Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-01-14
TOBACCO CULTURE.

OGn6r ucdleF VINO Will sell IL 10 yOus
TOBACCO CULTURE.
How to Plant, Grow, Cure and
Handle Tobacco.
CONTINUED.
The best way to SOW the seed i
to mix them thoroughly with a
fertilizer or dry ashes, and sow
once regularly over the bed, re-
serving seed enough to cross-sow
to promote regularity. The to-
bacco seed is the smallest of all
farm seeds, and consequently re-
quires a light covering. If the
seed are sown before the Goth of
February, the best way is to firm
the surface of the bed by treading
it over closely; but if sown later,
sweep lightly over with a brush OF
light rake. Then run surface
drains through the bed, with in
clination enough to pass off the
water. To do this properly, run
them off four or five feet apart
with the foot, then open with a
narrow grubbing-hoe to the depth
OF three or four inches. Then
trench deeply around the outside
of the bed, to ward off surface
water and prevent washing.
Cover it with thin gauze clo;h,
which you can reno We from the
bed as soon as the plants are safe
from frost and flies. The bed
should be bordered with 1x12
plank, set about two inches in the
ground, or straight logs, placed
around the edge. Get pegs or
reeds, smooth them and stick each
end in the ground about four or
five feet apart each way acros the
bed, letting them be about eight
or ten inches above the ground.
This is to keep the cloth from
sagging and touching the plants.
T is generally best to allow the
cloth to stay on until about ten
days before the plants are ready
to be set out. By all means keep
the grass and weeds out of the
bed, as they are very injurious to
the young plants.
AS soon as the plants become
square," that is, have four leaves,
you may begin to force their
growth, if necessary. Nothing is
better at this stage of their
growth, than to apply dry stable
manure, rubbed fine, and sowed
over the bed-applying at the rate
of five bushels to every one hun
dred square yards. Be sure to
have it dry and fine, and apply
when the plants are dry.
When a shower of rain is COM
ing up is a good time to apply the
fertilizer.
TINE OF SOWING SEED.
The time for sowing varies with
the latitude, variety and season
Between the parallels of IS and
40 degrees north latitude, COM
passing the great tobacco belt,
beds may be sown any time be-
tween the LIST of January and 10th
of March, and the sooner the bet
ter for bright grades, which
ought to be planted early to ma
ture, ripen and yellow, prepare
tory to being cured early in the
fall, when the most successful
curings are usually made. Vel
low tobacco ought to be planted
out in May, but June planting us
ually does best in heavy dark
grades. The planter will consult
his interest by sowing ata proper
time to suit the grade he desires
to raise. Plants set out after the
10th of July rarely pay for grow
ing and handling,a and if not plant
ed by that time, it will be wise to
plant the hills in peas, potatoes,
or something else.
SELECTION OF SOIL, PREPARATION
AND MATURING.
Tobacco plants thrive best in &
deep mellow, loamy soil, rich OF
made SO with fertilizers. The sub,
soil ought to be sufficiently por.
GUS to permit the water falling OF
the surface to pass downward
readily and not to accumulate te
drown and stagnate.
IF the old land is selected, i
ought to be fallowed deep in thu
fall or early winter, that thu
frosts may pulverize it. Tur1
under, if possible, some cours'
farm manure, for its decay viii
greatly help to loosen the soil
while furnishing food for tn
crop. As a course manure TO
yellow tobacco, nothing is bette.
ILL., -l..l 49, l--~ -