The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-02-28
TOCACCO CULTURE.
PREPARATION THE SOIL FOR
PLANTING.
A Valuable Treatise on the Subject for
the inexperienced Farmer.
fBy Maj. r. L. Ragland.]

mellow, loamy soil, rich or made SO
with fertilizers. The sub-soil ought
to be sufficiently porous to permit the
water falling on the surface to pass
downward readily, and not to accu
mulate to drown and stagnate.
If old land is selected, it ought to
be fallowed deep in the fall or early
winter, that the frosts may pulverize
it. Turn under, if possible, some
coarse farm manure, for its decay will
greatly help to loosen the soil, while
furnishing food for the crop. AS a
coarse manure for yellow tobacco,
nothing is better than wheat straw
turned under in the fall and winter.
The plants rarely fail to ripen yellow
in color on land thus treated.
In the early spring more manure
may be applied, but it is better that
this should come from the compost
heap. Follow the application of the
compost with one-horse turning plow,
crossing the previous ploughlng, turn
ing not exceeding four or five inches
deep-about half the depth of the first
ploughing. Then, just before it is
time to plant, run double-shovel
ploughs over the lot, crossing again to
thoroughly make fine. These repeated
ploughings, crossing each time every
previous one, never fail, if the work is
done when the land is in proper con-
dition, to put it in proper tilth.
Let the planter remember that ga
good preparation is half cultivation,'
and not stop until the land is p
proper condition.
In preparing land for tobacco, be
sure you don't plant varieties unsuited
to the soil or type, else failure is inevi-
nondescript goods Oh the markets
every year is mainly attributable to
failure IN planting the proper vatieties
on the right kind of soil, and plant
ers should carefully note this and SOW
seed suited both to soil and type.
If any one knows of better way
then let him pursue 1.-THE writer
knows of none better. And just here
it may be we'll to state that perfection
is not claimed for any mode or prac-
tice recommended in this book, but
only the best methods known to the
author are given, for guiadnce to the
initiated. We live and learn, but life
is too short to learn every good thing
by experience unaided. Every man
owes something to those who are to
come after him; to freely give as he
has freely received.
Having put the land in nice sorder," I"
lay off the rows with a shovel plough,
three feet three inches apart, and fol-
low, drilling along the furrow some
good fertilizer at the rate of some one
hundred and fifty to three hundred
pounds per acre, according to the
natural strength of the soil and the
quantity of manure previously applied.
Then follow with one-horse turning
ploughs, tapping four furrows on the
fertilizer trench, and when finished in
this manner your lot is ready to be
planted, when the beds have been
"patted" with hoes, with "pats'' two
feet ten inches apart, to mark points
for setting the plants. In the older
portions Of the fine yellow tobacco
country the applications are becoming
heavier from year to year, some plant
ers using as much as six hundred
pounds to the acre.
New ground, or old field that has
grown up and been cut down, will re-
quire different preparation from old
smooth land. But On the former our
best brights are raised. Any prepara-
ration that will put the soil in fine
condition, clear of roots, tufts and
trash, is all that is required. Expert
ence teaches that if land is cut down
two or three years previous to its being
prepared for thbacco, it greatly facili-
tates the preparation and helps its fer
tllity Much of the vegetable mate
rial, both in and upon the soil, rots
the roots break easily, and the soil is
altogether lighter and finer.
While it is economy to dispense
with the hand hoe in making hills on
old land-the plough doing all the
work, as it ought when it can be well
done-yet on stumpy, rooty and rough
land, the hoe is indispensable in the
preparation of hill, as it should be
made to receive the plant. But before
the hills are made, it may be well, un.
less the soil is naturally rich, and such
is not often the case with soils bes,
adapted to yellow tobacco, to appl,
some tertilizing material to hasten for
ward the plants, and mature them
properly and early. Here CONNER
cial fertilizers have done, and are
doing their best work. Bulky, coarse
manures often do more harm thar
good on new and puffy soils. The
smaller the bulk, and the more con
centrating the fertilizing elements ths