The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-03-08
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edoerton. Wisconsin.
NOTE EuoR sB ETOHES.

NOTE EU0R sK ETOHES.
The time for making the plant beds
for another crop is SO near at hand that
we surrender portion of our space to a
description of the methods pursued by
an experienced New England tobacco
grower:
A we'll made plant bed and well-cared-
for plants are vital points in successful
tobacco culture; the beginning general
ly tells what the harvest will be. 1t has
been my practice to keep an ever watch
full eye Oh the plot of ground devoted to
growing tobacco plants. This land is
held as sacred ground on my farm and
nothing has been allowed to cucumber 1t
the past % years but the best known
variety of Havana seed tobacco, never
allowing it to be driven over by horse or
wagon, man or beast. 1t is prepared and
made ready for the following spring IN
October. For % consecutive years L
have raised my tobacco plants on the
same bed. After transplanting, | plow
the bed once only. Before plowing, L
apply well-rotted horse manure and ploW
u ader to the depth of AZ to in. AS
top dressing | use 100 lbs prime cotton
seed meal to every five rods of ground
and work it in with smoothing harrow.
This will leave the bed in perfect shape
for the following spring. Before spring
| really begins, have the bed ready for
working up for seed sowing and If there
is snow or ice on the ground apply pot
ash in the form of cotton hull ash, or
| hard wood ash, or sulphate of potash
salts at the rate of l ID lbs. to the rod, OF
actual potash. Spring rains and snow
will leach the potash into the soil, which
will assist in making complete fertillz-
| er. AS soon as moisture has worked
| through the frost on the bed, apply about
5 lbs. to the rod of the best known bone
| phosphate. This should be quick, sol
| liable top dressing and safe to use at all
| times before and after the plant is out OF
the ground; it should not burn or crust
| the bed.
| AS soon as the soil is fit to work, |
loosen it lightly with fine tooth cult
vator about in deep, rake fine, smooth
and level the bed to my idea of perfec-
tion, roll lightly over with hand roller
| and loosen again with hand rake. The
| bed is then ready to receive the seed. L
always soak the seed from three to five
days for hotbed sowing allowing des
| sert spoonful for each rod of ground
| seeded My method is to measure out
given number of spoonfuls of seed for
area to be seeded, in cotton sack, place
in bowl and cover with warm water
and allow to remain in this condition
four or five hours. At this time seed
i4Gan be tested to see If it is. all right or
not by opening the sack; the smell viii
indicate. If it has an active tobacco
smell, it is sure to germinate; IT dirty,
musty smell. get new batch and start
over at once. After keeping the seed
submerged in water five or six hours, re-
move the water, pack the bottom of the
bowl with cotton batting and keep it
saturated with warm water. Also cover
the sack of seed with pack of moist
cotton batting. Open the sack of seed
every IL hours and thoroughly stir it up
so that every seed will get an even
chance to sprout. After remaining four
or five days in the sack at a tempera
germinate. This is about the time to
to the seed if the seed sprout grows -
| to l in. long. Have sown seed with good
success in all the different stages, but [
venient after the germ appears.
| ***
For sowing, mix the sack of seed
which has been measured for an even
number rods of ground to be sowed, with
corn meal or common dry sand, allowing
| about a pit to the rod and thoroughly
mix seed with same. [ SOW lengthwise
and crosswise to get it as evenly seeded
as possible To conclude the seeding
| process, simply roll the bed with hand
| roller. Some tread it evenly over with
the feet on light, sandy soil, for on this
kind Of soil it cannot be made too COM
pact, but for soil that easily puddles in
wet weather, light rolling is sufficient.
| The bed should have a south exposure
and be protected as much as possible
| from north and west winds. Sprinkling
| the bed should be attended to daily in
dry spells.
Xxx
Before covering the bed [ moisten it
thoroughly with water to have the soil
as compact as possible about the seed to
insure good catch, having learned by
experience sprouted tobacco seed in a
delicate thing to handle in a hot bed for
| the first few days. | have noticed if
weather should prove cloudy or snow Or
rain fall the following day after making
the bed, it is surely we'll stocked bed.
After being able to take from Is rods of
| land for the past ten years sufficient
| plants to transplant from % to 100 of
tobacco land, | think my method of fill
| ing them with early plants may meet
| the approval of many who are annually
inquiring for early plants.