ON TOBACCO CULTURE. By Charles Wade.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4177, 3 January 1871, Page 3

ON TOBACCO CULTURE. By Charles Wade.

The earliest plants you get will bo obtained from seed that has shed and remained in the ground all winter. But in sowing seed, burn enough rubbish qi any kind on a piece of light soil, say two yards square, to destroy all weed seeds, and then mix a little bonedust with it. Sift the surface of it through a sieve, as it requires to be fine. Slab it on three sides, leaving it open to the north-eaat. Mk«n« fceaspoonfal of sated with two quart 3 of sifted soil, rcrt? fee ace& -well into it, and SOW it over til© bedj a.nd the first smart shower will cover it. When the plants are about two incites high they are fit to transplant. Lift the plants out of the bed with the point of a knife, taking a little soil witli them; place them on a tray as you take them out. You must have the weather favourable ; if the ground is wet, what plants you put out in the morning, should the suq shine, must be shaded. Do not choose the land too stiff to grow the crop on. Work it well, and get it fine j give it a coat "of bonedust. Then ridge it up three feet apart, and make the top of the ridge smooth. Put the plants out one yard apart, and press the soil gently round, them. If you place the plants in the same way as the five dots are on dice, you will find the sun will shine clear through the rows four times from sunrise to sunset. When the plants are about six inches high break the ridge between the plants, forming a hill around the plant ; but in doing this keep t!ie soil clear of ike plan*;, and that will allow the leaves to dip all round alike. Look well over the crop from time to time, until you have the bottom leaves perfect ; that is, remove all others next the ground that are not ,• then go through the crop and pinch all leaves off but eight bottom ones. Then you must keep all clear bet.veen the base of the leaves and the stem ; lee nothing grow but the eight leaves, except what would be the blossom on the main stem. Look out for slugs, or anything that marks the leaves. If you see the leaves of a plant droop, hook round the root with your finger, and you will find o dirty-looking grub, about an inch long. Before the blossom comes out, cut the tops off, but not too near the leaves. When it is fit to cut, the fibres of the leaves will turn yellow, and the other parts will be spotted with brown spots as large as peas. Cut it within three inches of the ground, and handle it with care, so as not to break the leaves. Let it lie a few hours until it withers a little, but cover it from the sun. Cut into the side of the stem and down to within three inches of the bottom ; hang them over lines in this way under cover, and j clear of each other. Some will get more air than others : change them about and keep them as regular as possible. In about a fortnight the ci op will be ready to sweat. Take them down and make a heap of them ; form a circle of them, -with ike butt ends -to -fck& outside a 9 much as possible. Finish it round on the top and cover it well up, and weight the top a little. In a week or more, according to the weather, it will heat : you must put your hand into the heap, and if pretty warm and moist take the top off and laid it aside, and commence to restack it with the ones that have got sweated. When you have got one third of it, put in what you lay .aside, and when you have got the half, lay a lot more aside, so that the bottom will be topped up ; with the middle cover up as before, and let it remain uutil it heats again. Then hang it up as before, and look after rh in the same way. When it is dry and has had a little weather, take it down and let it undergo the same process, and if well looked after it will be in a fit state to make up, In a snort time I will write what I kww afcowt that.