The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-09
farm aud Garden.
Conducted by DIR. THOMAS POLLARD. State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Work for the Month.

WIlCihSo III Cne ldrnerS, 10 give ulrec
tions Tor work for the month" The
work for January and February may be
comprehended, in such winter as we are
having now, In few words-Provide
fuel and warm clothing, and nourishing
diet for your family, provide good feed
and shelter and bedding for your stock
and provide good agricultural reading
for yourself in the long winter nights
If, however, the weather moderates, and
the ground dries sufficiently, start the
plough for spring crops, and com, and
tobacco, if the ploughing for them has
not been done The tobacco planters
will find employment for their hands in
stripping tobacco, if it has been {" struck
down" in good order and properly pro
tected by steam. Tobacco beds should
now be prepared as soon as the ground
gets in order, and the seed sown.
White Burley Tobacco.
We give the following from very dis
tinguished raiser of this tobacco in Mason
county, Kentucky, on its cultivation. We
advise our farmers to try this tobacco,
but not to put their whole crop in it, try
it cautiously as Maj. Ragland suggests.
Allison & Addison, 322 Carey street, and
IT w Wood, 419 north 9th street. Rich
mond are selling the seed. Thinking the
seed might be gotten cheap in Kentucky.
we wrote to endeavor to get some seed
from this State for distribution, but found
them so-scarce and high, we determined
that we could not afford to buy.
TUcKAHoE, KY, Jan. "a, 1881.
DR.. Thomas Pollard:
Dear Sir-Your favor was received some time
since. You will please to accept my thanks for
the copy of your Fourth Annual Report sent
me- Although l have not given it a careful
perusal, yet l find it contains many suggestions
and much information the result of the labors
and experience of some of the most skiful farm.
ers of Virginia that will be very valuable to
me- In regard to the curing of the White Bur
ley. am of the opinion that it can be cured
more satisfactorily by hues than by any other
process; l want to make the experiment this
year, believing that we can obtain a better and
more uniform color than by the old process of
curing by air, which is the only mode practiced
here The process for curing by air is as fol
lows In cutting our tobacco we first plant a
four-toot stick firmly in the hill, cut and place
astrlde on the stick six or eight plants, (never
laying them on the ground before putting them
on the stick, with the root end of the plant
pointing toward the south, let it remain for two
or three hours In moderately warm weather
then haul it to the barn. Our barns are nearly
all framed barns, made from 20 to 80 feet high
well ventilated at the sides and ends This is
done by hanging some of the weather boards
(Which are put on perpendicularly) on strap
hinges. These can be opened or closed at pleas
ure. If the weather is cool they should be shut
II mild or warm they should be open The tiers
IN which we hang the tobacco are usually made
four feet in width and about the same In depth
we place the sticks in the tiers leaving space
OF about ten inches between them, this gives
ample room for the air to circulate through the
tobacco freely. If the weather is propitio1s and
the tobacco ripe, when cut by this management
you VIII succeed In getting good article, but
IN warm, damp spells of long duration. there is
danger OF Its injuring For this reason | think
hue-curIng would be preferable In regard to
t1e seed they are very scarce and very high
very few raise them for sale here There are
one or two parties who have few pounds but
ask $l6 per pound which is too much. | will
make an effort to get some pure seed from some
oil my neIghbors. If should meet with success
VIII forward to you Immediately Should Won
want any further information in regard to the
culture or management of this variety of tobac-
60 ana 1t Is IN my power to give it, will take
pleasure in doing So
remain yours, &c., W. L. HoLToN.
The Peach Crop.
We are afraid that the peaches are
much killed by the severe weather we
nave had. We have examined them and
lind many of them killed. In a long ex-
Perience and observation, we have never
known this to occur in Virginia before.
Cotton.
There is a strong disposition to try cot
ton In the south-side counties of Eastern
Virginia in place of tobacco, and we think
the idea is good one The farmers who
raise dark tobacco should try it, because
they are not making any money from
dark tobacco-either cotton or "Briphts'
or "Burley," where the land will suit.
The culture of peanuts is extending in
these counties, in some of them diminish.
ing the area in cotton, and increasing
that Of peanuts.
Jute.
We have been endeavoring to find ont
more about jute, but have not been very
successful. We are in doubt whether the
natlVe American jute or the India iute
should be planted There is some donbt
whether the latter can be naturalized
here. and whether our summers are lone
enough to mature its seed. A communio
cation from Missouri, in the last report
OF the U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture,
ADVISES the cultivation of the American
Jute. We have now in the cabinet con-
nected with the State Department of Ag-