TRANSPLANTING TOBACCO PLANTS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2661, 26 May 1908, Page 7

TRANSPLANTING TOBACCO PLANTS.

T. A. J. Smith, Tobacco Expert. Many tobacco-growers are not aware of the fact that efficient machinery can be obtained for the purpose of transplanting the young plants in the field after their removal from the plant beds. The question of getting suitable labour for this portion of the work is becoming more and more serious ; higher wages have to be paid at the present time than was the case a few years ago. and in many cases, the difficulty in procuring suitable hands for pulling out the plants has had the effect of limiting the area of tobacco fields to a considerable extent. Transplanting by hand is naturally a slow process ami the work tedious and tiring. The machine (the Bemis .Transplanter), obviates these difficulties to a wonderful extent, tho work being reduced to a minimum, and is done better than by hand. The old system necessitated a man going ahead of the planter with a hoe to break up the soil where the plant was to be placed : the planter put 'n each plaint by hand, and he was followed by another man carrying buckets of water and watering each plant. This method entailed covering the plant with grass to prevent baking- of the soil round the plant and scorching it. The machine is drawn by two horses and is of light draught. It rolls the ground, ploughs and works the soil immediately before the plant is put in the ground, and waters the plant under the surface, leaving a dry well worked mulch on top. It also distributes a fertiliser if required, no carrying of water, and the whole of the work is done by a man and two boys, all of whom are provided with seats. A good day's work for three men under the old system was an acre in two days, but with the machine three men can with ease transplant three acres, or in other words, put out 10,000 plants. The great feature, however, is that the. machine planted tobacco actually grows better, and with a smaller percentage of misses, than where the plants are put out by hand. This is due no doubt to the fact that the soil is worked up to the last moment, and that the plants are set in water with a dry mulch covering which prevents evaporation and caking of the soil, j The machine is most useful on the j farm in many other respects, as it 'ulso plants maize, potatoes, broom icorn, and would, I think, prove of great use to market gardeners for j transplanting cabbages, tomatoes, , etc. It has been proved suitable ;to Victorian conditions, the great jdesidoratum to gain best results bej ing a ihorough preparation of the 1 soil beforehand, a matter that should be attended to in any case. The cost of the machine, which is an American invention, is £l(i delivered in | Victoria. It is in construction, and with ordinary care should ;be very durable, and smart boys can learn to manipulate it in a few minutes. l-'or planting potatoes, j maize, and many other crops, it can jbe worked with one horse and two : men or boys.—Victorian "Journal of Agriculture."