Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-08-29
Tobacco Growing.
For the Bellows Falls Times.

BILE land must be given up to the weed.
This year it appears less frequently and
in a milder form. / had the fever bad
last season havn't felt any symptoms
of it the present summer. l raised an
acre of tobacco in 70; this season l am
raising beans. Some people think it
strange that / should change from to-
bacco to beans. think it strange that
every one who knows beans" don't
raise them instead of tobacco.
1t is said that wise men learn from
the experience of others. Presuming that
the readers Of the TIMES are all wise
men-or women-I beg leave to lay be-
fore them my experience in tobacco
growing.
A man in Connecticut advertised seed
to sell of very superior variety of to-
bacco. l sent and got some. thought
it advisable to raise the best. About the
goth of April-the season was backward
i prepared my seed bed and sowed my
seed in the most approved manner. Then
the campaign opened in earnest. 1t be-
came very dry and l was obliged to car
water every day and wet down the seed
bed in order to keep the wind from blow
ing it away. Then my hens became pos
sessed with an insane desire to scratch
ON it and | was forced to place them in
close confinement Consequently we had
no eggs and heavy weather in the kitch-
en-.
In about two weeks something came
up which my wife and the children, ad-
vised by the neighbors, pronounced to
be tobacco. A good deal of stuff also
came up which evidently was not tobacco.
The weeds throve remarkably we'll /
never saw weeds do better. One day
the boys and went to work and pulled
them all up. 1t was pretty slow business.
At first we thought it was fun, but we
finally decided that it wasn't. The to.
bacco, however, looked very nice when
left alone. | felt rather proud of it. |
| went down to the store in the evening
and Dragged about it. The next day a
neighbor called who had had some ex-
perience with tobacco. called his at
tention to my plants. l swelled up con-
siderably and asked him if he had seen
any that were larger. He examined the
bed critically and expectorating about a
gill of strong sheep wash, remarked ::
Wall, neighbor, / don't see no tobaker,
but yum, you've got some likely null
len plants thar
My dignity and selfpossession were a
good deal disturbed by this intelligence
To say that [ was thoroughly mad
would be drawing it mild. However, l
didn't swear. am not profane man.
Possibly | may have mentioned that
seedman's name in connection with an
assortment of adjectives that wouldn't
look well in Sunday school library
book, but | am not quite certain. In
deed, l find it difficult to recall the pre-
else tenor of my discourse on that occa-
sion. Butt am positive that didn't
swear. Mrs s., says l didn't. am
glad now that didn't. After mature
reflection | am forced to admit that it
may have been tobacco seed that |
planted after all. Mrs. S., thinks
it probable that / pulled up the tobacco
with the weeds. At any rate it is no
more than just to give the seedman the
benefit of every doubt.
My neighbor promptly and generous
ly offered to supply me with plants at
$500 per thousand. l closed with the
offer at once, feeling thankful that Prov.
idence had located me among such kind
and sympathizing neighbors.
At the proper time for setting the
plants it was very hot and dry. l waited
two weeks for rain, but none came. A very
nice, gentlemanly young fellow came,
however, with some patent tobacco
sprinklers to sell. In the course of his
eloquent address Measured me that with
the aid of one of his sprinklers l could
transplant tobacco d uring the hottest and
dryest part of weather, with great rapid
ity and without in the least checking
its growth. l purchased two. With
the assistance of the sprinklers, my boys
three hired men, and horse for draw.
ing water, l got half an acre set the
first day with nice large plants. Before
the next night they were all dead. The
remorseless sun had killed every one Of
: them.
My neighbor advised me to cover the
the plants as fast as they were set out
with wet grass. l set three quarters Of
on acre in accordance with his suggestion
The following night gale of wind
turned up and blew the top of my to
bacco field off, plants and all.
Fortunately, however, that blow wa:
the precursor of storm. All day and
all night it rained furiously. / have a