RAISING SEED. 151 



2. As to the Soil The best is a rich, friable, 

 black virgin loam, or sandy soil. Black is preferable 

 because it absorbs to a greater degree the rays of the sun, 

 and brings forward the plants several days earlier, which 

 is highly important to the tobacco grower. A differ- 

 ence of a few days often makes the difference between a 

 rich, fancy article and a dull-colored, frosty one. The 

 preference in the Clarksville heavy-shipping district is a 

 spot in the woods, covered with a dense, hazel thicket, 

 or black gum with a few scrub hickories. This wild 

 growth invariably indicates rich, loose, deep soil, with a 

 large content of potash. In the White Burley district 

 of Kentucky, beds are 



originally burned and 

 prepared on old sod 

 lands. Many good i 

 farmers select a place 1 

 in their vegetable gar- 

 den, cover it with vir- 

 gin mold taken from 

 the woods, and SOW it FIG. 20. BASKET FOB CARRYING PLANTS. 

 after thoroughly burning the land. In the North a 

 dark but rather sandy soil is preferred as best adapted to 

 a strong growth of roots ; the surface does not bake or 

 crack when dry, and the plants can be lifted easily with- 

 out much damage. 



3. As to Burning. The wild growth should be 

 cut off near the surface of the ground with an axe, not 

 dug up ; the leaves carefully raked from the land, and 

 then, beginning at one side, a layer of trash should be 

 put down longitudinally, until it is about four feet high 

 and four wide. Against this, brush should be set up, 

 nearly vertically, leaning just enough to prevent it from 

 falling back on the bed. This is continued until about 

 eight feet of the length of the bed is passed over, when 

 a layer of wood, eight feet long, is set on the end lean- 



