The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-08


upon the farm with only farm hands
and appliances chat ismofe profitable
than tobacco. Every, year tho
knowledge Of the great profits gained
by expefienced cultiyators leads noyi-
ces to attempt and fail. Everx year
there are mary farmers who oyer-es-
innate their ability to take care Of the
crop they prepare for and plant, and
hence meet with loss. No inexperi-
enced person should attempt to raise
. large patch, and whoever raises it
should regard the crop second to none,
but always attend TO IL even If others
suffer. A good crop IS 1000 lbs. per
acre this, at 25c. per ID, would bring
in $500 per acre. We're 500 per acre
sacredly applied to the purchase Of
manure, and the tobacco cultivated
two, and never more than THREE years
on the same ground, aud made to take
its place in a regular rotation, we have
no doubt this exhaustirg and labor
taxing crop would be ayery beneficial
one TO both farms and purses in see.
tons favorable to its growth.
TOBACCO AND SEED BEDs.-The pre-
paration of the sseed-bcd should be
commenced as early as the frost is out
of the ground. A warm spot with a
southern exposure, often with fence
or building upon the north, is selected,
the soil being q fine, deep, garden
lcam, rich and mellow. One square
rod of seed-bed furnishes, under al.
most any circumstances, many more
than enough plants for an acre. A
heavy coating OF well rotted hog-pen
or other manure is applied and forkcd
under, leaving rough surface; upon
this straw and brush, to the depth of
six inches or so, are spread and set on
fire, provided the land is not danger
ously near some building. This kills
the weed-secds TO the depth of about
three inches, and leaves coating of
ashes upon the surface, which may
then be raked smooth, witt: gentle
slope to the south. If the nights are
| frosty and the weather unfav Orable,
| the ground may be left rough awhile,
anu it is often worth while to apply a
dressing of guano or a superphosphate
before finishing off the bed. The best
way to apply guano is in solution, and
barn-yard liquor is equally good.
Liquid manure may be put on very
strong before or when the seeds are
sown, but not after they germinate.
| As soon as the soil is warm, roll the
bed and rake it over. Mix one table,
spoonful OF seed with quart of
| fine gifted soil for each rod, rubbing
the whole through the hands, and sift-
ing it, again and again: divide 1t IN
two or three parts, and SOW each over
the whole bed broadcast, and then
roll it. or pat il over with board or
q snow shovel. If the weather is
warm and dry, water it with sprink-
Ter. The seeds start slowly and irreg-
ularIy, and may. be encouraged by
occasional watering with dilute ma
nurc water. The young plants are
often attacked by lit:le black fly,
which is driven of by occasionally
| sitting wood-ashes lightly over them.
The best seed for the Northern States
| is doubtless that of the Connecticut
Seed-Ieaf variety. Before the seeds
come up. all weeds that show them
| selves should be pulled. A bed 4 feet
wide end 66 feet long contains one
square rod of land. If several acres
are 10 be planted to tobacco, it would
be well, perhaps, to calculate that
three beds would supply plenty of
plants for four or five acres, and SOW
them at intervals of a week apart,
that one or the other might escape un-
favorable vicissitudes of weather.
The RELATIONS OF TOBACCO TO
THE SoIL.-The repeated analysis of
tobacco, and of the grains of wheat,
corn and other crops, demonstrate
that in cuItivating it for the market
we remove az much of the constitu-
ents of the soil with one good crop, as
would be removed by dozen or tif-
teen crops of our ordinary grains. As
an offset to this fact we have another,
viz: The actual amount of manure
added TO the soil to insure {: fine crop
| of tobacco is not more than twice as
much as would be required 10 pro-
duce first-rate crops of wheat or corn
and with this application, good crops
of "the weed" are taken year after
year. Two things are certain-lst.
The manure supplies directly by a
norton of the constituents of the to-
bacco ash; %. Those which are lack
ing are supplied by the soil, which is
acted upon by the manure, by water,
by the air and by tillage. by all OF
which, these anti-cOnstituents are
brought into an available condition
When the suil ceases to yield these
constituents particularly potash
which ordinary manure does not sup.
ply IN sufficient quantity. the tobacco
crop will inevitably fall off. In some
soils this comes after few years but
by judicious rest and cropping with
other plants, and proper manuring
tobacco culture will again be profit.
able. ~,-
WHAT CROPS SHOULD FOLLOW 10.
BACCo ?-TobaccO leaves the land III
admirable condition for q crop OF
wheat, to be followed by grass, which
will do well for several years. AL
most any of our common crops will
do well after tobacco. Roots find
potash enough. Potatoes, if planted
on good tobacco land, which has moi
been Over-cropped, even two years III
succession, will usually indicate no
lack of this substance, though pcculi'
arly sensitive to its absence. Ruta.
bagas (Swedes) are favored by the
amount of the phosphates left as a
residum in old tobacco land, and these
it is well known, are peculiarly adj
vantageous to all the turnip family.
1t is for tie same reason that cabba.
ges are frequently cultivated after to-
bacco with good success.-Amertcdn
.AgTIculturist.
Management Of BrO0mS.
/ If brooms are wet in boiling suds