11 



IV. Raising the Plants. 



The first operation necessary in starting tobacco grow- 

 ing is the making of a seed-bed for raising the plants. A 

 warm sheltered position should be selected for this. It is 

 a common plan to burn a pile of brush-wood on the land 

 selected for raising the plants to supply potash, and at the 

 same time destroying^the seeds of weeds, or the eggs of 

 insects. 



A more recent plan of raising the plants is under a cov- 

 erino; of cheese cloth in a hot bed. Plate Xo. 1 is an 



illustration of the modern 

 method of covering the 

 plants during their 

 growth both in the open 

 air and hot beds. The 

 area of the seed bed will 

 of course depend upon 

 the extent of the proposed 

 cultivation and as usually 

 about one square inch in 

 space is allowed to each 

 young plant in the seed- 

 bed, it will require a seed- 

 bed of thirty-six square 

 feet, say nine by fourfeet^ 

 to supply plants for an 

 acre planted at equal dis- 

 tances of three feet apart. 

 An ouncecontains enough 

 seed to plant from six to 

 seven acres, but as it has 

 not a high percentage of 

 vitality it is usual to sow 

 •*> 'at the rate of half an» 



