The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-02-24
WASHINGTON COUNTY
FARMERS, ATTENTION!

ton to the extensive growing OF
White Burnley Tobacco.
Now to Grow and Make 1t Pay.
We have in our rich limestone
lands and stiff clay bottoms as fine
lands for the growth of White Burnley
Tobacco as the famous bluegrass re-
gions of Kentucky. BY following the
instructions given in this paper any
man of grit and energy can easily
make $4,000 to $250.00 per acre. we
will say to our farmers who fell that
they are too old to try new crop
encourage your boys by letting them
try one to four acres of good land ana
see them make more money OIL OF a
small spot of land than you will make
with your entire farm in grain.
First. bear in mind that nine out ot
ten beginners fail in tobacco crop
for want of plenty of plants.
To secure these select for your
plant bed rich, moist new land, south
ern exposure, and any time from No
vember LIST to March 18th, when the
land is dry, rake the ground clean and
Law poles across it three to four feet
apart to hold up your wood or brush,
and burn well so as to kill the grass
or weed seed that may be in the soil.
After burning well and it cOols off,
dig the soil up well with mattock,
taking care not to turn up the clay
If you burn in the fall or early WIN
ter, which is much the best, let your
bed lay and mellow until time to SOW
seed, from January 1st to March 18th.
Sow at least one bed 12x12 for each
acre you expect to plant, and for a
bed of this size mix tablespoonful
of seed In a bucketful of dry ashes
fertilizer is better) and after the bed
is we'll pulverized with rake, sow
the seed over it two or three ways to
secure an even stand, then tramp or
pat it down smooth and solid. Then
put UP boards around it eight to ten
inches high, cut a trench all round,
banking dirt up against the boards
and put small poles or wire across
the bed on top of the sideboards to
support the covering made of thin do
nestle, tackled to the boards close
around the edge to prevent insects
from getting in and destroying the
plants.
Suitable Soil and Preparation for the
Crop.
Strong limestone land with stiff
clay bottom is best for Burley To-
bacco, but any rich, well drained land
that will produce forty to eighty
bushels of corn per acre will make a
good crop of Burnley.
New or second year land is best,
grass or cloved sod next. This should
be turned in the fall or early winter,
and then top dressed with stable or
compost manure. In the latter part
of April, or as soon as your plants
are getting large enough to set, cross
plow, harrow well and lay off in rows
four feet apart and apply not less
than 200 pounds per acre preferably
more) of good fertilizer. Make hills
in rows Is to "a inches apart. Make
fiat hills, giving it spat with the hoe
to make a smooth place to set the
plant. AS early as possible after May
LIST, get your plants set in the hill, as
an early crop pays the best and it is
much less trouble to get a good
stand before hot, dry weather sets in.
In six or eight days after the plants
are set go over your land with a
sharp hoe and dress up the hills by
cutting off all grass Or weeds that
have made their appearance, at the
same time replanting the missing
hills. Then five or six days later pillow
with narrow BULL tongue pillow and
cultivate as you would corn crop
until about one-third of the crop
shows the button for seed. Then top
from IA to Is leaves, according to the
size of the plants and the strength of
your land. Then go over it once a
week and take off all worms and
suckers that may appear, and in four
to six weeks after topping it will be
ripe and ready for cutting (but be
sure that it is good ripe, green tobac-
co will not SELL
The cutting is done with a thin
blade knife by splitting the plant
from the top three-fourts of the way
to the ground, then cut the plant
near the ground and place four to five
plants on four foot stick, then hang
enough to handle without breaking.
In hanging, the sticks should be
placed twelve inches apart. In four
weeks it can be run closer together
to make room for later cutting. Care
should be taken when plants are first
cut not to leave them laying on the
ground in the hot sun, as they will
scald or sunburn and be greatly dam
aged.
The sticks of tobacco should be
hauled to the barn in a wagon fitted
Z with frame made so that each end
OF a stick will rest on a runner, and
the tobacco hang down between.
Stacking tobacco on a wagon bed
or sled is likely to bruise the leaves,
especially If you have much of a load
at time.
The center tier sof the barn should
be- filled before the side tiers are be-
gun. This gives the tobacco in the
center of the building a chance to get
air that would be cut off If the side
tiers were filled first. Care should be
taken that air can circulate, as this
is necessary to prevent the tobacco
from house-burning. Houseburned
tobacco will not sell, since it loses all
of it's substance, and is nothing more
than oak leaves, if house-burned.
Shipping and Grading.
When the tobacco has thoroughly
cured and is ready for stripping. the
first damp spell it can be handled
without shattering it should be ia
ken of the stalk and buked down,
but Judgment should be exercised in
that 1t should never be bulked down
when in too soft order or it may heat
and mould.
Small crops can only be graded in
four to five grades to advantage, but
1850. 20 o mn ~ & 00n roupda chOuld