Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-14

rain is expected. If the plants are ready
and the season dry, watering is necessary.
It is a matter of great economy to get the
| plants out as early in the season as pos
sible, because the sooner the plant begins
TO grow the earlier the work begins, and
the more readily viii grass and weeds be
subdued, besides the worms which eat the
leaf win not be so destructive on an early
| crop. The plants are ready to transplant
when they have four leaves, although they
may be fat on the ground. If the ground,
however, is very dry, it does not hurt &c
wait for better season, even if the plant
grows to six or twelve inches high.
The cultivation of the field should COM
mences as soon as the plants are set. a cul-
tiYator run between the rows will break or
loosen up the soil, and thus prevent evap-
Grafton of moisture Care should be taken
not to run too close 20 the plant and cover it
| with dirt. The grass and weeds must be
kept down, and for this purpose the cult
vator ana hoe will be necessary. In cult
waiting tobacco, deep blowing is an injury,
as also is the bedding of too much dirt to
the plant Tobacco does not require as
much work as cotton, because it grows
more rapidly, shades the ground sooner and
natures quicker The natural tendency of
tobacco is to put out sprouts at each leaf
These, when one or two inc hes long, must
be pinched off close to the stock and not
allowed to grow This is called suckering
BY allowing these to grow they dwarf the
leaf, which is the valuable part of the to-
bacco. By keeping the sprouts down the
| strength of the plant is thrown in the
| leaves, which makes them broad and large.
Another point to be carefully watched is
to prevent the plant from running to seed.
| To accomplish this, as soon as the plant
begins to bloom, or shows = tendency to do
so, ii must be stopped, unless you wish to
make seed and not leaf. Usually the plant
is topped when it has from ten TO fourteen
leaves. The tobacco plant is very tender
and brittle, and the sprouting and topping
can be easily done by simply pinching them
OFF with the thumb and forefnger.
The tobacco plant is not without its insect
enemies. The cutworm begins its work on
the plant as soon as it is transplantsd, and
this destructive worm often does its work
to the plant in the seed-bed. The bud-worm
is very justly dreaded, because its work is
very destructive. 1t is a small worm com
paratively, that eats into the bud of the
plant, doing great damage to the leaves
This pest can be largely controlled by
sprinkling on the bud from time to
time, arsenic or Paris green diluted
with -four or common road dust The horn
or tobacco worm, the same that we see on
our tomatoes, is usually picked OF by
hand It is estimated that patch or field
should be wormed every other day. If the
season is propitious, the worms multiply
very rapidly, and this worm, with the bud
worm, are the main enemies which iujure
the plant after it begins to grow to any size,
and they should be very carefully hunted.
Spraying the leaves OF tobacco with any
poison, or busting it for the purpose of kill
ing insects, is said to injure the texture of
the leaf, and also the flavor of the tobacco,
therefore, manipulating for the large to-
bacco worm is invariably depended upon.
The harvesting of tobacco is usually per-
formed by gathering the entire crop when
ripe, cutting it off near the ground with a
sharp knife This should be done by bend
ing with left hand and cutting from below
up. The leaves should not be stripped
from the stalk Care should be taken not
to allow soil to get on the leaves, as it very
generally Injuries the sale of the crop BY
Gu ting of close to the ground the plant be-
gins at once to put out suckers. All should
be pinched of except one, and this one
should be treated IS the original plant
The third crop, which might be expected
in North Texas, should be treated in the
same way. These ration crops are not as
heavy as the first crop nor is the product
Of so much value, but it. goes off very well
on the market, being employed in making
cigar filters or smoking tobaccos.
The great trouble with inexperienced
growers is to determine when the tobacco
is ripe Experience, however, soon settles
this matter, and it is not difficult to learn.
The NOVICE ought not to be deferred from
planting because of the want of this knowl-
edge. Color of leaves does not prove the
best rule to determine the ripeness of the
plant, although when the leaves begin to
tighten in color or become spotted it is
good sign. A better rule is to harvest when
the top leaves between the stems will
readily snap if bent in the fingers. The
curing shed may or may not be costly
building in our climate. For those who
are beginners it is not necessary to build
barn especially for the purpose if there is a
glnhouse on the premises or other house
that can be used. A common wagon shed
will serve the purpose to begin with if
closed on the sides by rough-edge boards.
The tobacco crop of the Florida experiment
station is cured in the upper part of a
wagon and tool house, and gives entire
satisfaction.
SADDLE HORSE INDUSTRY