The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-02-16
Tobacco In the South.
Planters Journal.

The remarkable growth of the cult
vation of tobacco in Nash county, y. c.,
where the acreage devoted 10 its cultiva-
ton has increased from three acres in
1888 to between 1909 ard 5000 III the past
year, has produced considerable interest
in this very lucrative product through
out the Gulf States, which heretofore.
with the exception of Louisiana, whose
celebrated Perique tobacco is practically
monopoly, have paid little attention to
the "Indian weed" 1t is fact abund-
antly supported by experience that ex-
cellent tobacco can be grown in any
part of these states, but in the ingross-
ing pursuit Of cotton growing the deduc-
tions that may be legitimateiy drawn
from these knowledged facts have been
practically lost sight of. The Nash
county fields have this year paid an av-
erage return of $50 per acre, and the
planters encouraged by this yield. Will
increase their acreage another year.
The writer has seen and used an excel
lent tobacco grown on the uplands of
the Yazoo county from Havana seed,
and can also testify from experience to
the good qualities of tobaccos grown ON
the Gulf corst of Alabama and south
Mississippi. The latter region produces
very bright golden leaf, suitable for
wrappers. Some years ago the writer
meta very prominent tobacco planter
from the celebrated Danville, Va. county
the center of the section producing
bright wrappers. and was assured by
him that in his judgment, that the soil
of Amite and Wilkinson counties, Miss,
was admirably adapted to the growth of
such tobacco.
The lack of knowledge Of the meth
DDS used in preparing the leaf for the
market deters many from engaging in
the cultivation of tobacco, but this has
by careful experiments been reduced to
Il system which may be easily mastered.
Many, too. have been deferred by an ex-
agerated idea of the amount Of labor re-
quired i'll suckering and worming the
plants. BY planting early varieties the
worst ravages of the worms may be es-
capped, and a weekly worming and re-
moval of suckers will be found amply
sufficient. The worst enemy to be con-
tended with is small green worm, which
infests the bud of the young plant, and
can do more damage in a day than the
genuine tobacco worm could in a week.
This pest is serious hindrance to the
cultivation of late tobacco in south Mis-
sissippi. The early varieties escape the
bud worm entirely.
Much depends upon the preparation Of
the seed-bed. 1t should be made in well
drained soil, and quantity of brush
should be burned on the spot before the
soil is stirred, i'm order to destroy the
seeds OF weeds and grass. The soil
should then he thoroughly stirred and
well raked, after which the seed may be
sown and well trampied in with the feet.
Sowing should be done fl ON january Is
to February in this latitude. The seed
is slow to germinate, and even il the
young plants should appear by February
1. they are so hardy that heavy frost
will be required to kill them, and very
slight protection will save them. The
ground if not naturally rich should
be made so. Hen manure is excellent
for this purpose, and if powdered and
applied as top dressing after the plant.
are up will stimulate their growth Won
derfully.
Dry weather is preferable for trans
planting. The plants should be taken
up separately and the roots placed in a
mixture of earth and water and set out
with liberal quantity of the mixture
around them, after which the dry earth
should be drawn around the stem of the
plant. Treated thus the growth OF the
plant will be hardly checked at all. The
same method will be found excellent III
transplanting all sorts of garden vegeta-
bses. The cultivation after the plants
are set to stand is not so laborious as
that OF cotton. In new ground land, in
fact, little cultivation would be required.
HpnI-NOraS rn decisions ,,f tho Su-