Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1896-01-03

quires about ninety days to ma
ture q growing crop of tobacco if it
has had a proper start.
THE SELECTION OF SOIL
is an important matter, and ii
should be soft, deep soil, which be-
fore planting should be always put
in the fiLest tilth. If new ground
it should, after having been grub
bed and chopped, be raked clean
ly and all leaves and litter burnt.
1t is then ready for the plow, and
should he closely broken twice and
crosswise and as often narrowed.
1t should next be marked off in
horizontal rows three and one-half
feet apart, into which should be
drilled 300 to 500 pounds per acre
of a good and active fertalizer. 1t
is then ready to be listed or bed
ded with turning plow, and with
a broad wedding hoe these lists or
beds should be worked into conf
cal hills, three and one-half feet
apart. The hill culture, both in
the preparation and the subse-
quent workings of the tobacco crop
should never be departed from, for
that method of cultivation gives
the land the best drainage Of which
it is capable. And in this crop
drainage is one of the first things
to be considered, for all the dlseas-
es to which the plant is liable
such as frenching. firing, spotting,
rusting and shedding-come from
excessive rain, accom- panied by
excessive heat. For new ground,
the hilling can be done as early as
April or May, and should be al
ways when tie soil is in good
working order and neither too vet
nor dry,
The tobacco plant requires US
ually ninety days from the time it
is transplanted to grow and ripen
properly. To secure the best re-
suits, therefore, the planting
should be as early as possible, so
soon as the plant is ready for
transplanting. And rcplanting
may be kept up as late as the 10Th
of July, for it is not desirable that
the entire crop should ripen at the
same time; therefore it is not best
that it should all be planted in a
single day, or even in single sea-
son. Instead, then, Of Fastening
to get once over. it is better to look
well to the replanting, in crd"r to
get a perfect stand in the portion
which has been planted. To do SO,
and as quickly as possible, shading
or watering the rcplantcd hills,
when necessary, is recommended.
The cultivation of the tobacco
crop, though thorough, should be
superficial; that is to say, only the
surface soil should be ctirred, the
subsoil being left intact.
AS soon as the plant has taken
rcot-which is shown by its chan
ging color--it should be worked
with tfc hCe only by removing the
crust Of the hill, and drawing loose
earth around the plant. This de-
streys the grass and helps to de-
stroy the cutworm. But if the
land between the rows has become
foul, it should be plowed with
sweep or shovel at this first work
ing
When the plants have covered
the hills-say ~ breadth of twelve
inches-they should be worked
thoroughly with both plow and
hoe, using short single-treos, and
running it close to the plants and
throwing out the row With four or
five furrows. If the land has be-
come very foul, turning plow is
preferable. With the hoe all the
surface soil should be drawn into
the hills around the plants as at
first. This is a lay-by with the
plow, which should never be used
after the plants have come into
top. But should the land again
become foul, it should be scraped
with the hoe only. Any veglta-
ton which springs up after the
| plant has attained its growth, does
it no harm, but is beneficial rather,
in keeping the lower leaves from
being sanded.
TOPPING.
As fast as the buttons or seed