604 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



yellow, it is a sign that more plant food is necessary, and this can be 

 applied in liquid form. The young plants should bo set out when 

 the leaves are about five inches long. Large plants are not desir- 

 able, as they grow spindling, while very small plants are likely to die 

 after transplanting if any unfavorable conditions develop. In trans- 

 planting, the beds should be thoroughly watered before pulling the 

 plants in order to avoid disturbing or injuring the roots. After 

 pulling the plants they should be placed in a basket, roots down- 

 ward, and set in a shaded, cool place until set out in the field. 



The preparation of the land for planting should be thorough, 

 and the soil should be in as good tilth as possible. Cover crops, such 

 as vetch, are desirable for plowing under. A disk cultivator is a 

 good implement to fine the surface soil, after which the land should 

 be fitted with drag and harrow, in order to get the surface as level 

 and fine as possible. The land is usually fertilized with well-rotted 

 barnyard manure, at the rate of from 8 to 12 tons per acre, plowing 

 it under in the spring. Frequently tobacco stems, at the rate of 

 from 500 to 600 pounds per acre, are used as a fertilizer in the 

 Broadleaf sections. Most crops of Broadleaf tobacco are grown on 

 these fertilizers alone, but in recent years the growers have begun 

 to apply about 1 ton of cotton-seed meal, 200 pounds of carbonate 

 of potash, and from 1 to 2 barrels of lime per acre in addition to the 

 usual tobacco starter. 



The seedlings of the Broadleaf variety are usually set in rows 

 4 feet apart and the plants from 22 to 24 inches apart in the rows. 

 In all cases water should be used in transplanting, even if the ground 

 be moist. If the plants are set by hand, one person distributes the 

 plants at the proper distance along the rows, followed by a man or 

 boy who, with a round stick, makes a hole for the plants. A third 

 person sets the plant in the holes and presses the soil firmly about 

 the roots, leaving the surface of the soil as loose as possible. As the 

 plants are set in the holes, a cupful of water should be poured into 

 the holes, and some growers prefer to add water to the plants directly 

 after they are set, although this practice leaves the soil about the 

 plants in such condition as to bake, especially during a hot, dry day. 



The object of the cultivation of the field is to keep the soil in 

 as good condition as possible and to prevent the growth of weeds and 

 the loss of soil moisture. In most cases a loose mulch should be 

 maintained by frequent, shallow, level cultivation. As the plants 

 grow, the soil should be stirred with a hoe around the plants. One 

 of the best cultivators is called the Prout hoe, which is adjustable to 

 the width of the rows, the small shovels leaving the surface with a 

 fine even texture. 



The topping process is necessary in order to direct the strength 

 of the plant into the development of the leaves. After topping, the 

 surface of the leaves very rapidly increases, the leaves thicken, and 

 the ripening processes are hastened. The Broadleaf plants are usu- 

 ally topped below the first large sucker. If it is found desirable to 

 hasten the ripening process, the plants are topped low, while if nec- 

 essary to prevent the development of too thick leaves the plants 



