The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-02-15
Argg npro rn""ro" CHARLOTTE, N. G.; TUESDAY, FEI
TOBACCO CULTURE.

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At the request of some agricultural friends we
copy from the Patent Office Report the following
Essay on the culture andananagement of Tobacco,
by W. ". Bowie, Esq, of Maryland: -.,-.
"A rich loan is the soil for tobacco plants.
The spot selected for bed should be the south
side of a gentle elevation, as well protected pos
sible by woods or shubbery-a warm spot-mel-
| low ground, perfectly pulverized After thorough
burning of brush and tobacco stalks mixed, dig
deep, and continue to dig, rake, and chop, until
every clod root, and stone be removed then level
the pulverize nicely with the rake Mix one gill
of seed for every ten square yards, with quart
half gallon of plaster sifted ashes to every hale
pint Of Seed and SOW it regularly, in the same
manner that gardners small seeds, only with a
heavier hand. If the bed be sown early, it ought
to be covered with brush free from leaves; but it
is not necessary to cover them after the middle of
March. Tobacco beds may be sown at any time
during the winter if the ground be not too wet or
frozen. The best time for sowing is from the 10th
to the Goth of March, although it is safest to SOW
at intervals, whenever the land is in fine order for
working. Never SOW unless the land be in good
order, for the work will be thrown away if the
land be too moist, or be not perfectly prepared.
The beds must be kept free from grass or weeds,
until they are no longer needed, and the grass
must be picked out sprig at time by the ing-
ers. It is tedious and troublesome operation,
therefore planters should be very careful not to
use any manures on their beds which have grass
seeds weeds in them. After the plants up
they should receive s ght p-dressing of manure
once week, sown broadcast by the hand. This
manure should be composed of half a bushel of un-
leached ashes, Cor l bushel of burnt turf,)
bushel Of fresh virgin woods earth, / gallon of
plaster, half gallon of scot, I quart of salt dis
solved in 2 gallons of liquid from barn-yard, and
lbs. of pulvcrized sulphur, the whole well inter-
mixed. Let large quantity be got together early
in the winter and put away in barrels for use when
wanted L his and other such mixtures have been
found eficacious in arresting the ravages of the
fy-both from the frequent dusting of the plants
and the increased vieor which it imparts to them,
thereby enabling the plant the sooner to get out of
that tender state in which the fly is most destruc
tive to it. The fly is a small black insect, some
what like the flea, and delights in cold, dry, harsh
weather, but disappearing with the mild showers
ard hot sun OfOpening summer If possible, the
plants should stand in the bed from half an inch
to an inch part and if they too thick they
must be raked when they have generally become
as large as a FIVE or ten cent piece. The rake pro-
per for the purpose should be small mmon rake
with iron teeth, inches long, curved at the points,
teeth fiat, and three-eig ghths of inch wide, and
set half an inch apart
AFTER CULTURE, &c.-The soil best adapted to
The growth of tobacco is light friablc soil, or
what is commonly called a sandy loan, not to- fat,
but rolling undulating land--not liable to drown
in excessive rains New land is far better than
old Ashes are decidedly superior to any other
fertilizer for tobacco Theory and practice unite
in sustaining this assertion. The land intended
for tobacco should be well ploughcd in April,
taking care to turn the turf completely under,
and subsoiling any portion that may be very stiff
and likely to hold water the surface, and let
the land be we'll narrowed directly after the break
ing it up; it should then be kept clean, light, and
we'll puvcrizcd by occasional working with cult
vators and large harrows so as to not disturb the
turf beneath the surface When the plants are of
good size for transpanting and the ground in good
order for their reception, the land, or so much as
can be planted in ''sedson, should be ''scrdped,
which is done by running parallel burrows with
small seeding plough, two and half feet apart,
and then crossin, these again at right angles, pre-
serving the same distance; which leaves the ground
divided into checks squares of two and half or
three feet e1ch. The hoes then put to work
and the hill is formed by drawing the two front
angles of the square into the hollow or middle,
and then slnoothed on the top and patted by one
blow Of the hoe. The burrows must be run shallow,
for the hills should be low and we'll leveled off on
the tor and, if possible, slight depression near
the centre to collect the water the plant
The first fine rain thereafter, the plants should
be removed from the seed beds, and one carefully
planted in each hill. brisk man can plant
10000 plants per day. The smaller or weaker
hands, with baskets filled with plants, precede the
planters and drop the plants on the hill. In
drawing the plants from the bed, and In carrying
them to the ground, great should be taken
not to bruise or smash them They ought to be
put in baskets or barrels, if removed in carts, so
that not many should be in heap together. The
plants should never be planted deeper than when
they stood in the bed. &. s-t r@-.. .f "
Planting is done by seizing the plants dropt On
the hl with the left hand, while with one finger OF
the right hand hole is made in the centre OF the
hill, and the ront of the plant is put In with the
left, while the dirt is well closed about the roots
By pressing the forefnger and thumb of the right
hand on each side of the plant, taking care to close
the earth well about the lotion of the root. Ii
sticks are used to plant with they should be short,
and the planter should be particular not to make
the hole too deep. The plants should be carefully
planted, for if the roots are put in crooked and
bent up, the plaut may live, but will never -four
sh, and perhaps, when too late to r7tdnt, 1T Will
die and then all the labor will be of no avail In
three or four days it may be weeded out, that is,
the hoes are passed near the plants, and the hard
crust formed on the hills pulled away, and the
edges of the hill pulled down in the burrows; this
is easily done if performed soon after planting,
but if deayed and the ground gets grassy, 1T will
then be found a very troublesome operation. At
ter ",reeoling" out, put tablespoonful, or gill if
be preferred of equal parts OF plaster aud ashes
IA L ~ l. do