LIFE-STORY OF TOBACCO

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 2 July 1937, Page 6

LIFE-STORY OF TOBACCO

H.B. Musenm Exhibit The latest iexliibit to be shown in the Hawke's Bay Mueeum at Napier under the Carnegie exchauge scheme depicts the life-story of tobacco. It has been prepared by the Nelson' Museum from the produets of local industry, but shows also a opecimen of tobacco grown in Ireland uudcr vory different conditions. ' The first stage- ds the seod, so flno that two test tubes shown contain enough for 20 'acres — over 100,000 plants. Photographs illustrate the next stage — sowing with. sprinklers (seed mixed with wood ash), seedlings in greenhouse, being pricked out, and being ieplanted by machihery iu the lields. 1 reatment of the young plant depends on the type of Iqaf required aiid quality of the soil. The lopping and removing of the suekers increasee the Weight of the leaves, while .'for light texttire -the plant is aliowed to flower. Only mature ieaves are used, b.eginri'ing: wjth lower' "sand leaves," o'r lugs. They are eroppcd and th.en kiln-dried. Bunches or "bands" of Ieaves of various grades are shown, and testtubes of various ' types of finiehed tobacco. - - * v ' Another series of tubes shows various pests— cut worin moth, leather jacket, woodlice, earvrigs; slugs and caterpillars. To conelude the collection is; a bottle of "Black leaf 40" as cxtracted from low-quality tobacco. ti