Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1872-02-03
Preparing Tobacco pinntbca.

The recent advance in the price ot
tobacco is stimulating the farmers in
the tobacco growing region to pre-.
pare early and well their beds. As
there may be some persons living on
the outskirts of the tobacco region
who would like to raise q crop, we
submit the following method Of pre-
pairing beds which an experience of a
dozen years has taught us to be the
best:
l. AS to the soil. This should he a
rich black loan, with slightly
Southern exposure, if possible. Black
Is preferable, because it absOrbs to a
greater degree the rays of the sun
and brings forwards the plants sever
al days earlier, which is highly i'm
portant to the tobacco growers. A
difference of few days often makes
the difference between a rich, fancy
article and dull-colored, frosted one.
We should prefer the spot selected to
be covered with dense hazel thick
ct, or black gum with a few scrub
hickories. This wild growth invari-
ably indicates rich, loose, deep black
soil.
2. AS to burning: The wild growth
should be cut off near the surface OF
the ground with an axe, not dug up;
the leaves carefully raked off the
land, and then beginning at one side
IA layer of trash should be put down
longitudinally until it is about four
feet high and four wide. Against
this brush should be set up, nearly
varfinaI Iaontnn, ittcf a.,Attoh n 80,
vent it falling back on the bed. This
Is continued until about eight feet of
the bed is passed over, when layer
of wood eight feet long is set on the
end, leaning against the brush. AT
ter this, eight feet more of brush is
set up, and.a layer of wood, and so
on until the whole space is occupied.
1t should then be fired, and when the
brush burns out, the whole bed will
be thickly covered with burning
wood, which will he consumed upon
the ground aud will burn 1t SUI.
ficiently well.
8. Preparation and sowing. Usu-
ally ground should be burned until II
has redish, brick-like appearance
and pulverizes into an it1palable
poWutE. ~ sliIuiu thtli oc CuuilcIe
or dug up and chopped over with hoes
until 1t Is well prepared. All roots
aud rocks should he picked up, the
land receiving good raking after
each digging. When in nice order,
mark off beds four feet wide, and sow
at the rate Of one heaping table
spoonful Of seeds to every hundred
square yards. The seeds must be
mixed with ashes or plaster, before
sowing, and in sufficient quantity
to SOW over the bed twice, In order to
insure for them a more equal distrih-
ution. After sowing, the bed should
he lightly raked over, or tramped by
going around the bed, one foot follow
ing the other, with toes pointing in
wards, making smooth, well
tramped surface. The same object
could be accomplished by using a
hand roller.
The bed, after this, ought to he well
covered with light dogwood, gum or
sassafras brush, not thick enough to
shut out the sunlight, but sufficiently
so to protect the young plants from
the frosts and the chilling and the
dying effects of the March winds.
The brush also serves 10 keep the
bells moist, thereby inducing more
rapid growth Of the plants.
In putting on brush after the bed
has been sown some careis necessary.
The but ends Of the brush of the first
layer should be put on the border Of
the bed, letting only the brushy part
rest on the bed. The but ends of the
second layer should rest on the hrushy
part fthe first, and soon until the bed
is shingled over with brush. In this
manner the thick ends of the brush
that would intefere 50 much with the