State Agricultural Society. 283 



one such box for each variety, and mark each box accordingly! The 

 purpose of this is to avoid mixing varieties, which is almost inevitable 

 where the same box is used for all, and will be found vexatious later in 

 the season, as will be seen when the different methods of handling dif- 

 ferent varieties are considered. Next, sift of wood ashes enough to fill 

 the box to a depth of nearly four inches, which will be about eight quarts 

 to each square foot of area. Slightly moisten them so that the mass 

 will adhere just enough to admit of being sliced down with a thin pad- 

 dle without tumbling over; this will be damp enough to prevent their 

 blowing away before light airs, but not damp enough to stick in lumps. 

 (All this work with the ashes as well as the subsequent sowing should 

 be done with buckskin gloves on; otherwise the damp ashes will cause 

 ugly sores on the hands.) Now add the seed at the rate of one table- 

 spoonful — taken up as full as the seed will rest on the spoon — to each 

 quart of the ashes. Mix the seed thoroughly throughout the - mass, and, 

 to see that the mixing is thorough, pat smooth one or two square 

 inches in different parts of the mass, and see that the number of seeds 

 thereby rendered visible is about equal in each. This affords the only 

 guarantee that the plants will come evenly in the beds, when they may 

 be expected to develop with the desired uniformity. Finally, run the 

 mixture through the sieve, which assists the uniformity of* the distribu- 

 tion. Two ounces of seed, containing twelve tablespoon i'uls, will sow 

 three of the one-hundred-foot beds; that is, each bed requires four table-- 

 spoonfuls, or two thirds of an ounce. Tobacco seeds are so minute as to 

 be quite invisible when scattered on the ground, and therefore this mix- 

 ture of them with ashes is needful in order that the sower may be able 

 to see what he is doing, and get them evenly distributed over the bed. 



Prepare also a light roller, the handles of three by one and one half 

 inch stuff, about six feet long; the roller itself to be six to eight inches 

 in diameter, and two feet long. 



When ready to sow, shape out of a shingle a paddle about four inches 

 broad. Convey the box of' ashes and seed, prepared as above, to the 

 beds, along with a tin pan of convenient size — say about that of an or- 

 dinary milkpan. Smooth the ashes to an even depth over the bottom of 

 the box, and measure it to see that it is even. Then with the paddle 

 mark off the surface into equal rectangles, each say ten to twelve inches 

 on a side. Each rectangle will thus become the surface of a rectangular 

 solid of ashes (which we will call a cube), four inches dee]); and each 

 cube thus indicated will contain six to eight quarts. It is supposed 

 that the quantity of seed contained in each will also be equal. Knowing 

 the total quantitj^ of seed put into the box, and the number of cubes 

 marked off, the amount of seed in each is also known. The next step, 

 therefore, is to mark off on the beds the space that one of these cubes 

 will sow at the rate above allowed — viz: four tablespoonfuls to each 

 hundred foot bed. With the paddle transfer one of the cubes to the tin 

 pan, trimming down evenly the sides of the mass whence it was taken. 

 Mix it well again in the pan, to insure the seed being distributed uni- 

 formly over ever} 7 part of the bed. Before beginning to sow, mark off 

 the north line of the bed. Now scatter the ashes very lightly over the 

 bed, going up on one side and down on the other — so lightly as to make 

 the round of the bed three times before the supply is used up. All this 

 pains is needed even by a practiced hand to get the seed sown uniformly. 

 Sow well up to the north line (marked); thus you will sow something 

 over the south line, which is allowed for in the above apportionment of 



