The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-02-10

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In an address before the Connecticut
Tobacco Growers association, Prof. E.
Ell. Jenkins discusses the subject of
seed beds as follows:
A point to which [ would like to urge
attention is the rate of seeding. A very
thick seeding may, perhaps, keep down
some of the weeds, but it has as much
effect in keeping down the tobacco
plants. There never can be a full de-
velopment of stocky plants where they
are too thickly sown. Al the rate of
seeding which some of our best grow
ers employ, assuming that rs per cent
of the seed will germinate, there would
be 10 plants standing on each square
inch of bed. 1t is evident that a lot of
those plants must be crowded out by
the others in order that any of them
may survive. We found an ounce of
dry seed was enough for 900 square
feet of bed, and this would give stand
of not more than two or three plants
to the square inch. Another point is
the much-mooted question of sprouted
versus dry seed. On this point I re-
peat what we have said in our bulletin
on the matter: 1t is very common
practice to mix the seed with damp ap-
pie tree punk" or other suitable ma
terial, and leave it in jar in warm
place until the seed has Cracked and
the sprout appears, and then SOW the
mixture. If hard, cold storms comes
at the time, the grower naturally waits
for a better day. Then the sprouts
have grown too long and are likely to
be broken in sowing, or if not broken
they must twist or turn to go down in
to the soil, thus deforming the root, or
a new main root must be formed. The
aim of sprouting the seed is to get
somewhat earlier start for the plant.
But it is not likely that an early start
of the seed at room temperature helps
it much in the end If the tender seed
ling must be put into the cold soil of
the bed. 1t looks more likely that the
plant will have better chance if the
seed terminates at somewhat near the
temperature it is to have during its
early growth. Certain it is that young
plants taken from a warm to cool
place are set back in growth and often
never fully recover. 1t would seem
that vastly more injury was likely when
seeds sprouted behind kitchen stove
are put into a soil with 2 temperature
of 40 to so degrees, where the exQui-
sitely tender root fiber. must harden
off, before it grows further. The in
jury is not considered because it cannot
be readily seen. Even if we grant that
the preliminary sprouting will give
some earlier plants than dry seeding,
we believe that it is done at the ex-
pense of the general thriftiness of the
bed, and that to get the crop set in the
field very early is a doubtful advant-
age. Cold storms or clear, very cold
nights are likely to come and set back
the growing crop il it does not Kill it.
~
Independent tobacco manufacturers
presented broken front when they
appeared before the senate committee
on finance on January 31st, to discuss
the anti-coupon bill, which is designed
to prevent the use of coupons in pack
ages of cigars or smoking or chewing
tobacco, but which does not touch the
question of coupons presented by re-
tailers to the purchasers direct. Con-
trary to general expectation only half
of the twenty manufacturers present
opposed the proposed bill, many stat
ing that they themselves used coupons
and desired to continue such use.