Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-02-19

/ lie 1OflOWiHS extract vs. taken
from "a Manual of Tobacco Culture"
prepared with especial reference to its
growth in Piedmont North Carolina,
published by Hall Brothers. Hickory,
n. c. Other extracts will follow
To the planter an early and
abundant supply of tobacco plants
is the thing Of prime Importance.
To secure this the seed may be
sown at any time between the 18th
of December and the 9th of March,
the earlier the better, aud allotting
100 square yards of seed-bed 10
every 10000 plants that will be
needed. The ground selected for
the purpose should be virgin soil,
of sandy texture, rich and moist,
with full exposure to the sun, shel-
tered to the north and west by
rising ground or growing timber,
against the cold winds of early
spring. Such spots can be readily
found in wooded hollows, at the
foot of hills, and near to or long
side some water course. Other
,hings being equal, the farther into
the woods the spot selected is the
better in order to escape the hug.
The ground having been well
chosen, the next thing is TO rake it
cleanlv, and then burn it thorough
ly so as to kill all germs of vege-
tation. The burning can be at a
single blast, if done with dry brush,
heapcd upon the entire bed a height
of some four feet. A better but
costlier method is to burn with
wood laid upon green poles which
serve the purpose of ventilation, in
which case the wood should be
piled the whole length of the bed,
and of convenient width, say six
feet, and after the pile has been well
kindleG, it should be allowed to
burn some two hours, or until the
poles underneath are burnt up. The
burning wood and hre GOALS shcul !
now be moved by using olo hoes
fastened upon long handles, and
again spread a convenient width
and fresh wood added which
should burn until the ground un-
derneatl has been burnt as thorough
" as before, and SO on until the
entire bed has been burnt over. So
soon AS the ground has cooled
enough to walk upon il, and with
ont removing the ashes, it should
be broken deeply and finely with
the mattock, care being taken not
TO invert the soil, and then choppod d
with wedding hoes and raked until
clean of roots and we'll pulverized--
for which reason land should nevo,
be burnt when too wet.
The bed is now ready for seed
ing. The variety of seed recon-
mended is tho Yellow Orinoco.--
The quantity sown should be on,
and a,half tablespoonfuls to ever.
100 square yards, ana in that cxac
proportion tor each traction or mul
tiple thereof. Great care shou,t
be taken to SOW the seed as regu-
iarly as possible, so as to proven
some spots from being too thin
: and what is worse. other spots from
being too thick. To do SO the see
should be carefully measured an
then thoroughly mixed in con
venient quantity OF dry ashes, an
the mixture divided into two cqua
parts. The bed should be markc
off into convenient sowing breadth
by lines four feet apart, and sowe
entirely over with one half the see
in one direction, and then owe
again with the other half and j
the opposite direction, the sowe
rctrac;ng Lis steps. The seed shoul
be lett upon the surface and neitbe
hoed nor raked into the soil br
trodden in with the foot, or prcsse
in with the back of wedding ho'
!, or better still, by passing a ligl
roller over the bed. To prevel
drifting or pudding of the seed b
washing rains, where the ground
. rolling, trenches slightly incline
C. and two inches deep and four fe'
apart should be made with IL
% mattock across the bed. When IL
ground is flat and subject to bcir
es sobbed, it should be thorugh'
drained, rs nothing browns mo-
of easily than the tobacco plant.
8. For the three-fold purpose
warmth, moisture and fertility, I'll
Tx bed should now be top dressed vii
a covering half inch thick of GOO
es stable manure broken fine, I'll
fresher the bettrr, but in any ca'
Of free of grass seed. When sut
stable is not convenient, that fro
the hen house or hog pen will al
swer, hog hair also making an e.
cellent top-dressing. II neither
i'm these is at hand, some t,ougly al
ct, moniated fertiliz sr should be app
oc 4 r