224 Practical Farming 



for use in the hills at planting time. One hundred and 

 fifty pounds will be sufficient for this purpose. 



The common practice is to check the land 



CroD ^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ small plow and at the 



intersections to apply the fertilizer kept for 

 the hills and on it to make with the hoe a broad flat hill, 

 mixing the fertilizer well with the soil. If the land is 

 newly cleared there will be need of a smaller amount of 

 fertilizer broadcast, but with this class of tobacco heavy 

 fertilization will always pay well, as well as on the thinner 

 soils devoted to the yellow cigarette leaf. The plants are 

 set in the dark tobacco districts about the first week in 

 May, taking advantage of the moisture in the ground 

 after a rain, but never when the land is mucky from too 

 heavy a rain. In that case wait till the surplus water has 

 had time to soak in or evaporate. One hand can drop 

 plants for two setting them, and the implement used is the 

 ordinary dibble. Machines have recently come into use 

 that enable two rows to be set at once by planters sitting 

 on the machine, the machine watering them as set. For 

 large plantations these planting machines are great savers 

 of labor. 



The modem practice of shallow and flat culture is as 

 well adapted to the tobacco crop as to any other, though 

 the majority of the growers still adhere to 

 The Cultiva- ^he plow and hoe hilHng. As soon as the 

 tion of the , ^ i ,• , i ^ , 



Cj-qP plants are estabushed from the transplanting, 



run the weeder through to loosen the surface 

 and to destroy any weeds just germinating. All subse- 

 quent cultivation can be best done with a small tooth 

 two-horse riding cultivator going in both directions. In 



