The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-03-24
Tobacco Culture AS a Money Crop.
Editor The Manning Times:

Editor The Manning Times:
By your kind permission | will en-
deavor to comply with many requests
to give your readers the benefit of some
OF my experience as tobacco raiser. [
state with propriety my experience"
for l do not profess ability TO go much
beyond the experimental knowledge in
the discussion of the subject.
The tobacco raiser will most assured
ly find ere long that experience after
all is his best teacher. 1t is neverthe.
less highly beneficial for farmers to ex-
change their experiences IN crop rails
ing of all classes.
For manv years / was farmer, hay
ing beer reared on the farm, and fol-
lowing it rs a pursuit for years after
reaching my majority. | have the cred
it, If DOT honor. for after all it may not
be an honor, to be the first 10 Introduce
the culture of tobacco successfully in the
new Eastern, sanGv-soil belt. While
experience in Clarendon county. South
Carolina, may reveal many changes that
will be necessary on account OF soil and
climate, it may be OF some profit TO the
farmers TO gather hints from my exper-
ience in another State. with very SINH
lar soil but some different climate.
THE PLANT BED AND PLANT.
1t is now TOO late to profit much from
a discussion of plant-bed preparation
and the sowing OF seeds and varieties.
for that time has passed in the season.
n my own experience got best results
from beds prepared and well burnt in
good, bottom, made-soi!: where the bed
could get plenty of moisture and yet be
sufficiently drained for the little plants
not to suffer from the souring Of the soil
from water-sob. Sow seeds at intervals
in January.
In the event OF drought, it is well to
keep the bed watered so as to assure
the healthy, uniform growth OF the
plants. AS a rule, beside the fertiliZing
done when the seeds are sown. the bed
should receive a good top-dressing of
some quick, available manure (uever nj
trate OF soda) in the beginning of April
or last # March. The bed should be
sufficiently canvassed with cause cov-
ering to keep out danger of frost and
Hessian fly till it Is protected from these
dangers by the warm spring sun.
The rule is that many plants in the
bed will put forward and become spind-
ling and stemny before the season has
arrived for planting. All such plant;
should be carefully drawn out when you
are ready to plant and thrown away. No
amount of care or culture can ever make
good stalk of tobacco from such a
plant. Even though scarcity OF plants
may suggest the economy of saving therl
experience will prove that they are
worthless.
You want to grow your crop uniform
ly in size and quality. To assure this,
much depends upon the selection OF the
plant and its placing in the soil and the
condition Of The soil when the plant en-
ters it. Tobacco is one of the quickest
growths of all the crops that are made,
and it is easy to see how what might
seems little thing in the beginning will
have so much to do with the maturing OF
the stock throughout to the end of its
growth. 1t cannot overcome stuntlng
in the beginning ike many other crops
that seem even to profit from such eX-
perience.
Put reliable person at the bed to
draw the plants who will have regard
for the selection of the proper plants,
as at the same time he will avoid bruls-
inc them in the process, which renders
them worthless. Only healthy, bunchy
plants should be set, which have not
spindled into stem. The mode OF set
ting the plant, the condition OF the soil,
manuring and preparation of the soil,
n q tDv 1t,,1h
is now well to mention the
SELECTION OF SOIL FOR THE CROP.
Every other condition may be met,
but if the farmer has no eye to the Sc
lection OF the proper lot for raising pro-
ftable tobacco crops, he will inevitably
fail. There are few plantations On which
will not be found much land that will oe
very Improbable for the production OF
tobacco. No soil will be good for to-
bacco that is liable to water-sob at any
season Of the year. Even though you
might avoid such condition during the
cultivation of the crop, the soured con.
dition O; the soil is destructive to the
growth of fine salable tobacco. The land
therefore is best that will naturally
drain itself at all seasons of the year.
Again, it will be found that red clay
soil, or black soil. will not be profitable
tobacco land. The best land for the pro
duction OF quality anc quantity of gocc
salahle tobacco is the well drained loamy
soil with clay subsoil 1t is well if the
clay is not too near the surface.
Then again, success depends ve,y
much upon the preparation giver
the soil. Tobacco has distinctive hao
it's that must be humored if it yield
its best results. AS rule it does no
grow well as succession OF other crops
especially cotton crops. The best prep
aration that can be made for the growth
OF tobacco crop is to let the lot to- b.
planted rest the previous year from a.
crops. Even pea crop which is so help
full to the soil for most other crops is
hindrance to the best growth OF tobac
co.
The soil should be well broken in fs.l
or mid-winter and re-fallowed just be
fore planting season. The quick growt1
OF the crop makes good preparation
necessity. While, some considerable
may be made for the variation in eli
mate, feel sure that these simple rule
. will bear proftably on the growth c
tobacco in Clarendon county. In n
next l will discuss the preparation of to
soil, nanuring and planting of the crol
c. W. BLANCHARD.
q Foley:s Honey and Tar cures cough