HOW THIRSTY ARE PLANTS?

Dunstan Times, 13 May 1935, Page 5

HOW THIRSTY ARE PLANTS?

Scientists who have made a study of the thisrt of plants find a great variation, but on the whole Nature demands a lot of water in carrying on her horticultural and agricultural operations. For example, engineers of the U. S. Department of Agriculture have found that to produce one pound of alfalfa hay 750 pounds of water are pumped through the plant. In order to raise a crop of the commodity the amount of water required would cover the ground to a depth of twenty inches. In more arid regions up to 30 inches of water is required to allow for the greater loss due to evaporation from the soil. The “thirst” of tobacco plants has not been recorded, but the process employed with the mature leaves selected for Red Shield and Blue Shield tobaccos is to remove the surplus moisture by fluecuring—in large kilns where the heat is regulated in an ideal manner. A later \ step in the process is toasting, which brings out all the natural goodness of the tobacco. You will find New Zealand tobacco at its best in Red Shield (Dark) and Blue Shield (Medium). Try a 2 oz. tin at l/7d, or an economical one-pound canister.