State Agricultural Society. 277 



freely does atmospheric air enter its pores to warm it. Bearing in mind 

 what I have said as to the importance of having the plants take an early- 

 start toward making growth (which they can only do in warm land), 

 the importance of bringing the soil to this condition will be obvious. 

 Further, the chemical action within the soil, by which plant food is 

 formed, thus goes on more rapidly, and tobacco is one of the most avid 

 consumers of food among all cultivated plants. And finally, the larvae 

 of insects — cut worms and other like pests — are turned up to the frost, 

 which is probably the most effectual means of being rid of them during 

 the coming season. Harrowing the lands the same day they are plowed 

 is a generallj' safe rule for insuring the clods being properly broken and 

 the soil brought to a condition of due tilth. The need of this will be 

 apparent from these considerations: if there be clods in the soil when 

 it comes to be molded into ridges, they will be thrown together in the 

 body of the ridge. When the planter comes to prod the hole for the 

 young plant, one of three things, will be apt to happen: either, first ? he 

 will find a clod on top where his plant is to be set, when he must stop 

 to break it with his foot, thereby delaying him; or, second, his prod will 

 run into a clod that is covered over with loose earth, into which the 

 rootlets of the baby plant must pierce for sustenance, when it will not 

 thrive; or, third, the prod may penetrate into the cavity between two 

 clods, in which said rootlers will be left dangling, when the plant will 

 die. It ought to be obvious that the profit of the crop will depend in 

 an important measure in getting a good "stand" at the first planting. 

 Next to the exercise of reasonable care in setting the young plants, this 

 is best insured by putting the land in thoroughly good condition to 

 receive them. It is practicable, when all the work is well done, to avoid 

 losing over one per cent to three per cent of the plants first set. It is 

 easy, where any part of the work is slighted, to lose twenty-five per 

 cent. Aside from the consideration of securing a good and early start 

 to all the plants, the mere money cost of resetting dead plants exceeds 

 several times over that of first putting the land in proper order. 



Whether or not this deep cultivation can be done equally effectually 

 by turning six or seven inches of soil and running a subsoil plow the 

 remaining five or six inches, is matter for consideration. Perhaps after 

 the first year's cultivation this plan would work equally well. In case 

 the layer of rich surface soil should not be over six to eight inches deep, 

 underlain by a decidedly barren subsoil, the subsoil plow ought un- 

 doubtedly to be used, and thus avoid bringing up the barren soil. It is 

 to be remarked that no saving in labor, either of hands or team, would 

 be effected by it, but as the draft would be lighter the work could be 

 got through with by a lighter team — say only three good horses. 



The very deep plowing here insisted upon may seem appalling to those 

 who have never seen a plow run more than six or seven inches deep. 

 Yet English farmers habitually plow twelve inches, fifteen inches, and 

 even eighteen inches deep, for their ordinary grain as well as root crops. 

 With horse-power, and in new soils, these depths are impracticable. 

 Those farmers use steam, and those depths have been reached by a long 

 continued system of cultivation that has progressively attained increas- 

 ing depths. But it is observable that their experience has justified this 

 system, and that it constitutes one of the elements that contribute to 

 maintain the average yield of English wheat at" thirty bushels to the 

 acre. Tobacco, as grown in America, is a more valuable crop than wheat 

 in England, and the planter ought not therefore to shrink from at least 

 equal labor in its production. 



