Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1903-04-30
TOBACCO CULTURE.
Methods Employed by . Success.
ful Tobacco Raiser.
SOME SPLENDID IMPORTATION.

uTlmesldnu, ~ ", III tHo OOutu-
ern Tobacco Journal, gives his
methods as to the management of
the tobacco crop from the plant
bed to the warehouse, as follows:
The first favorable weather in
February l select some place pro-
tected from the cold winds, that is
we'll drained. for nv plant bed. |
break this up very deep. then pull.
verize with disc harrow. / then
SOW on this 200 lbs of good tobsc-
co guano to the 100 yards. l then
take an Acme smoothing harrow
and level and mix the gusno with
the earth. Next SOW one table,
spoon full. of seed to the 100 yards
and roll the land, IL il is a large
bed. II small, / ,traEple instead.
Then cover with a good grade of
tobacco cloth, having the cover
about six inches from the ground.
TRY to break my tobacco land
as early as possible in the winter,
to get the benefit from freezing,
always breaking deep with two,
horse pillow. About April take
two horse disc harrow and har-
row this land until it is thorough.
ly pulverized, sometimes going
over it the second and t..ird time.
Then l take my smoothing harrow
and level it.
About two weeks before plant.
Ing l lay off my rows three feet
apart and put in from 800 to 1000
pounds of gauno, following with
two burrows from turning pillow,
making a list. When / get ready
to plant drag off the top of this
list with a drag that levels two
rows at the time.
We generally commence to set
plants the last week of April. We
prefer the old peg to any machine
We have seen used yet. AS soon
as the tobacco plants take root and
begin to grow, l commence to har
row with a cultivstor, followed
with hoe. 1 then give it about
two more plowings, with the eli
max cotton pillow. This finishes
the cultivation, unless it is a wet
season.
l always arm myself with a good
drove of turkeys for the worms
that never fail to come on the
light nights in June. Last year l
had $50 acres in tobacco, and /
had 255 turkeys to keep off the
worms and they do it better and
cheaper than l can hire.
/ try to always top lmy tobacco
as soon as the button forms. /
find that 1 get much better results
from the top leaves than to let it
run up to bloom before topping.
AS rule tobacco that is put out
by May 5 We begin to prime by
July 10, taking from two to three
leaves from each stalk each week
of uniform ripeness, making it,
easy on the curer. He does not
have to hold back his heats to yell
low the green and thereby sponge
the very ripe as ne would in cur
ing the whole stalk with three
barely ripe, three half ripe and
three green.
The curing tobacco on the stalk
has been entirely done away with
in Eastern North Carolina by all
successful tobacco growers. Iu
1900 had crop of $50 acres. L.
commenced curing first week in
July, saved 10000 pounds and
sold it at an average of IL cents.
am sure did not have 5000 lbs
of green tobacco in all my crop.
and / am sure | did not lose 600
pounds to dry up in the field 10
the whole crop.
L usually cnre about 1000
pounds in a barn, always having
my poles twice as close as | would
for curing stalk tobocco. By do
ing this you save barn. wood and
attention to barns.
After the barn has been filled,
fIe should be started. Surprising
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