The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-01-25
FARMER AND PLANTER
roRAcco CULTURE.

The hrst thing in tobacco culture ~
the preparation of the plant-beds.
This work should be done in the latter
half OF February or the lst OF March;
according to the condition OF the
weather. For beds select rich spot
on q warm, sunny slope, where the sun
and warm south winds will greatly aid
in bringing the tiny seeds into life,
and insure strong, healthy plants.
Tho first thing to be done is to clean !
the ground of all rubbish and trash,
and prepare it for burning, to destroy |
all foul weed seed. A very good mate
rial to do the burning with is brush,
pieces of rails or old logs. After the
burning, as soon as the bed has cooled,
dig and pulverize the soil thoroughly
to receive the small seeds. Great care
should be taken not to SOW the seed
too thickly. Many plant-beds are
ruined by being too thick, as
this makes the plants tender and easily
injured by the hot sun after they have
been set out. A teaspoonful of seed is
sufficient to sow bed ten feet square.
Mix the seed with sifted ashes OF CORN
meal to insure It's even distribution
over the bed. After the seed is sown
the surface of the bed should be settled
smoothly. In Ia piece of board 10 inches
square and two inches thick bore hole
in the center, and fit in an old broom
handle. Take hold Of the end of the
handle and gently pat over the surface
of the bed. This method is much
easier and neater than tfamping. The
beds should not be more than nine
feet wide, but may be as long as de-
sired. A bed of this width will take
three strips of canvas, ono yard wide,
sewed together, to cover it, and 1t will
be found more convenient in many
ways than a wider bed. The beds
should be attended to carefully, and
kept clean of weeds, which will be sure
to make their appearance.
The preparation of the ground for
the plants should be carefully and
thoroughly done. The ground should
be plowed from eight to ten inches
deep; if sod, 1t should be plowed early,
in order that the soil may settle and
the sod rot. Thoroughly pulverize the
soil and get it in good condition. Mark
off the ground into rows three feet
eight inches apart; and if commercial
| fertilizer is used, drill in the row with
a cord-drill which has fertilizer at
tachment. This will be found much
| easier and better than hand-dropping
| Alter the fertilizer is drilled, make hills
from two to two and one-half feet
apart, and you are now ready for
season" The plants should be trans
planted, or ''set," from May 20 to JUNE
10. but better in May, as it will Civ
| the tobacco more time to mature befor'
frost. In setting the plants, be careful
to straighten out the roots and to ge
them covered with soil, to insure
good and speedy start.
! After the plants have been set TO
from three to five days, run betweel
the rows with a cultivator. In a week
time run through again with the cult
vator and hoe carefully. Cultivate
level as possible to hold the moisture
Soil under level cultivation will not DIR
as easily as that hoed in ridges alon
the rows. The crop should be cult
waited at least twice with the hoe an
flour times with cultivator. Do no
, under any circumstances, cultiva'
when the crop is ready to top, as cult
waiting at this time breaks and inJur'
the numerous small roots which TT
5 plant sends out after food and moistur
> have seen cases in which considerab
}, damage was done by late cultivation
/ Ill ~ 1v-vrS
: Be careful to look out for worms,
. they may take you unawares and
; considerable damage before they CT
r be checked. If the crop is large al
: the worms very plentiful, it will
d found quite task to pick them off
4 hand. A great many growers reso
n to poisoning. This is done by raixil
Paris green with water, land-plaster
flour, and sprinkling the tobacco wi
the mixture.
The next important point in tobac
~ culture is the topping. If you ha
/ had favorable season, and your CT
has grown well, it should be ready
= top at least by August 25. In t
. work considerable Judgment should
u exercised. If you top too low, you Il
), perhaps several leaves that wo'
q make good tobacco; If too high,
> plant will not spread and make p
L fectly developed leaves, usually fr
IS 16 to 20 leaves left to a plant will
about right.
N In about two weeks after the pl'
g is topped the first set of ''sucke
al makes their appearance, which m
of be broken out by hand. Two we
TO later a second set of suckers come
ne when the same process must be g
III over again. By this time the crop
be ripening and nearly ready to cut
/ When the tobacco is ripe it becol
st \ very thick and heavy; it also has a
u \ lowish cast, spotted with green.
o. very good test is to double par
ed the leaf back with thumb and fini
Z and if it cracks or breaks, it is con
al cred in fairly good condition for
NJ. ting. Now for the cutting. Put
/ i stick in a slanting position at
4, root of a plant. Take the k
n. in the right hand, start it down
PIX. st ak, and gaging it so as
IN. raiss the leaves as much as posi-
no let the hand follow the split,
~ when the knife is within about
inches of the root of the plant, rem
I IL from the split. slightly bend