Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-01
PREMIUM ESSAY ON CULTURE OF
BRIGHT TOBACCO.

The following essay by DR.. Thomas P.
Atkinson, which received the premium
offered by the Granville Va.) Agricultu-
raj Society, we COPY from the Southern
Planter:
''The first thing to be looked to in
growing tobacco, is to provide plants en-
ough to ''pitch the crop" in good time,
before the summers sun shall have so
completely evsporated the moisture from
the ground as to require frequent show
ers to insure ga good stand" Inattention
TO this all-important requisite often causes
a failure of the crop, and leads the plan
ter TO complain of Providence, when, in
fact, he only is TO be blamed
but the question arises, How shall we
insure plants in good timer The best
plan, in my judgment, is to look rather to
the texture than to the fertility of the
soil. A spot in the woods where the land
is of sospy appearance, neither too stiff
nor too light, but with due admixture of
sand, and near the base of declivity
looking towards the south or southeast, is
to be preferred. Make your cow pen on
cattle upon it until it shall be ma devery
rich. When you remove the cattle from
one of these places, cut down the bushes
and trees from it, cover the ground thick
ly with the brush to protect it from the
sun, split the wood and throw the limbs
on the brush, stack the wood near the
place, so as to allow it 10 dry. As soon as
you have finished housing yCur corn in
November, set fire to the brush and limbs !;
and, having previously prepared wood
for burning the ground, perform thst
operation in the usual way. As soon as
the ground shall have been sufficiently
burned, rake off the Goals and coulter it
very deep both ways with sharp, mar
row coulter; then rake it carefully, taking
care TO get out all the loose roots; spread
over it moderate quality of guano, lay
il off in beds four feet wide, trench the
ground properly around the patch, so as
TO prevent the outside water from passing
through it, and fence it in. Having thus
prepared it as nicely as if you intended to
SOW it then, leave it until the first snow
in December, when you should scatter
your seed regularly over the whole surface,
in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls
10 one hundred square yards. As soon as
the land shall be dry enough, after the
melting of the snow, tread it firmly, and
cover it thickly with the fine dust from a
coal kiln, over which thick coat of fine
straight brush should be thrown.
"The coal dust, being black, is an alb
sorbent Ofheat, and thus keeps the ground
warmer than it would otherwise be, and
so pushes the plant forward. If there be
no snow in December, the seed should be
sown about the first of January, and the
ground well trodden when dry and other
wise treated as above recommended. He
who will try the cOultering process, will
be astonished at the great number of roots
which will be extracted, and which, if
left in the ground, serve only to keep it
open, and thus to expose the delicate plants
10 be destroyed by the frost. He will also
be gratified to find that the deep and close
breaking of the land will keep the ground
moist in dry weather, which will destroy
the plants in beds treated in
the usual way aud scratched with
grubbing-hOe or mattock. About
the first of March the beds should be re-
sown with about half the quantity of seed
used in the first sowing-'the broad leaf
Oronoko' is preferred by most of our good
planters in this neighborhood, which is
famed for producing the finest tobacco in
the world. The freezing process through
which the land must necessarily pass in
winter, and by which the plants are often
thrown on or near the surface and DESTROY
ed, will be much less injurious under the
management here recommended than any
other. Whenever the ground is thus af-
fecLed by the freezing, the beds should
be uncovered and kept down, by passing
over them, so often as may be required,
a heavy roller made of gum or other
heavy wood. After each rolling, they
should be again covered with coal dust
before the brush is returned TO them.
Plant beds treated in this way be safely
relied on to furnish a supply of good
plants"