants. As soon as the cultivation is
34 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
finished the plants are topped, leaving from 16 to 20 leaves on each
plant. From four to five weeks after topping, the tobacco is usually
fully ripe and the plants are cut with a tobacco cutter or butcher
knife. The stalks are split down the middle and strung on sticks 44
feet in length, after which they are taken to the tobacco barn and hung
12 inches apart on the tier poles. When fully cured, the tobacco is
sorted, usually into six grades, and the different grades are tied into
bundles of from 10 to 20 leaves and packed for the market.
INSECT ENEMIES.
The general subjects of the insect enemies of tobacco and the use of
insecticides are considered in Farmers’ Bulletin No. 120, entitled ‘‘ The
Principal Insects Affecting the Tobacco Plant,” which may be had with-
out cost upon application to the Secretary of Agriculture. In case
the seed beds are inclosed or covered, the tobacco is largely exempt
from injury by such pests as flea-beetles and hornworms. The tobacco
stalk weevil and tobacco thrips are comparatively new as pests. Two
accounts of the former have been published and a detailed account of
the latter is about to be issued by the Bureau of Entomology, to which
office tobacco growers are referred for specific information in regard
to methods of controlling insect pests. In the case of arsenicals it is
always desirable to use at least an equal quantity of quicklime to pre-
vent injury by free arsenic.
DIRECTIONS FOR SAVING SEED.
In all cases where new seed is taken into a locality it should be.
thoroughly tested before growing on a large scale. This is especially
true of all seed imported from Cuba, Sumatra, Turkey, or other for-
eion countries. The past few years have witnessed a striking illus-
tration of the effect of using seed direct from tropical regions, such as
Cuba and Sumatra, when grown in the northern tobacco districts.
The plants grown from this freshly imported seed broke up into many
different types, some of which may prove valuable, but most of the
types are irregular and undesirable. Therefore it has been a com-
mon experience for growers to suffer great losses by reason of the
presence of these undesirable types during every season in which the
seed was used. This breaking up of type is due to the effect of
the change of soil and climatic conditions, resulting in striking varia-
tion in the plants grown from the imported seed. The variation is
particularly marked where southern seed is taken to northern tobacco
districts.
Our experiments have shown that if the seeds from typical and
desirable plants in these crops are saved under bag, and thus protected
from cross-fertilization, the plants produced from such seed will be
uniformly like the parent plants. The uniformity of plants from seed
DIRECTIONS FOR SAVING SEED. oD
saved under bag is illustrated in Plate IX, figure 1. The two rows
shown in this illustration are from the seed of two plants of different
types and all of the progeny are like the parents. The second season
it is a good plan to increase the area of plants grown from seed saved
under bag, and from the most desirable plants in this crop selections
of seed can be made for future general crops. If the crop during the
second season shows uniformity of a desirable type, it is advisable to
save a large quantity of seed under bag—if possible, sufficient to plant
several succeeding crops—in order to provide for a possible failure of
seed production in future seasons. _ Inasmuch as tobacco seed when
properly cared for will retain its vitality for from 10 to 20 years, this
seed can be safely used, if necessary, for 5 years. The best practice,
however, is to save the seed for the following year’s crop every sea-
son unless some accident should greatly injure the crop.
The grower of all new varieties of seed should test them on a smal!
area before using them for his entire crop. In some cases new seed,
when grown under conditions different from those under which the
seed was produced, develops plants which are subject to fungous dis-
eases or insect enemies in the new conditions. Therefore it is a wise
plan to grow a small area of tobacco the first season and observe the
plants carefully in respect to the presence of fungous or other diseases
before using them in large fields. In other cases certain fungous dis-
eases are present in the soil, which attack and destroy the varieties
imported from other regions. In most cases resistant plants can be
found in fields affected by these diseases. The structure or habit of
growth of these resistant plants is such as to make them immune to
these attacks. The seed of resistant plants should be saved under bag
and used for the next year’s planting. In this way resistant strains of
tobacco which will prove to be immune to the attacks of the various
diseases may be secured.
In selecting seed plants several important facts should be taken into
consideration. All the plants in the field should be carefully studied
and observations made on the shape of the leaf of the different plants,
on the variations in size and color of leaves, and on the time of matu-
rity of individual plants in the field.
Plate VIII, figure 2, shows two strains of Connecticut Broadleaf,
the larger one from an early parent and the other from a late parent.
The number of leaves and the number of suckers should be counted
on many plants in the field from which seed is to be saved, in order
that an accurate idea may be gained of the extent of variation in the
variety as regards these points. Asa rule, there is a great variation
in all of the important characters which go to make up the type of
plants, and individual plants will be found which have desirable shape,
size, and color of leaf, which mature early and have an extra large
36 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
number of leaves and few suckers. The grower should decide in his
own mind on the type of plant which he desires to grow for his crop.
and should carefully select those plants in the field which most nearly
fulfill this ideal.
The flower head on the selected seed plants should be inclosed with ©
a light but strong paper bag just before the flowers begin to open.
The proper time to apply the bag is shown in Plate VII, figure 1, and
the arrangement of bags is shown in Plate VII, figure 2. It is usu-
ally a good plan to remove two or three of the top leaves and suckers
just below the flower head. The bag should be tied around the stem
in such a way as not to interfere with the growth. It will be found
that at this period of growth the plant increases in height very rapidly,
and it will be necessary to raise the bag occasionally in order to pre-
vent the flower head from pushing out through the bottom of the bag.
For most varieties a 12-pound bag is the most desirable size. This
bag should be of strong but light material. The ordinary paper -bag
found at any grocery store may be satisfactory for this purpose.
When the seed pods have turned brown, indicating maturity, the
entire top of the plant should be cut off. The bag should be opened
and all of the small and late pods picked off and only the large, heavy,
plump, and well-developed seed pods allowed to remain. The bag
should then be replaced and the seed head hung up in a dry place
where there is a free circulation of air, such as the attic of a house,
until the seed pods are thoroughly dried. After this the pods should
be picked off from the stem and the seed shelled out. After the seed
has been secured, all of the light seed, hulls, and chaff should be
removed by the use of a seed separator, as shown in Plate LV, figure 1,
or by some form of air-blast machine adapted for this purpose, and
only the heavy seed should be retained for planting. The heavy seed
should then be placed in dry glass jars and set in a safe place. In
this condition the seed will retain its vitality unimpaired for a long
period.
In many cases it may be desired to cross an imported with a native
variety. The object of such crosses is to secure the improved quality
of the imported strains, combined with the hardiness and yielding power
of the native varieties. In the case of tobacco such crosses are easily
made by the grower. The tobacco plant has a perfectly self-fertile
and complete flower, but is easily cross-fertilized. In order to prepare
the flower for cross-fertilization, the anthers should be removed from
the selected flowers shortly before they open and discharge their pol-
len. The arrangement of the parts of the tobacco flower at different
stages of maturity is shown in Plate VIII, figure 1. The opened flower
in the lower right-hand corner shows the proper stage for the removal
of the anthers. After an examination of a number of flowers in the
field the grower can easily observe the proper time to remove the
OF ke ’
Pes
HOW TO SECURE GOOD SEED. oil
anthers so that none of the pollen shall have escaped and fertilized
the flower. One easy means of noting this time is to observe the con-
dition of the corolla. The anthers should be removed just before the
corolla opens. As soon as the anthers have been removed, a small
paper bag should be tied over the flower and allowed to remain for at
least one day or until the stigma becomes receptive for pollen. This
receptive condition of the stigma is easily noted by the presence of a
sticky, viscid substance over the surface. At the proper time for
pollination, anthers from the desired imported strain which are just
ready to discharge their pollen should be secured. These anthers
should be broken open and the pollen carefully rubbed over the sur-
face of the stigma of the flower to be fertilized. As soon as this pol-
lination has been completed, the small bag should be replaced over the
flower and allowed to remain there until the end of the season. <A
small tag should be attached to the flower, giving the name of both
parents, as Havana X Sumatra (the first name referring to the female
and the second to the male parent), with any other data which would
assist the grower in keeping a record of the parentage of the cross.
The best plan which can be followed in the case of crosses is to grow
100 plants of each cross and carefully note the characteristics of the
hybrid plants. It will be found that there will be considerable varia-
tion in the plants the first season. Seed should be saved from those
plants which are most desirable and which show the greatest improve-
ment over the native varieties. The next season a larger area can be
planted from this seed; and if the crop is uniformly of the type desired,
enough seed can then be selected the second season to plant the entire
crop the third year.
HOW TO SECURE GOOD SEED.
1. Save the best plants in the field for seed plants. Anearly Broad-
leaf plant of desirable type is shown in Plate VIII, figure 2, in com-
parison with the ordinary plants, and was selected for seed production
on account of earliness. During the cultivation of the crop and the
suckering and topping processes a constant search for good plants
should be made by growers.
2. When good plants are observed, te should be plainly marked
by a tag or rag tied to the plant, so that they may be easily found and
to prevent them from being accidentally topped.
3. Place a light, 12-pound size, manila paper bag over the flower
heads of the selected seed plants before the first flowers open. Inspect
the bags every few days for the first two weeks and raise them up
farther on the growing stems, arranging them so as to prevent any
injury from crowding in the bag during this period of growth. The
extent to which this method of saving seed is now being followed ts
shown in Plate VI, figure 1.
38 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6.
4. At the end of the season, when the seed pods are ripe, cut off the
plants near the ground without removing the bags and hang them up
inadry place. The bags serve to catch the seed which may fall out
of the capsules on drying.
5. After the seed has thoroughly dried, shell it out of the capsules
and separate the heavy seed for use by the means described in this
paper. 5
6. It would be well for every grower using this method of seed
selection to save some seed in the ordinary way and plant it for com-
parison.
SLATES
DESCRIPTION OF PLATES.
Puate I. ( Frontispiece.) Fig. 1.—Connecticut Cuban tobacco, first year from Cuba.
Plants in foreground are freaks and undesirable. They have reached maturity
prematurely, and have very few salable leaves. The suckers and flower branches
are numerous and large. Fig. 2.—The same field shown in figure 1, after sav-
ing seed under bag and the selection of the best plants for two years. These
plants have a large number of well developed, desirable leaves, with very few
suckers or seed branches, as the result of careful seed selection.
PuateE II. Fig. 1.—Tobacco seed bed in Florida. This illustration shows plants just
before transplanting. Note the uniformity of those grown from heavy seed.
The bed, covering 2 acres, furnished enough plants for more than 100 acres of
tobacco. Fig. 2. = Tobacco seed beds in Connecticut—tent, hotbed, and cold
frame. The three best methods used for protecting tobacco seedlings in the
North are shown. The beds in the center of the picture are covered with hot-
bed sash; the one on the right with cheese cloth raised about 12 inches above
the surface of the bed; the one on the left is also covered with cheese cloth,
arranged in the shape of a roof or tent and elevated sufficiently to allow work-
men to walk about the bed without removing the cover. The glass covering
seems to give the best results in most cases, and is conducive to the most rapid
growth.
Puate III. Fig. 1.—Transplanting tobacco seedlings with machine. The most satis-
factory and practical transplanter is shown. By using this form of machine the
seedlings may be set in the field whenever they are of the proper size, and easily
watered. Fig. 2.—Sterilizing soil for tobacco seed beds. This method is cheap
and effective, and serves to kill all weed seeds, fungi, and insects that may be in
the soil.
Puate IV. Fig. 1.—Tobacco seed separator. This form of separator is an improve-
ment over the one originally devised in the Laboratory of Plant Breeding of the
Bureau of Plant Industry, and described in the Yearbook of the Department of
Agriculture for 1904. Fig. 2.—Seedlings from heavy, medium, and hght tobacco
_ seed. The seed from which the seedlings shown were grown.was taken from the
same lot and planted at exactly the same time. Note the increased growth and
vigor in plants grown from heavy seed.
PLATE V. Fig. 1. —Method of ‘‘spearing’’. tobacco plants during harvest. This shows
the most practical and economical means of spearing plants with the least possi-
ble injury to the leaves. The plants are allowed to wilt very slightly before |
spearing. Fig. 2.—Wagon rack for transporting plants to curing shed. .The
group of seed plants in the background shows lack of selection under the old
practice.
Puate VI. Fig. 1.—Capped plants saved for seed. The ordinary manila paper bag
of the 12-pound size was used in capping these plants. The bag should be made
- of a thin grade of paper. Fig. 2.—Curing shed in the Connecticut Valley. The
superior value of this form of curing shed is largely due to the large number of
ventilators which may be opened to yadmit air when needed in properly curing
tobacco.
PuatrE VII. Fig. 1.—Seed plant ready for bag. In preparing the seed plant for
bagging, as shown, the small leaves and suckers just below the seed head have
been removed to make room for.the bag. Fig. 2.—Proper arrangement of bag
on seed plant. When the bag is placed on the flower head of the seed plant, as
shown, it should be tied rather loosely around the stalk, to ane for its proper
dev elopment.
Puare VIII. Fig. 1.—Arrangement and structure of tobacco flowers. The structure
of the flowers, as showl n, gives evidence of the fact that tobacco flowers are
naturally self-fertile. Fig. 2. —Two strains of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco, the
row on the left from an early parent and the row on the right from a late parent.
The plant on the right of the center of the picture, from a late parent, is repre-
sentative of the entire plat.
Puate IX. Fig. 1.—Uniformity in time of maturity and other characters of two
types of Connecticut Sumatra tobacco raised from seed saved under bag. This
striking uniformity is due to three years of careful seed selection and protecting
the flowers from cross- pollination. Each row represents a different strain of the .
tobaeeo. Fig. 2.—Lack of uniformity in time of maturity and other characters
in ordinary Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco, where seed was not saved under bag.
40
O
PLATE II.
Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
91,
Bul.
FiaG. 1.—TOBACCO SEED BED IN FLORIDA.
Fila. 2.—Tosacco SEED BEDS IN CONNECTICUT—TENT, HOTBED, AND COLD FRAME.
started 5 Saraki peletpapaad aan gt le pap im al Ars aa Sea RT at eGR Re ntl i
Re etree 1) Wh Baral eG By ees ne et Wl) adem eM ree tem ee
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE III
Fig. 2.—STERILIZING SOIL FOR TOBACCO SEED BEDS.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE IV.
Fig. 1.—TOBACCO SEED SEPARATOR.
Fic. 2.—SEEDLINGS FROM HEAvy (32-3), MEDIUM (32-2), AND LIGHT (32-1)
TosBacco SEED.
a roe eater eS
SRO oN
eee
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE V
Fia. 2.—WAGON RACK FOR TRANSPORTING PLANTS TO CURING SHED.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE VI
FIG. 1.—CAPPED PLANTS SAVED FOR SEED.
FIG. 2.—CURING SHED IN THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.
PLATE VII.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Filia. 1.—SEED PLANT READY FOR Baa.
Filia. 2.—PROPER ARRANGEMENT OF BAG ON SEED PLANT.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE VIII.
FiG. 1.—ARRANGEMENT AND STRUCTURE OF TOBACCO FLOWERS.
Fie. 2.—Two STRAINS OF CONNECTICUT BROADLEAF TOBACCO; THE RoW ON THE LEFT
FROM AN EARLY PARENT, AND THE ROW ON THE RIGHT FROM A LATE PARENT.
ees
Sere OPN AAT
PLATE |X.
Bul. 91, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Fic. 1.—UNIFORMITY IN TIME OF MATURITY AND OTHER CHAR- Fi@. 2.—LACK OF UNIFORMITY IN TIME OF MATURITY AND OTHER CHAR-
ACTERS OF TWO TYPES OF CONNECTICUT SUMATRA TOBACCO ACTERS IN ORDINARY CONNECTICUT BROADLEAF TOBACCO.
RAISED FROM SEED SAVED UNDER Baa.
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