The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-01

assorted according to their grade and posi-
ton on tho plant The Acid Is gone over
sevelhl times. untlS all the rips plants have
been out. Boys accompany the experts and
receive tho sections on their arms, the
stems being talrned alternately. TO prevent
the loads from falling When n turn has
been received the boys slide the sections
onto poles placed on forked stakes at con-
venient places in the field. These poles
when full are carried to the barn. AS The
curing progresses In the barn the leaves
are separated more and more for u better
circulation of air. y .sS S=s
Cut tobacco must not be left exposed TO
the sun and wind. especially when lying
on the ground In small piles. 1t must be
hauled to the willing Sheds or barns al
soon as the leaves are sufficiently wilted
TO avoid being broken in handling.
When printing is practctad the leaves
should be left to mature further than where
tho entire stalk is cut, for while the stalk
Is hanging in the barn a TRANSPORTATION OF.
the matters from the stalk to the leaves
takes place and from the leaf 70 The stalk,
and the leaf ages and natures. therefore,
while hanging in the barn.. When the leaf
is once severed from the stalk, however
in tfhe process OF priniingsor cutting IN SEE.
tons, there Is no OPPORTUNITY for this tr'ins-
fer except to the very small portion Of stalk
which is left on the section.
SAVING SEED.
The grower Bhouiu MAINTAIN ana even
Improve the quality OF his crop by judi
olous selection of seed plants. TO this end
the field is gone over several times dur
ing tho growing season and typical plants
picked out possessing .the greatest possible
number of good points. After finally de-
Gliding upon ghe plants which should De
saved for seed, these are allowed to grow
to full maturity without Renewing tho seed
head when the rest oil the netd -
topped. AS the seeds OF plant arc pro-
duced from the food material prepared
in the leaves. the leaves SHOULD pc ictt
upon the seed plant until the seed IL ripe
II is advisable also to have plants CLOSE
together In order that they may fensiIi1e
each other by the exchange OF their pollen.
Only the central spike OF the plant should
be left for seed the suckers being re-
moved as they deye.op in order chat ali
the nourishment taken up by the piahe
should go into the central spike TO make
heavy seed
The largest pods Will contain the heaviest
seed, and these should be selected ior
planting. "Hellreigel found that the |
weight OF the seed sown had under some
circumstances considerable influence on
the yield of the crop, and that the young
planes from the over rlpe seed We're DE-
cidedly the strongest and most vigorous,
the others being smaller and feebier. very
much in proportion as rhe seed from when
they grew had been gathered earlier.
The heavier seeds can be separated from
the light by winnowing In light Wlhn
or by screening. Seed plants of different
varieties should be separated as far as +
possible TO prevent crossing through the
Of insects, air currents, etc.
Exchanging and mix.ng seed OF me same 1
variety grown some miles distant Is good
practice, as 1T tends TO make the seed
and plants more Vigorous
A great deal of trouble arises In attempts +
Ing TO maintain il.r stiain of tobacco
seed on account OF the facility With whicn
cross fertilization occurs In the field. FOR Y
editor OF the Hungarian Tobacco
Gazet o" OF Budapest. mentioned by Kilie-
brew and Myrick In Tobacco Leaf, Is OF
great interest. This gentleman has prop I
agated tobacco from slips. and claims that
the leaves harvested from such propa-
gated plants are finer ard OF higher quail
,ty than those OF the mother plant
The suckers from the plant are easily
In suitable seed bed, just |
as slips OF any of the ordinary flower
plants. such as geranium or coleiis. They
can be readily grown TO maturity In the
field or In the hot house. and the seeds
30 obtained will actually represent the /
parent without change from cross feritili-
cation from other plants II care Is taken.
II seems propable that by continuously I
raising seed from suckers instead Of from !
seed, Havana or other superior kind5 OF
tobacco can be acclimited dn the Northern /
Slates and retain the qualities Of the first
wears crop. lust as ORIGINAL qualities are
retained by layerlng and grating fruit.
Tobacco seed viii retain It's vitality |
for len or twenty years. butsit must be
that as q general rude all j
seeds begin to lose their vitality from the \
moment Of ripeness The process Of dete-