, 1841-05-08
AN ESSAY ON THE CULTIVATION
OF TOBACCO,

The first step in the process of tobacco
culture is 10 make provision for an abundant
supply Of plants. Tobacco seed are very
small, and the plants, when they first spring
from the ground, grow very slowly, and
would soon be smoihered by weeds if moi
carefully guarded against.
The places selected for plant beds should
be such as would not be likely to produce
many weeds. New ground or that which
has been long set in grass, would be best for
this purpose. Toguard still further against
weeds, and to ensure a thrifty growth of
plants. it is essential that the place in which
the seeds are to be sown should be burnt.
A light burning with straw or other light
material will not be sufficient. A good
coat of brush laid upon the ground intended
10 be used for 4 plant bed, and arranged so
closely as to make it burn readily, serves best
for the purpose.
Care must be taken also. before laying on
the brush, to rake all trash from the ground,
so that the heat may readily destroy the
seeds OF any weeds which may have been
desposited there. New ground is always to
De preferred for plant beds, and brush as the
material for burning the ground. But if the
tobacco planter has no new ground then he
must substitute grass land in its stead, and it
should be well burned by having 4 range of
logs those which are seasoned answer beSt)
LAID along one edge Of the ground intended
for plant bed, and heaped up sufficiently to
make them burn readily. These must be set
on fire, and after burning the ground, which
they cover sufficiently, they must be moved
by means of hooks to adjacent ground not
vet burnt; and so on in succession, until the
entire space intened for a plant bed is burnt.
If one set Of longs is not sufficient to burn
a space as large as will be necessary. others
must be added to enlarge the space, OF they
may be burnt at different places as NAV be
most convenient.
Where sod ground is intended to be used.
it would be advantageous to have the sod
lightly SKINNED off with sharp hoes, before
the space is burnt over.
After the ground is burnt it must stand
sufficiently long to cool, and then the ashes
should be carefully removed. The ground
should now be dug up with hoes. to the depth
of two or three inches, and so as to pulver-
ize it as much as possible; and should be
we'll raked with an iron tooth rake, so as to
break up the soil into the most minute parts.
1t will now be ready for sowing the seed
1t is important that this operation be as regu-
lar as possible; and care should be taken to
put the proper quantity Of seed upon the
ground. If sowed too thick, the plants will
be so much crowded as to injure their growth.
If sowed too thin, a deficiency of plants may
be the consequence. A common silver Ia.
bic spoonful Of seed will be sufficient for fifty
square yards. More than that quantity
should not be sowed on that space OF ground.
But if tn. ground prepared be abundant, the
plants would grow more thrifty by sowing a
spoonful Of seed on seventy or eighty square
yards. The seed allotted for a particular
bed should be put into a vessel half filled
with fine mould or earth and stirred so thor.
,oughly as to cause the seed to be equally dis
tributed in all its parts. 1t should now be
separated into two equal divisions.
And the plant bed having been divided in
to convenient lands for sowing, one portion
should be sowed as equally as possible in one
direction, and the other portion in the same
bed, in the opposite direction. The plant
bed should now be we'll raked with an iron
tooth rake, both WAYS, and should then be
well trodden by the feet of men or boys, so
as to render the loose soil firm and compact.
The bed should be thinly covered over with
brush to keep it moist and to protect the
plants from frost. Plant beds should be pre-.