The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-02-19
TOBACCO CULTURE.
QUINCY, Gadsden County. Fla, !
FehrnalY Il. 1889.


To the Members Of the Fgor9dt To5acco Grocers
association
In compliance with your request will try
and give those OF you who have had 10 eXpe-
rience in raising tobacco, some idea Of how to
do it. My only regret IS that your choice did
not fall upon some one with more experience,
and who could WELD an ADLER pen.
The first thing you want to know is
HOW TO RAISE PLANTS:
Be careful 10 select a good piece OF hammock
land neither too wet nor 100 dry, level, or
nearly SO, and facing the south and east Cut
down the brush and timber in convenient
lengths TO be easily handled; get plenty 81
hghtwood dry pitch pine and burn the brush,
limbs and logs evenly over the area YOU propose
planting with tobacco seed. As soon as you can
work the burnt ground, take grabbing hoe
and turn it up, mixing the ashes with The SOIL
taking out the roots OF all the brush and The lat
eral roots of the stumps of trees coming in con
tact with the hoe at two or two and hall
inches depth Do not grub deeper, rs this IS
the best OF HE soil and IS deep enough for
plants to send their roots. After you have
gone over the ground with the hoe, take Il gar
den rake and rake the ground as Won would 4
garden plat, getting off coal, roots and chips
Then lay it off into pats OF five and halt ice',
leaving a foot walk OF twelve inches in width
between each plat for convenience in wedding,
watering and terlilizing the plants before they
are ready to use, and Tor pulling them without
brusing them when they are to be used. The
bed is now ready TO be s0Wn, and ought to sill
be a little warm SAY blood heat. Ten ounces
of tobacco seed is ample for 600 square feet Of
ground. Divide your seed in this proportion,
according to the size Of Your plat and mix with
a pan or more OF dry >lttcd hard wood ashes
mix thoroughly, and have enough 10 90 over tine
plat two or three times taking pinch between
the two tOrefngerS ana thumb, and sowing a
1O cOll1ri and (9ll1acrp Sppl Inn
object TO be obtained is 10 have the seed evenly
distributed over the ground or plat. Pursue jho
same course with all The patS in your bed. A.
ter sowing your seed take a board with haAd!c
to it and pack the different plNs firm and smooth.
Then cover lightly with hardwood brush. 10
prevent rain pattering the ground and washing
the seed. Put a trench around the bed 70 carry
OFT excessive rain water from adjacent and.
Put temporary fence around them - NeeH OF
stock. The plants il the weather : StAs0aab,c,
ought to begin showing themselves III from Ten
to fourteen days, and when they are Wei - The
brush covering can be removed. T * beet
square, or 10000 square tecf. ol-1 = p.3oi /. n
three to iour acres, ii the seed j. All ,He
work Oi making the be! has oeea u'rot- IL
done and the season favorable. y 9-c,4 r....,l.
ought 10 have always 81 les, n ,.u.~ iAt
number OF plants he ln ends Jl>.ny. ana 4. ..t-r-
ent ages. The sowing 81 b. ste.. e3lN-
mcnced in Middle F.0Haa in ne b. IL a..
January, and continue every tWo Nee,, cnN.
and inclaln- The il-t q. Apr la S9a'A
Florida probably d IN a'it earlier.
Should plants su't,g & ia ..ron.1 thc bel,
should b. Watcrtd every evening" Wi .o 81 S.tf, T.
ing, and occasionally hardwood ,9iIo, $ VI over
them. Shon,a you by arc c2t ~7E voU beds
in ground that wa, apparently dry, IN, att,l-
wards prove >piingy. Yen must drain HE >psay
water at least three !eet deep. sect COM, up
fine in such eroun' but a'er week or two Of
growth 1t turns yellow. stunts and dies Unlc>.