Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-05-13
How to Grow White Burley To.
bacco.


inquiries from the best farmers in
sections of Missouri, Kansas and
Iowa, as to the proper methods of
planting, cultivating, housing and
curing Burnley tobacco, we have
decided to print all that we think
is necessary Tor any intelligent
man or woman to know in order to
get the best results, if they will
follow the instructions carefully
as given below. We have always
been interested in tobacco and for
the last 40 years watched the BUSH
ness closely and have given special
attention to the growth of all class
es of tobacco, more especiallyto the
Burley tobacco which is the most
profitable kind to be raised in the
Middle West where the ground is
adapted, and | now give you, who
are interested, the most up-to-date
method of raising the White Bur-
ley tobacco, and the method fol-
lowed by the most successful to-
bacco-growers of Missouri, Ohio
and Kentucky.
SEED.
A heaping tablespoonful of good
fertile tobacco seed properly sown
in beds will produce enough plants
to plant five acres of tobacco.
PLANT BEDS.
A plant bed for the above
amount of seed for planting five
acres of tobacco should be 9 feet
wide and 80 feet long.
The proper time to make and
sow the plant beds is from Febru-
airy 10 to March %.
Clean all growth from a plot of
good rich ground the above size
and burn brush on same so as to
kill all other growths, after which
the ground should be dug up
about three inches deep and get
the dirt of the bed thoroughly pull
verized with a small garden rake
and the level of the bed should be
a little above the level of the
ground unless it is on a hillside,
in which case it should be ditched
around in order to keep the water
from running ove it.
Mix the above amount of seed
thoroughly into half a peck of corn
meal and SOW same all over the
bed broadcasting it with highlands
in all directors SO as to get the
seed we'll distributed and you can
tell where you have sown the seed
as the meal can be see and the
tobacco seed could not be seen,
but if you keep the seed vel
mixed with the meal you can resi-
assured that the seed are in all the
places where you can see the meal
After sowing the seed in the bed.
place poles all around the bed OF
box around it with any kind oil
lumber and cover carefully with
tobacco canvas or very light mus
lin and keep covered until time
for tho plants to be taken from the
bed and set out in the patch to be
used for the growing of the tobac-
60.
Plants are large enough to SCI
out when the leaves on them are
from three to four inches long, OF
about the same size as cabbage
plants.
If the plants are to be set out by
hand you will have to wait for a
good rain SO that the plants a be
pulled out of the ground without
breaking the roots too badly.
However, if you uselone of the to-
bacco setting machines you can
plant your tobacco in dry weather
by s%prinkling your tobacco beds
thoroughly to soften the grouno.
KIND OF GROUND.
Be careful to select your very
best land, and, if possible land
that slopes and lays in the morn
ing sun. Never plant tobacco on
land that is thin or badly worn as
it would not pay.
In Missouri, land having a
growth of sugar tree, walnut, elm,
blackberry or large oak is consid-
cred best for tobacco and an old
orchard that has been in sod is
fine, in fact, any land that will
produce good bluegrass will
raise tobacco.
PREPARING THE GROUND.
Sod land should be plowed in
February or March if the ground
is in good condition for blowing
in order to let the sod rot before
the tobacco is planted, and the
first of May, if the ground is not
too foul, pulverize it with a disc
harrow, cultivating the top and
leaving the sod at the bottom, il
possible, but if it is very foul il
will have to be broken the second
time. Then cut it to pieces with
disc harrow, and the more thor.
oughly the ground is pulverized
the better.
The ground should be entirely
cleared of weeds or grass or any
other growth of any kind. Marx
off the rows for planting three ant
cne-half feet apart, and at the
proper planting season have the
ground thoroughly cleaned and SCI
the plants out in the rows as mark.
ed and from Is to 20 inches apart
according to the strength of the
ground the stronger the land the
closer together you should set the
plants. II you expect to set the
tobacco out with a machine, the
ground should be reasonably dry
at least and it can be planted wher
the GROUND is almost dusty ais yor