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Preparing for Planting. — The land used for the Variety- 

 Experiment was poor, sandy up-land. It was cultivated in 

 tobacco the year previous and after the crop came off, the 

 land was plowed, fertilized and seeded with rye for winter 

 soiling. After the rye was used for feeding purposes, the 

 stubble was plowed-under the 23d of April and this plot of 

 ground prepared for the tobacco Variety Experiment. 



The rows were laid-off with a shovel plow, and the amount 

 of fertilizers, as is shown in the table, was applied to each 

 plot, mixed with the soil with a shovel furrow and then 

 bedded-on with a Dixie plow. On May 1st, afternoon, plant- 

 ing commenced on the Variety Experiment by hauling water, 

 and a few rows were set out. In the afternoon of May 2d 

 and morning of the 3d, sufficient rain fell and all the plots 

 of this Experiment were planted. 



May 14th. Gentle rain commenced at 12.30 this day and 

 continued until night. 



The next day this Experiment was replanted — that is, 

 plants were put in all missing hills. Most of the plants used 

 at this time were overgrown and spindling, and were taken 

 from the burnt bed in the woods. The few plants that were 

 not killed in the bed at the Horticultural Grounds were 

 overgrown even before the time of planting and on that ac- 

 count were not used in any of the experiments. 



May 23d. The missing hills in this Experiment were again 

 re-planted. More of the Cigar varieties were missing than the 

 plug varieties. 



June 18th. Slight rain in the evening, the first rain suffi- 

 cient to moisten the ground since the 23d of May. 



June 19. — Another light rain and this with the rain of the 

 18th made a fair season for putting out plants. All the plots 

 in this experiment were gone over and every missing hill 

 replanted. There was no further replanting done on this 

 Variety Experiment as a fair stand was secured. The experi- 

 ment was worked mostly with plow, receiving one or two 

 workings with the hoe. Notwithstanding the season was 

 dry, some of the first plants set out grew rapidly, and on 



