CHAPTER XVI 



THE TOBACCO CROP 



THERE is no crop grown which varies so much in 

 character and quahty in various soils and under 

 various cHmatic conditions as tobacco. This 

 fact has become so well known that growers have found 

 that in their sections only certain kinds can be grown, 

 and hence they have adhered to the kinds that are best 

 produced in their soil and cHmate. Therefore, in the 

 treatment of the culture of tobacco we will take up the 

 different sorts that are produced in this country separately. 

 It has become the almost imiversal prac- 

 the Plants ^^^^ ^^^^ tobacco growers in all parts of the 

 country to prepare their beds for the growing 

 of the plants by selecting a piece of land near the forest 

 that is purely virgin soil, and that is sheltered from the 

 colder winds. A sunny southern exposure is preferred so 

 that the plants may be brought forward as early as practi- 

 cable. The soil should be one that is well darkened by an 

 abundance of humus or vegetable decay, the dark color of 

 which renders it more absorbent of heat and also retentive 

 of moisture. All growth is cleared from the land and the 

 roots grubbed out. Brush and fire wood are then piled 

 over the spot and fired long enough to bum the upper 

 layer of the soil to a reddish-brown color, and to entirely 

 destroy the seeds of grass and weeds that may be in it. 



217 



