SCHOPF AMERICAN TRAVELS. 



leaves of this tobacco vastly stronger and pleasanter than those of 

 northern Virginia and Maryland, which are milder and lighter on 

 the tongue. In Maryland the plants are let grow until they have 

 8-I0-I2 or more leaves before they are topp'd, that is, the tops are 

 broken off so as to check the upward growth ; but in this region the 

 rule is to let the plants come to but 6, or at most 8 leaves, and 

 it is thought that better tobacco is thus obtained. Here they raise 

 much "Sweetscented Tobacco," which requires a good, light soil, and 

 from its stronger quality should make particularly good snuff-tobacco. 

 "Long-green Tobacco" has great, fat, long leaves, and does best on 

 a strong soil. "Kitefoot" is an agreeable, Hghter sort, and thrives 

 on light, sandy soils. "Varinas" gets its name from Varina, the 

 splendid estate of a Mr. Randolph on James River. It is said that the 

 tobacco raised about Little Frederick, and called "Frederick," makes 

 exceptionally good canaster. Other varieties of this plant are the 

 Oronooko, Hudson. Thick joint. Thickset, Shoestring, and many more, 

 grown on divers kinds of soil, requiring different treatment, and only 

 the planters themselves being able to distinguish between them. 



Cotton (Gossvpiurn herhaceum) is raised here and there, even in 

 Maryland, but is far oftener seen in this more southern region. As 

 yet none is exported, the people themselves using all they produce. 

 This is an annuil plant, and requires either good new land or land 

 well dunged. The seed planted not all coming up, six or eight grams, 

 towards the first of May, or earlier (when nisfht-frosts are supposed 

 to be past), are placed in little hills thrown up three to four feet apart. 

 When these come up, the weaker plants are pulled out, so as to give 

 the few remaining more nourishment. After the plant has reached 

 a height of a foot or a foot and a half, earth must be newly heaped 

 up about it, and all foul growth weeded out : and continuing to grow 

 until there are four or five side-branches, the plants are broken off at 

 the top, and when these side-branches have each put out four or five 

 buds, the ends of the branches themselves are broken off, so as not 

 to let them grow into long, barren stems ; but in this item there is not 

 everywhere (especially in Carolina) the same sort of careful atten- 

 tion. Moreovci-, the suckers, or young side-sprouts, must be nipped 

 off. All this done the plants are let bloom, mature, and stand in the 

 field until there is onportunity to take them in. which is often not until 

 late in October. The blooms stand only two days, white on the first, 

 yellow on the second, and then falling, after which comes a pod-fruit 

 of the size of a walnut, and this finallv opens. They have two varie- 

 ties of this plant, one with a rough, and the other with a smooth seed, 

 but there is no marked difference between the plants. Many people 

 select carefully the smooth seed, and plant nothing else, the wool from 

 it admitting of easier separation, by means of a hand-mill, between 

 two wooden cylinders moving lightly the one over the other. Ants 

 often damage the seed in the ground ; and to keep them off, the seeds 

 are mixed with ashes, luke-warm water poured over, and let stand over- 

 night; in this way the seed swell a little, and the ants, it is said, do 



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