The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-01-14
TEN YEARS WITH TOBACCO.
Results OF the Experience of Practical
Planter.

TEN YEARS WITH TOBACCO.
Results of the Experience of q Practical
Planter.
To the Editor of the NeaCa and Courier
To make success of the tobacco crop
the planter must begin right. And fur
thermore he must begin early. The old
saying goes that it takes eighteen months
to make crop of tobacco, and, all things
considered, the old saying is about right.
After the New Year festivities are over
the first thing to be looked after by the
tobacco grower is suitable place for a
plant bed. The plant bed is the place
where the seed are sown and from which
the young plants are drawn for trans
planting in April. 1t must be carefully
selected and carefully prepared if you
would have plentiful supply of vigorous
plants.
Early in January select your spot. If
you have never planted crop before Sc
lect place where you can make per.
manent bed. Take an uneleaned spot on
a hillside, with Southern exposure if
you can get it, and near water course
if that is possible. Clear off the timber
and burn it on the land, so as TO kill out
insects and grass seed in the soil and for
the purpose of mellowing the land.
When thia is done rake the spot clear of
all trash. Plough or dig up the. soil
carefully, then plough or dig again.
Rake the land over and over until it is
thoroughly pulverized. When this part
of your work is thoroughly done you are
ready for planting your seed.
Before describing the process of SOW
ing, wish to describe another kind of
plant bed which has found favor with
those who care to take the trouble to
prepare it. 1t is nothing more than the
garden hot bed for young plants. 1t can
be constructed in the garden or ir the
field, and can be covered with movable
glass tops. This glass covering serves to
intensity the feeble rays Of the late win.
ter sunshine and to protect the plants
from the frost AS the warmth of the
season advances this covering should be
removed during the day to enable the
plants to get strength from the exposure.
The glass covered plant bed has been
adopted by some of the best planters and
is recommended where the planter feels
able to make the additional outlay on his
crop.
The plant bed ready, the seed should be
sown as early after the goth of January
as possible, although the sowing can be
done up to March with very good results.
The tobacco seed is exceedingly small
and care should be taken not to get them
too thick. About tie best plan is to mix
the seed half and half with dry sand. To
every one hundred square yards OF seed
bed surface take one aud one-half table.
spoons full of tobacco seed. Sow slowly
and carefully over the surface, 80 as to
get them evenly distributed and yet not
too thick ct any one place. After the
sowing, carefully roll the surface with a
smooth roller and the sowing is done.
No other covering is required.
The planter must make ample allow
ance for insect destruction to his plants,
and hence should have plenty Of plant
bed. Careful estimates through series
of years show that ordinary three hun.
dred square yards of plant bed, well
stocked, will plant from two to three
acres, and the estimate can be safely
made on this basis.
After the seed are sown, unless the bed
is glass covered as described above, the
bed should be "canvassed." Boards
twelve inches wide should be placed
lengthwise around the entire bed, all the
corners and laps being carefully nailed.
Over these stretch the canvass-sEhin,
gauzy cloth made for the purpose and
which can be bought for>from thrae-
quarters 10 two cents peryard, sccg!SSg
to quality. Tsek the canvass arSS 7
edges and stretch tis a1epa
bed. This covering Il
purpose of prots1