The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1885-10-02

from centre to centre. Smooth off these
until they present fiat surface of Is or 20
inches IN diamete: and pat Cor strike
gently with the fiat side) in the centre with
the hoe. Now they arc ready for setting
the plants when tho proper season arrives.
The making Of hills with the hoe is an
expensive aud tedious process, but is still
almost universally prac,iced. Except in
very rough new land the following process
answers equally as well or better, and saves
great amount of time aud labor.
Take two boards one and a half inches
thicS, SIX or eight inches wide, and about
Tour feet long. Slope one end of each to
point and back some twenty inches. Set
these on the edge with slopes up and nail
ON inch boards five feet long to cover from
end to end the two pieces. Turn this up
side down and you have an implement
shaped like the end of fiat boat, with
staples; attach n chain to the front or
pointed corners, tastcn single-tree midway
the chain, and nail on some rough handles.
single horse is hitcIcd and walks between
two rows, the Implement reaching over and
smoothing two beds at once. 1t can be
sufficiently weighted with stones or a log of
wood to press down the beds as fiat as desired.
After this take light shovel plough and
mark across three feet apart, and the hills
are made without a hoe at ouc-fourth or
NTH the expense in the ordinary way
HOW TO TRANSPLANT THE PLANTS.
If the seed or plant beds have beer we'll
attended to, the plants will be large enough
to transplant by the first or second week in
May. This Is done after n shower, called
season. and the ground must be suffi-
cently moist to secure "a stand The
plant is set by means of a peg about six or
seven inches long aud one IN CHI in diameter.
The peg is inserted about two or three
inches deep in the hill and withdrawn,
when the plant is placed in the opening
and the soil pressed to the roots. 1t is a
rule that when the soil falls in and fills
the opening made by the planting peg, the
season is too light and tho plants will not
live. If the season is very wet, the soil
should only be closed to the roots, as too
much pressure will cause it to bake and
injurc the plants.
TIE PROPER SIZE OF PLANTS.
The proper size for planting is when the
plants have five or six leaves, three to five
iouS lbC( 'tIC uTSWu Win the
hand from the seed bed cno by one and
carried, generally in baskets, to the field,
from which they arc dropped on the hills
-onc to each-bY small boys and girls,
Kahilf yatidlff ash th6Sv viS5ffewa & ha IS cuspss
Of good many plahters to wash the roots
before they are set, claiming that they
live better, but the larger number set them
as they are drawn from the beds.
At every succeeding season till the
first day of July the field should be gone
over and the missing hills replantcd. 1t
is generally considered satisfactory if
good stand is obtained by the 10th of
June but the earlier the better.
TIE PLAN OF CULTIVATION.
In eight or ten days after planting,
or as soon as the plants begin to take root,
the hill should be scrlped down with weed
ing hoes. 1t is not usual to plough new
land at the first working, but the plough
is used first on old land, by running close
alongside the plants and throwing off
furrow, while the hoes follow to weed down
aud d:aw little fresh soil to the plants
The second ploughiug follows in quick
succession and the whole row is broken up
by running three times with shovel
plough. The hoes again follow to draw
more soil to the plants, giving them
broad, fiat hill. Then again, quickly fol-
lows the third and final ploughing, the
hoes again following to finish with large
and elevated hill to the plants. The cul-
tivation should bo quick and thorough,
and not continued beyond the middle of
July. The last ploughing may be done
with cotton sweep, which is fast growing
in favor of that purpose.
'PRIMING' AND TOPPING
AS soon as the plants are large enough,
few Of the bottom leaves are broken off,
usually from three to six inches above the
surface of the hill and the bud is broken
Out, leaving from ten to fourteen leaves on
the stalk. The former process is called
printing the latter topping Too high
priming as we'll as topping delays the
growth of the plant, and rs early maturity
is all-important to successful curing, the
general practice is to prime low and top at
not exceeding ten leaves, unless the plants
promise to be very large, in which case
more leaves a:e left to prevent too coarse
a growth If the season is wet and the
plants luxuriaut and vigorous, higher top
ping will be required, and if dry. lower.
1t is the practice of some planters to top
high, early in the season, and if afterwards
it be found that too many leaves have been
left it is easy to remove them.
Upon the good judgement Of the topper
depends the successful maturity of the
crop, and none but skilled hands should
undertake this work. 1t requires expert
encc to be able to tell from the appearance
Of the plant how many leaves should be
left, and nothing save practice can give
thiJ.