The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-02-14
Culture and Curing Of Tobacco.
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Continued from ISt Page.
healthy plants. After the plants have
grown sufficiently to cover the ground
nicely, it is advisable to remove the Gov
ering during the middle of the day. This
hardening process is absolutely neces-
sary to give the plants sufficient strength
of constitution to withstand transplant
ing in the open field, and to make Wig
orous start when transplanted. The
plant bed must be kept clean and we'll
watered. The whole aim of the grower
should be to raise early, strong, stocky
plants. It is good plan to have several
beds planted at intervals of a few days.
This insures plenty of plants and meets
the possibilities of the season.
RAISING THE BEST TOBACCO SEED.
To raise good tobacco requires, in the
first place, good seed. This is more es-
sential in tobacco than in any other crop.
The best way to secure perfect leaf is
to grow the seed plants in an isolated
place removed at least eighty rods from
any other field of tobacco. There should
be several plants near each other SO that
the pollen may be interchanged between
the plants. In selecting plants for seed
the earliest, healthiest and most vigor-
| Gus growers should be selected. The
plants should be as nearly perfect as
possible, the stock firm and the leaves
near together on the stock. The leaves
should be perfect in size, shape and tex
ture, with small mid-ribs and veins.
! When the plant blossoms carefully and
| frequently remove all suckers and side
shoots. leaving only the large clusters of
| flowers at the top to produce seed Also
remove two or three of the upper leaves
! to prevent the plant from becoming top
heavy When it has developed good
head and the early seed pods begin to
turn down, pinch off all remaining seed
blossoms and continue to do so as any
appear later on. Seed plants treated in
this way will produce quality of seed
which will be plump and healthy. The
great object is to force all of the strength
of the plant into the production of
limited number of seed heads, and great
care should be taken to keep the plant
growing vigorously until this is attained.
When the seed is ripe, which is shown
by the seed pod turning brown, cut off
the head with about foot of the stalk
attached and hang in a warm, dry place
where the mice cannot disturb 1T.
SELECTION OF SEED.
Wisconsin growers should pay more
attention to securing pure seed, as it is
evident that large proportion of the
acreage annually grown in our state is
deteriorating in quality from cross fertil-
ization. In some neighborhoods we find
good seed leaf, hybred and Havana, all
growing in the same field, and we find
farmers continually selecting the largest
and best plants out of these fields for
seed. AS direct result of this practice,
we find 10 many localities the quality is
fast approaching that of seed leaf. 1t is
true that soil and climate gradually
change the size and fragrance of the leaf
in the course of long term of years, and
it is quite evident if the farmers would
import seed from the best Vuelta dis
tricts of Cuba and grow it in secluded
places for four years in succession, be-
fore saving seed for crop purposes, and
then grow enough of this seed to last at
least ten years, they would then be pre-
pared to raise uniform article of cigar
leaf that would contain larger percent
age of desirable wrappers than is now
produced. There is an opinion held by
some careful growers that it would be
wise to occasionally get seed from some
of the best growers in Connecticut. This
question of selecting and producing seed
suitable for our soil and climate is a mat
ter which should be considered and fos-
| tered by our State Experimental Station
| and we believe that the state should ap-
propriate at least ten thousand dollars
| to the State Experimental Station for
| the purpose above specified Inasmuch
as the state of Wisconsin is now recog
nized as pre-eminently the cigar leaf pro-
| ducing state of the Union, it is reason
| able, at least, to ask at the hands of our
legislators sufficient recognition and sup
port as to enable the State Experimental
| Station to cooperate most heartily with
| the planters and assist them in every
way possible to improve the quality and
standard of this product.
| PREPARATION OF SOIL.
| AS a rule fall blowing is essential to
| the best results. The most successful
growers in our state pillow under from
| thirty to forty load of well rotted stable
| manure to the acre late in the fall. Fall
blowing should be gone over with the
disc pulverizer once week after the first
of May, until the plants are ready to
transplant, as it is quite necessary to
have the surface thoroughly pulverized
and worked down in fine condition, prior
to planting. The surface of every to-
bacco field should be pulverized, dragged
and cross-dragged, and rolled or planked
ahead of the planter. The very best re-
suits can only be obtained by thorough
preparation of the soil.
| TRANSMITTING.
| The field, having been properly pre-
pared to receive the plants the work of