PLANTING “WEED”

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1928, Page 6

PLANTING “WEED”

WITH RICH RETURN NELSON’S SUNNY CLIMATE. NICOTINE WEALTH. The human factor is the greatest factor in tobacco-growing, at any rate in this district. The above is taken from the Nelson "Mail,” and is one of the points emphasised to that paper by the Government tobacco inspector, Mr. C. Lowe, who has been visiting Nelson tobacco areas. The higher the cultivation and the greater ■ the applied science, the more important the human factor. This seems to be the case all round. Once upon a time the Maoris could watch self-sown peach trees grow; ail they had to do was to pluck the fruit. But that time is gone. Now, in almost everything, the human factor is essential. Far from machining men out of the soil industries, scientific advancement has made the human control all-important, though it may have reduced the actual number of human hands employed. The owner of an orchard must work, and must work at the right time, and in the right way. Only on such terms will science give him its full help. But to return to Nelson tobacco — WANTS TIME AND LIME. Mr. Lowe stressed again and again the importance of giving the land its full lime requirement. He had seen crops of splendid order on the poorest land this season where the necessary application of lime had been made and the ground kept in a proper state of cultivation. In other instances, land full of humus had produced poor crops because there had not been sufficient lime to liberate the plant food available in the soil. In all the fields visited there was evidence of careful, systematic cultivation which had conserved the moisture to a very large extent through the drought period. The man who follows instructions from the commencement, who takes nothing for granted, and who carries out each operation exactly at the right moment, was almost bound to succeed.

Most farmers are growing under contract for the tobacco firms. These lay down the methods which growers are to adopt and their experts give instructions from time to time as required. The general advance this year, despite the unfavourable season—a late spring, then a fierce summer, and now a threat of drought-—augurs well for the future. With tobacco growing on a firm basis throughout the district, the value of Nelson’s exportable produce would be materially increased. Mr. Lowe estimated that the 750 acres of tobacco cultivations in Nelson this year would yield about 8001 b an acre, worth in the region of 1/8 for air-cured leaf. In most instances growers had satisfae-, torily combatted drought conditions by thorough, systematic tillage earlier in the year. The plots, which on the average ranged from two to three acres, gave testimony to the fact that farmers are putting their best efforts into the work, AU professed their lack of knowledge and were most eager to learn all they could about the crop. At this stage it seemed that the average grower was concerned lest the crop get away, so to speak, beyond his control. It has already been demonstrated that Nelson’s soil and climate are eminently suited to the production of satisfactory leaf. It is now being demonstrated that hundreds of farmers are prepared systematically and intelligently to cultivate the crop. MOTTLED RIPENESS. In many of the gardens visited yesterday afternoon Mr. Lowe found hosts of plants ready for the drying sheds. These mature plants could be detected by the mottled ripeness of the leaf and the general contour. He strongly advised growers with such plants to harvest them without delay before rain, for excessive moisture now would not produce growth where desired before it would have to be cut, and the plant would absorb at least 20 per cent, of moisture, which would have to be taken out in the drying shed, thus increasing the risk of mildew and other troubles to no purpose. Further, rain would produce' an enormous growth oi suckers, which would have io be removed. Some of the crops on the other hand would benefit greatly by moisture at this juncture. Many happy hours are spent in the tobacco fields. There is work for the farmer and his wife and family—with good prospects of substantial. cheques at the end of the season. Probably this year many have found the work arduous and exacting for lack of experience means mistakes in some instances and unnecessary concern in others. On some farms it is the farmer’s wife who appears to be the central figure in the tobacco growing, and the experiment is certainly being, given a very willing trial. At one well-appointed holding yesterday afternoon everyone was having an early tea in order to spend the cooler hours among the tobacco plants. With everyone working happily in full co-opera-tion a large area can be handled more easily than a small one, where everything is left either to the farmer or the farmer’s wife.