The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-04-01
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

: :.
The calendar time for laying the seed
beds is at hand, while early spring in
dications will prompt many growers to
take advantage of the situation to start
the work even at an earlier date than
| usual The main thing in the first
paintings is to provide proper protec-
tion of the beds against the cold drying
winds that so frequently follow the first
spring weather as we'll as late freezes.
Canvas covering is most generally
| used and when stretched upon frames
the latter should be well banked up to
keep out the cold blasts. Sand or litter
covers are too easily subject to be
blown away, especially in a dry time.
Then to secure rapid growth of the
plants, frequent watering of the beds
must be resorted to, and if this is ap-
piled in the form of liquid fertilizer
a marked improvement will be noted in
the advancement of the young plants.
The progressive grower can hardly at
ford to SOW his beds and then trust to
luck upon results. The beds will re-
quire the same measure of attention as
other stages in the production of the
crop. Tobacco is not chance crop at
no part of the proceedings, from seed
bed to the cured leaf.
**
The special value of large, heavy seed
in the production of general farm crops
has long been established. Careful
farmers and seed growers have used
various methods for selecting this grade
of seed for planting. Experiments with
light and heavy seed in this and other
countries have demonstrated clearly
and conclusively that larger yields are
obtained from heavy, plump grains
than from small, light seed. Live stock
breeders do not breed from weak or
poorly developed parents, and it is just
as important that plants be bred from
heavy seed with strong parentage as to
use the best animals in the production
of improved breeds of stock.
Many growers have found this prin-
cinal to be strikingly emphasized in the
production of tobacco from different
grades of seed. The plants from large
heavy seed not only grow more vigor-
ously, but have greater resistance to
certain bacterial and fungous diseases,
and show greater uniformity in the
field and warehouse than plants produc
ed from inferior seed. Thus it can be
seen that the specific gravity of indi-
vidual seeds has very important bear
ing Or some of the main factors in the
production of profitable crops of tobac-
co. The reason for this is very evident
when we consider the fact that the
heavy seeds contain a larger supply of
food for the development of young
plants than the light seeds. 1t is not
always true that the heavy seeds germ
mate first, or that the plantlets from
such seeds make the most rapid growth
in early stages of development, but
they always make healthier, more
sturdy and stronger growth and pro-
duce much better plants in the end.
The comparative size, production, ear
liness and other characters of plants
raised from light and heavy seed shows
very marked difference. 1t frequent
ly happens that the light seeds are the
the first to germinate, and in some cases
the young plants from the light seeds
are first to reach the proper stage for
transplanting. However after they are
about half grown, they show freaky
tendencies and are very susceptible to
various diseases, are unstable and of
little value to the tobacco grower. They
sometimes bloom earlier and mature be-
fore the average well developed tobacco
plants in the field, but are deficient in
yield and other important qualities.
Suce plants are, of course, undesirable
from every standpoint and should be
eliminated before being transplanted
to the field so as to give place to Wig
orous plants grown from heavy seed.
In order to secure complete sepa-
tion of the light from the heavy grades
of seed, simple and practical wind
blast apparatus has been devised for
separating tobacco seed into heavy and
light grades. This apparatus has al
ready come into general use by tobacco
growers in the United states and other
countries
Most of the seed offered the public
by reputable seed growers, has been
treated by this method we are assured.
This simple apparatus serves to COM
pletely eliminate the evil results asso-
ciated with the use of light and inferior
seed. 1t is thoroughly practical in every
way and delicate enough IN its opera
tion to separate the smallest kinds OF
seeds according to their individual spe-
cifc gravity One apparatus is suffi-
cient to separate seed for an entire
community, plan which is being fol-
lowed in some cases. A pound of seed