The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1885-02-25
White Burley Tobacco.
AMouNr Oh SEED REoulREp.


plants, and in order to be sure of enough
plants OF a strong, healthy character
about 90 square yards of seed bed should
be sown Tor every acre, one-half ounce
OF seed will be sufficient to insure plenty
OF plants for each acre to be planted.
An item of the utmost importance is
the canvassing of plant beds to secure
your plants from heravages of the FLEA
bug" The cost is trifiing, and it will
secure you a supply OF strong, healthy
plants, which you must have to insure
success.
PLANT BEDS.
To be successful in raising crop of
tobacco depends entirely upon the first
step taken in that direction. Secure
plenty of plants and have them early.
Select for plant beds a fine soil South or
southeast exposure, new and slightly
elevated), and ground holding sufficient
moisture so as not to dry out during the
day; burn your beds sufficient to kill all
the seeds of grass or weeds; then you
are ready to dig up your bed. Dig Ill the
ashes well, then rake and pulverize
every clod; be sure and take out all
roots, rocks, and whatever other obstruc-
tons may be found in the bed. Sow your
seed any time from the first of February
to the last of March. Sow a bed for
every acre you intend planting is good
rule to go by. Sow about two large
tablespoonfuls to the hundred square
feet. Then one of the most important
parts is securing the plants, and do not
fail to do it by brushing your beds heavi-
ly with green brush. The seed should be
mixed with ashes or corn meal before
sownig,so as to prevent them from get
ting to thick.
SOIL, ETC.
The soil best adapted to the White
Burley tobacco is generally given up to
be of limestone nature. The best and
finest tobacco that comes from the cut
ting district is grown on new land, first
and second crop, and in some cases
good crop is raised the third year, but
that is running the ground too hard. All
our fancy cutting tobacco is raised on
such land, and as a general thing it is
underlaid with limestone, although we
raise really nice article on old land by
blowing under good crop of red clover
and using plenty of stable manure. If
you do not possess good, rich land, you
had better let tobacco growing alone,
unless you have plenty OF manure or
other fertilizers. 1t should be the aim
OF every tobacco grower to go for quality
and not quantity. If they were all to
adopt that plan for few years, we
would soon get our markets rid of great
burden. Cultivate less ground and make
a fancy article.
FLOWING AND CULTIvATING.
Land intended for tobacco should be
plowed in the winter, if possible, and
plowed deep if you expect crop. In the |
spring the ground should be turned with |
double-shovel pillow and narrowed and |
rolled, if rough and cloddy. The more |
you cultivate your land before you get |
your crop out the less work it will take
to tend it after it is set After you get it
planted, keep the pillow and hoe constant
". and pillow Just as deep as possible. |
The best pillow for that purpose is a |
double shovel pillow, shovels not wider |
than three inches and full ten inches
long. The more work you give your to- |
bacco the better body it will have. To- i
bacco should be set both ways on bottom |
or level land, three and half feet by |
twenty-eight inches. On hill land 1t will |
have to be set wider, to giveroom to tend |
it-full four feet between rows.
TOPPING, sUCKERING AND CUTTING.
Now comes another important point in
the growth of the crop, and that is top |
ping. Don't top to more than II to IA
leaves at the most; you will make more !
pounds at that height than at Ii to 20
your top leaves will all fit out well and
mature, and be as large as any on the
stalk. AS to cutting, don't cut until ripe,
which is about four weeks after topping.
Keep all suckers off, to concentrate the !
strength of the plants in the leaves. |
Suckering tobacco is very tiresome, and
is the most laborious work that is con-
nected with the crop. Worms and suck
ers at this period in the crop demand the
planters entire attention until it is ma
tured and ready for the knife. Cutting
is now to begin; good hand will cut
from 800 to 500 sticks a day, and some
extra hands 900 to 1000. Place from
four to six stalks on stick; you will
have to be governed by the size of plants
If large, four to six is plenty on four
foot stick.
HANGING AND STRIPPING.
In hanging in the barn the sticks may
be hung about eight inches apart, if dry
and we'll wilted. Never take tobacco in
the barn il wet with dew or rain, as YOU
are likely to have it burned.
Never use fire in curing white tobacco,
as the smoke renders it useless for cut
ting purposes; but keep the barn open :,
so that the air can circulate freely When
your tobacco is sufficiently cured to strip
you should be careful in keeping each
sort by itself. First, keep all the chaffy
trash leaves together, then your bright
trash or Tugs; next comes bright leaf,
which is about the center of the stalk,
and sometimes all on the stalk is bright
after the Tugs are off. Be sure and keep
each color and each length together by
itself.
BULKING.
Having your crop all stripped it is now
ready for bulking. Great care should be
Exercised in having the case right. as too