The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-25
THE CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
MEBANE N c.

as that of any staple crop in North
Carolina. Formerly a few of the
lower counties of Virginia lying around
Danville, and few of the counties of
North Carolina bordering on Virginia
were known as the golden belt, and the
belief generally prevailed that yellow
tobacco, such as is used for wrappers,
cutters, smokers and cigarettes, could
not be grown successfully elsewhere;
but this idea has been proven to be i'll
founded oy actual trial, and well estab
lished results. Yellow tobacco can be
grown on any land with a yellow,
| loamy sub soil, soil capable of retain
ing moisture without being sobby be-
ing the most preferable. Adeep sandy
soil is not suitable, as the manures ap-
piled are liable to be ebched out or
settle down too deep, or the plant is
too liable in very hot or dry weather
to be sun burnt or to spot or fire after
long wet spells, especially if sudden
dry hot spell of weather should set in.
The season for setting crop is now
well advanced, yet in Caswell, Orange
and Alamance the crop is but little
over half set. This has resulted from
a bad season to prepare the land and
the plants being rather small to set
and long dry spell. Plants are, how
ever, abundant, and the land is all pre-
pared. The clouds are lowering and
every body are anxiously waiting for
rain, for the season for getting a crop
is nearing a close. 1t requires under
favorable circumstances inety to one
| hundred days to mature crop, and
the indications are that the growing
season will be short one. A back
ward spring is apt to be succeeded by
an early fall. In the long season in
May small plants set do we'll; even
plants dropped on the ground frequent
ly take root and grow, but not so in
the hot days of June, on account of
the heat and sudden drying out of the
ground. A good well rooted plant is
nece ssary-one that will grow eff
! quickly. This late in the season fire.
quently plants are overgrown or leggy !;
in such cases the plants should be
deeply set, care being taken to press
the earth upon the roots and not the
stem. Careless hands often press the
earth to the stem and not upon the
roofs. Care mus be taken to avoid
this If the plants are very long,
| lnSH h01 HA Of &bO
hoe and bury the plant nearly to the
top, or set it deeply with peg and
then break off the top to near the
ground; a shoot or sucker will soon
come out and will make good plant.
I have tried it, and succeeded well.
Plants set with a long stem above
ground, wilt down; the stem becomes
sunburnt and the plant does not grow
off well. The season thus far has been
too dry and cold for much grass, yet
it is coming up, and if not gotten rid
| of will give trouble. So as soon as the
plant has started to grow a sweep
should be run through each middle,
the grass carefully cleaned from
around the plant and some fresh loose
earth drawn 60 the plant. This will
serve for the first working, or if there
is not much grass, double shovel
with small hoes or shovels two inches
wide, should be used. Never bar
away the ridge from the plant, for in
so doing the manure and fertilizer will
be thrown away from the plant into
the middle, where it will do no good,
the fertilizer either being killed by the
sun or washed away by the rain.
The second working should be done
with larger shovels; the plant should
now have thorough hoeing. Every
sprig Of grass should be removed from
around it. The third working should
be done with a plow with small mold
board. Tne tobacco being first primed
OF, care being taken to use a verv
short single tree, so as not to tear or
brulse the leaves. The plowing should
be done early in the morning or late in
the evening, or when the leaves are
not in the least limbered down bv the
J SUP, for the reason that if the single.
tree or chains rub the tobacco when
wilted it will make bruise which will
finally end in a hole or blemish in the
leaf when ripe and cured. The ground
being free from stones, roots and
stumps, there will be little need of a
hoeing if the plowing is properly done;
otherwise the hoe should be used. In
: giving it the last working, three good
workings being sufficient, be sure to
} leave no place in the middles where