28 VARIETIES OF TOBACCO SEED DISTRIBUTED IN 1905-6. 



with drag and harrow, in order to get the surface as level and fine as 

 possible. The land is usually fertilized with well- rotted barnyard 

 manure, at the rate of from 8 to 12 tons per acre, plowing it under in 

 the spring. Frequently tobacco stems, at the rate of from 5(>0 to 600 

 pounds per acre, are used as a fertilizer in the Broadleaf sections. 

 Most crops of Broadleaf tobacco are grown on these fertilizers alone, 

 but in recent years the growers have begun to apply about 1 ton of 

 cotton-seed meal, 200 pounds of carbonate of potash, and from 1 to 2 

 barrels of lime per acre in addition to the usual tobacco starter. 



The seedlings of the Broadleaf varietj^ are usually set in rows 4 feet 

 apart and the plants from 22 to 24 inches apart in the rows. In all 

 cases water should be used in transplanting, even if the ground be 

 moist. If the plants are set by hand, one person distributes the plants 

 at the proper distance along the rows, followed by a man or boy who, 

 with a round stick, makes a hole for the plants. A third person sets 

 the plants in the holes and presses the soil firmly about the roots, 

 leaving the surface of the soil as loose as possible. As the plants are 

 set in the holes, a cupful of water should be poured into the holes, 

 and some growers prefer to add water to the plants directlj^ after they 

 are set, although this practice leaves the soil about the plants in such 

 condition as to bake, especially during a hot, dry day. 



The object of the cultivation of the field is to keep the soil in as 

 good condition as possible and to prevent the growth of -weeds and the 

 loss of soil moisture. In most cases a loose mulch should be main- 

 tained by frequent, shallow , level cultivation. As the plants grow, the 

 soil should be stirred with a hoe around the plants. One of the best 

 cultivators is called the Prout hoe, which is adjustable to the width of 

 the rows, the small shovels leaving the surf ace with a fine even texture. 



The topping process is necessary in order to direct the strength of 

 the plant into the development of the leaves. After topping, the sur- 

 face of the leaves ver^^ rapidly increases, the leaves thicken, and the 

 ripening processes are hastened. The Broadleaf plants are usually 

 topped below the first large sucker. If it is found desirable to hasten 

 the ripening process, the plants are topped low, while if necessary to 

 prevent the development of too thick leaves the plants should be 

 topped high. Usually the topping process is delayed until most of 

 the flower buds appear, so that the topping can all be done in one 

 operation, hut many growers prefer to remove the buds as soon as 

 they appear, going over the field later and topping to the desired 

 height. As soon as the suckers appear they should be broken ofi', and 

 in order to do this effectively it is necessary to go over the field once 

 a week after the plants have been topped. 



The time to harvest the crop can only be determined by experience 

 with the strain which is grown. As a rule, a ripe leaf has a rough 

 feeling to the touch, and there is a change in the color of the leaf from 



