Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-02-11
1arucr's Column.
From the Cenessee Farmer
Earliest and Best Method of Raising
Tobacco plants.

Earliest and Best Method of Raising
Tobacco plants.
To raise tobacco plants early and sue
cessfully, is great secret People often
fail to get early plants, because they 10
not take sufficient pains to put in the
tobacco seed nor do they make their
bed in the right location, and put
them IN suitable condition for the rapid
growth of the plant. A tobacco seed
seems to be slow to start, unless you re-
sort to the most ingenious means to force
it to swell and sprout.
The cheapest, and perhaps the best
mode of raising tobacco plants, is as
follows:
Prepare bed, say DO feet long and
10 feet wide, in warm place where the
sun will help to enlivcn the soil puIver-
ize the ground thoroughly and deeply,
and in the meantime work in fine ma
nure free from foul seeds, so that weeds
will not come up among the plants; rake
down the surface of the bed smoothly
and nicely; and after you have thus per-
fected u kind of -bed-not at all ex-
pensiye to make-and when you are sat
isfied that the ground is warm, or in a
satisfactory state to receive the seed, SOW
it on the bed at the rate of three ounces
for a plat of ground of the above size.
Bat, before sowing the seed, prepare it
in the following manner: Put three or
four ounces into tightly made WOODEN
bag; moisten it with warmish water,
and then hang it up behind the stove 10
warm location. 1t will soon begin to
show signs Of sprouting, Git should be
watched, and having found out that it
is about to terminate, by its swollen con
dition and other indications, sow it on
your bed in connection with two or three
quarts of dry sand or corn meal The
surface Of the bed should be pressed
down with heavy plank before sowing
the seed, and never rake in tobacco seed
but, after you have distributed it evenly
over your plat Of ground, either roll it
in with hundred pound roller made for
the purpose, or tread it in with your
feet. Some press it in with a plank. -
About the 10Th or Goth of April is the
time you should sow your seed, if the
ground is passably warm Some sow
earlier, and some later
Now for the glass sash work over the
bed-tho sash made long and not too
wide. Some do, and some do not use
them. They should be placed over the
bed, and the sun soon produces its good
effects through the glass upon the surface
of the soil, warming it into activity and
thus starting the little plants into active
vegetable life The glass also projects
the plants from frost; but mind you,
when the sun shines warmly, be careful
that by reason of its effects through the
glass, it does not burn up your plants.
After the plants have got up reasonably
large-as large as a dime, for instance
the glass fixtures may be removed, and
then you can dash on your liquid manure
evenly with tin water sprinkler. You
will be surprised to see the rapid growth
of the plants, raised and managed in the
above manner.
The bed should be thoroughly wce3ed,
anu july uCHt sHOuiu NC uSctt III Sclcctlin
plat of ground as free as possible from
foul seeds. Sandy soil is on the whole,
the best for the plants. Fine horse or
hog manure is the best to incorporate
with the soil of the bed
In few days after the plants get
start, they will be fit to set in the field in
rows three feet and a half apart one way,
and two feet the other.
/ believe | am right in saying that to
be a successful tobacco raiser is also to
be successful plant raiser Raising
tobacco is trade !; and in our Northern
States, where good deal of it is raised
just now, the plants should be set early,
and thus you will secure your crops ear
y, and no fear need be apprehendod that
it will not cure.
Horeabout, large quantity of tobacco
is raised annually, Much patience is
required to raise it, as in the cultivation
of all ether plants