Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,1884. TOBACCO GROWING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 244, 11 September 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,1884. TOBACCO GROWING.

A pamphlet has recently been published by the Auckland Tobacco Company Limited, which will be found to contain much useful information to intending. growers of the tabacco plant. As many of our readers are doubtless interested m the. subject, since the culture of this plant may become an important industry before long, we give an account of it, condensed from the pamphlet mentioned. On a future occasion the mode of manufacturing the leaf, after successful culture, will also be laid before our readers. To raise the tobacco plant, m such a manner as to produce a large healthy leaf, there are various conditions which must be carefully observed. First, the soil should be rich and deep, and if not so naturally should be made so by manuring. To the. heavier sorts of tpftatiqo, such as Kentucky and Virginia, a heavy soil is most suitaJble,:S,uch as a deep sandy loam or cleared bush land. The lighter descriptions, such as Havannaji a.nd Connecticut, thrive better m a lighter soil. The seed, which is extremely fine, should be mixed with tine sand before sowing so as ensure its being evenly distributed. The seed bed must be well sheltered from wind, and exposed to the full sun, and should be prepared m the usual manner during July or Angust, the seed being sown early m September. When sown, the seed should be stamped into the ground by means of a board, which is preferable to raking it m, and^ left to shoot. The bed requires careful weeding, and when the tobacco shoots are just nicely above ground, they should be thinned out until oHly about 140 remain to the square foot, these alone being allowed to grow. The ground musfr now be furrowed so as to form ridges 3ft apart, and on these, also at every 3ft the young plants are : transplanted. This operation should •. tje done m a drizzling rain, or after a shower, if possible, or, failing , that m the evening ; aud when a plant dies the vacancy can be filled ,by another one being put m. In this way they soon shoot up, until the stalks attain a considerable height. When the plants are more or less mature, seed buds will grow, which, must be carefully pulled off, go as to allow the full vigor of the plant to go to the leaves. These sometimes grow as many as eighteen m number, although ten or twelve are considered an ample crop. About the beginning of March the tobap^o /jihoujd be sufficiently ripe to pick, although the exact time should he easily seen after a little experience. This allows about six months from the time when the seed was sown. The leaves should only be cut when perfectly dry, otherwise much damage will be done. When cut these are either transferred to a- drying shed at once, or else left for a time m the field to become partially dried m the sun ; after this the operations become somewhat complicated, but on these being properly carried out, depends the success of the crop. Full instructions are however given m the book referred to, and no one heed fear being unable to do all that is required. Like all other industries, the cultivation of tobacco requires careful study; but, as also m others, the difficulties which are met with are by no means insurmountable. When we dwwg lf £pmj?le.ted, the cultivation of tlie leaf is at »# en'|. All that now remains to be done is to sweat and cure it, and these operations come under the heading of the manufacture of tobacco, with which we hope to treat more fully on a future occasion. We understtnd that the Auckland Company are willing to give small quantities of the best descriptions of seeds to anyone who applies for them, and we heartily recommend settlers .to mgfce the experiment, at any rate m asWUwav/fliigscftson, '