314 THE CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



as large as a silver dollar. The plants are rather tender; 

 they require fine mellow soil, and to be set out when the 

 ground is moist or just before a rain. The French planters 

 who take special care of this crop, cover each plant with 

 a conical cup made of paper twisted into the desired shape, 

 and which protects the young plants from the sun until they 

 have become well rooted. The plants are protected from 

 frost and cold rains in the seed beds by a covering of brown 

 sheeting spread over a frame surrounding the bed. 



As soon as the plants are established in the field, each 

 one receives a small quantity of artificial fertilizer, a mix- 

 ture of hen manure, wood ashes, and plaster, is excellent 

 for this purpose; the large quantity of sulphuric acid and 

 lime in the ash calls for a corresponding supply of sulphate 

 of lime (plaster), and this is of great use to push the young 

 plants forward. The soil is kept fine and mellow by fre- 

 quent cultivation during the growth of the crop. The 

 great enemy of the tobacco plant is the larvse of a sphynx 

 moth, the same which depredates upon tomatoes, a very 

 large light green worm with oblique yellowish stripes 

 upon its sides. This worm will eat large holes in the leaves 

 in a night, and if left unmolested would soon strip the gtalks 

 bare and destroy the crop. They are sought out early in 

 the morning and at evening, and destroyed. Turkeys are 

 eager in the search for these worms, and a flock of them 

 kept in a field and fed there, will do good service in ridding 

 the plants of the pest. 



Another indispensable and constant labor is the removal 

 of the numerous suckers which grow from the axils of the 

 leaves as soon as they become large. These suckers are to- 

 be pinched off as soon as they appear, or they will seriously 

 retard the growth of the leaves. The object of the grower 

 is to get large well shaped perfect leaves; and to secure 

 this end, the plants are pushed into vigorous growth and 

 preserved from whatever may be an injury to them. A 

 profitable crop is not made without great watchfulness and 

 care, and the skill to do the right thing at the right lime. 

 The last process in the cultivation is the topping of the 



