The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1914-07-31


and giving almost sufficient moisture
to carry the early fields to maturity.
The later tobacco is also given boost
that will help send it along at an amaz-
ing pace.
The topping of the early fields, which
is now becoming quite general, should
be done before the bloom spike has
reached too large stalk. The ten
dency of too many growers is to top
too high. If the bud is broken out be-
fore it gets too large and woody the
tobacco will mature evener sized than
when left later. The objective point
in the life of plant is the production
of seed for the propagation of the
species. When the seed head forms
and developes the nourishment is grad
ually transferred from the leaves to
the production of seed. In plant like
tobacco, which is valued for the quality
of the leaf, it is necessary to remove
the seed head in order that the nutri-
ment may remain in the leaf. To re-
tain the greatest amount of nutriment
matter in the leaves and induce a uni
form ripening of the plant the bloom
bud should be removed as soon as it
appears, which many growers do not
do. From Is to 20 leaves are usually
left on the stalk in cigar leaf tobacco.
a
4 Few people seem to realize that to-
bacco growing in British Columbia is at
all possible, and many are surprised
beyond measure when they are told
that it is rapidly assuming the proper
tions of large factor in the industrial
growth of the province. When Cana
dian tobacco is mentioned one invaria-
bly, thinks of the crude French-Cana-
dian twist produced in the provinces of
Quebec and Ontario, and the great ma
jority of people are unwilling to be-
lieve that really good quality of to-
bacco can be grown any place in Can
ada, much less in British Columbia
But the fact remains that the tobacco
that is being grown in Kelowna is sec
Ond in quality only to the imported
Havana and Sumatra leaves. While it
may take years of blending and expert
mentation, the time is bound to come
when the British Columbia product will
be on par with the rest of the foreign
grown leaf. Even at the present time
the cigars made from the Okanagan
tobacco have large sale, and many of
the older brands are looking upon the
new conner as competitor to be reck-
oned with From the success that met
an experiment made by the Okanagan
growers two years ago it has been
proved that the Okanagan valley is one
of the best tobacco countries on the
continent. For many years it has been
the ambition of the tobacco growers of
the North American continent to culti- |
vate Sumatra leaf, equal in product |
to the island product. In 1912 half an |
acre of Sumatra seed was sown in the |
Okanagan as an experiment. That eX-
pertinent met with such unqualified |
success that twenty acres we're under
cultivation in 1913, and it is expected /
that great many more will be under |
cultivation this year.-Canadian Maga- |
zine.
A report on more types of tobacco is |
to be made by the census bu- |
reau next fall than have been specified |
in former reports under the Cantrill |
law. 1t is learned that at the recent |
conference of tobacco men with census
officials it was recommended that this |
be done. One change suggested in
this connection was that imported to- |
baeco be divided into types as follows:
Sumatra and "all other" Up |
to date the census bureau in it's reports
under the Cantrill law has Jumped to-
gether all imported tobacco under
that one head. The tobacco men also
recommended the division of certain |
domestic types Of tobacco, as now set
forth in the reports, into more than