TOBACCO 



133 



The seed bed. — The tobacco seed is quite small and the young 

 seedling is very sensitive to excessive heat or drought so that it 

 is necessary to develop the young plant from the seed in a cold 

 frame until it is large enough for transplanting to the field. The 

 soil for the seed bed should be open and mellow, containing suf- 

 ficient organic matter to retain moisture and to prevent baking 

 and must be well drained. Unless virgin soil in the woods is 

 available, the surface should be sterilized by using surface fires^ 

 or by steaming. After the soil has been brought to a fine tilth 

 the seed are sown evenly, using a tablespoonful for one hundred 

 square yards of seed bed and covered vvry lujhtly. Twenty 



I .m 



Fu;. 4(). — Tobacco curing barn in Kentucky, of the type used for air-curing. 



square yards of seed bed should furnish sufficient plants for 

 setting one acre. The seed bed should be covered with glass or 

 cheese cloth supported by a frame of boards or logs. The plants 

 are ready for the field when three to five inches high, that is, six 

 to ten weeks after planting. Seed beds are planted in February 

 in the South, up to and through April in northern districts. 



Transplanting and cultivation. — The land should be prepared 

 about the same as for corn, the rows being spaced three to four 

 feet apart. The seedlings should be pulled from the bed and 

 transplanted when the soil is quite moist, if possible, for other- 

 wise watering may be necessary. For considerable acreages on 

 smooth land the machine transplanter should be used, other-\dse 



