Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-04

H. but others were long and strlngy
ana more like shoestrings than the val
liable Sumatra type
rms was the case when the scientists
OF the agricultural department began
20 study the matter and to experiment
with IT, Mr.. A. ID, shamel, whose work
In corn ! have already referred to- was
sent TO Cuba to study the tobacco
there. He went to Connecticut and eX o.
perlmented and after time found
mat by taking certain plants which
had the proper Sumatra leaf and COW
erlng them with bags TO prevent the
insects from bringing any pollen from
other plants 10 fertlize them, that tho
seed grown inside those bag plants
would when planted, reproduce all the
characteristics of the original plants.
Tho male and the female elements Of
the tobacco plant are found on the
same stem but you may have high
grade tobacco plant and bee or other
insect which has come from some poor
starved mongrel plant of the same race
may carry on Its legs some OF the poll
len which win fertilze the former
plant The experimenters prevented
this by the bags, aud they have now
found that when they get plant Of
the right kind they can reproduce IL
without limit
THE LITTLE TOBACCO SEED.
What this means can only be appre-
clated by those who understand some
thing Of tobacco and the seed.
How big do you think tobacco seed
ls7
The plant grows to he taller than
man. IL has leaves from 20 to 70 inches
long and from 10 IS inches wide One
would think the seed might he the size
OF walnut 1t is In fact, about the
smallest seed known. ! have before mo
q bottle about half the length OF INV
little finger ana not so large around.
II contains $4,000 such seeds Each
seed Is not much bigger than the point
OF pin, Nevertheless, II produces this
mighty plant, and, more wonderful
still on the plant viii grow from 100000
TO 100000 seeds. A single seed Of to-
bacco viii in one planting produce half
million children. II Will furnish
enough seed TO plant 100 acres Of to-
hacco and that seed has In It all the
hereditary germs OF the plant from
which It comes. The seeds grow in pods
OF which there may be n hundred on n
single seed plant each pod containing
from 5000 to 1000 seeds.
GltOWlNG SEEDS IN BAGS,
The agricultural scientists have found
that II they take one OF the long leaved
plants and lnclose II In a bag It's seed
VIII produce long. leaved plant with
all its characteristics. II they take a
full round leaf of the kind needed for
wrappers It's seed, II so treated, will
produce the same type, and this is true
not only az TO the shape Of the leaf,
but as to the flavor OF the tobacco. In
other words, whatever the character OF
the tobacco plant. they can reproduce
1t under similar circumstances by
merely keeping its seed true to type.
They can go TO the field and select the
IDEAL plant and grow the next year "A
whole field OF such plants, instead Of |
the ragged, poor plants found IN the |
rest Of the field
They have discovered that they can
not only better the shape Of the leaf |
but also increase the number Of leaves |
on the stalk. Some tobacco stalks may |
have only five leaves on them, whereas |
others may have 40, The seed from the |
4O-leaved stalks. properly treated. will |
produce plants having many leaves. Of |
ten as many rs 49, and thus greatly In.
crease the size of the crop. II they /
take seeds from plants having but few