THE GENESEE FARMER. 



SOY 



eoof) with a board Jioor; as roosting on the damp 

 grouud is u prolific source of disease, and hundreds 

 of young chickens die annually for the want of a 

 little care in this respect. The coop may be placed 

 in any convenient situatioQ in the yard, where the 

 chicks may run in and out at pleai^ure, to catch the 

 flies and insects, so numerous at this season of the 

 year. They should be fed regularly twice a day — 

 early in the morning and aiiout four o'clock in the 

 evening — with corn meal well nii.\ed with water; and 

 the hen should be supplied with a little shelled corn 

 every day. 



When the chicks are about a week old, they may 

 be permitted to roam at large with the hen, when the 

 dew has dried off the grass, and on pleasant days; 

 but must be returned to the coop every evening at 

 feeding time, as they should always be fed where the 

 elder fowls cannot deprive them of their allowance. 

 Fresli water should be supplied them every morning 

 in a shallow vessel. 



When five or six weeks old, thej may be consid- 

 ered out of danger, and left at liberty to roam with 

 the other fowls. I neglected to state that the 

 poultry must have a constant supply of fresh water, 

 «s it is indispensable to their health and productive- 

 oess. 



As the farmer who adopts this plan will have 

 many fowls to dispose of annually, he should always 

 keep those which incline to lay and roost, in the 

 hen-house, and one cock to every twelve or fifteen 

 hens will be sufficient. Hens which roost about the 

 barn or other out buildings, and steal their nests in 

 some secret place, cause more trouble than they are 

 worth, and shouid be the first to be parted with. 



By feeding in the manner recommended, they will 

 be in good order for the table at all times. 



Salem, Ohio. David Strket. 



OW THE CULTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF 

 TOBACCO. 



Before any one undertakes to cultivate tobacco, 

 he should consider well whether he is so situated 

 that he can make it profitable. And to arrive at a 

 sore conclusion, he should understand thoroughly 

 the whole modus operandi, for there is no crop that 

 requires such constant attention, nor any that suffers 

 more from neglect. 



Best Soil foe Tobacco. — New land is the best 

 for tobacco, not only that it is more free from cut 

 worms and weeds, but the soil is not liable to bake, 

 but remains loose, no matter how much rain falls. 

 I always prefer oak land to the bottoms, for though 

 it does rot produce as heavy tobacco, it will bring a 

 finer article, and is much easier handled without in- 



Preparing thk Seed Beds. — When clearing the 

 land, it is best to pile some very large brush heaps to 

 be burned as soon as the frost is out of the ground, 

 and it becomes sufficiently dry. Care should be 

 taken to have plenty of them, for they are for plant 

 beds, and better have five times too many plants 

 than to be lacking. When these heaps are burned 

 to ashes, dig the ground, ashes and all together; 

 rake and pulverize thoroughly; mark it off in equal 

 distances, that you may sow your seed as evenly as 

 possible; then sow about one table spoonful of ieed 

 to thirty feet square. The seed should be mixed 

 wjth dry ashes, that they may be more equally dis- 



tributed. Now press the bed all over with the feet. 

 This presses the seed 8uffi;iently deep in the gronnd 

 Cover the beds with brush as a protection fiom lat** 

 frosts; and after the plants are up, if the weather I* 

 dry, water occasionally with water in which good 

 manure has been soaked. It is desirable 1o hav*-. 

 the plants large enough to set as soon as possible 

 otherwise a season may be lost, as has been th-^ 

 case here this year. 



Prhparinq the Land and SfiTTiNa out rar. 

 Plants. — As soon as the ground is in plowing ord-i, 

 the tobacco ground should be broke. Then aboiu 

 the first of June or earlier, if the plants say so, cnw-' 

 plow, and do it well; then harrow completely; tli ■ 

 ground should be put in the best possible order. I 

 should next be laid off, or what is b( t'er, two I'urrov s 

 thrown together, forming a ridge. 'I'hese furrows 'ir 

 ridges should be three and a half feet apart. Th* 

 crop will be easier managed if the gp und is maikt <ii 

 off the other way, as it then can be plo A'ed each w u.\ 



The first (jood season should be made use of n'ti- 

 the leaves of the plants are the size of a dollar. '1 ii*- 

 plants are to be set on the ridges, taking cpie u> 

 press the earth well to the roots. It is betier "t* 

 have hands enough to set all the ground pre[8!t;i, 

 at once, than to depend on future season.?. A f-r 

 the plants are set, all that is necessary is to keep rlw 

 ground clean until they have shown ten or tw«,!-e 

 leaves. 



Topping the Plants — Now the cultivator inn -t 

 begin to use hi-i best judgment-, for the plants mus; !>(» 

 topped, and if top^^ed too low there is waste; ii t,> > 

 high there is danger of their growing too long i ii i 

 being caught by frost; but, as a general rule, at. c 

 breaking off a few of the bottom leaves, whc h U 

 called priming, pinch out the top or bud just abo.e 

 the tenth leat With a little practice it will not !>« 

 difficult to determine where to top. It will be doc s- 

 sary to go over the patch several times befoie f '«• 

 process is completed, as the plants are not all tS,.- 

 same size. When the top is broken out the suckt.^ 

 start, and show themselves directly at the I utr. fS 

 every leaf. These should be pinched out, tnd \l.ti 

 patch should be gone over every week for tl.is p :,- 

 pose. 



In about three or four weeks after topping, tl"» 

 tobacco will become of a lighter hue, and son.ewhii; 

 spotted. The time to cut can be ascertained It 

 doubling a small portion of the leaf; if it breuk .i 

 will be found to be ripe. 



Cutting, Housing and Cueing. — Now we have 

 got through with the cultivation of the weed, Lut 

 what we have done is almost nothing. Now con.+** 

 the tug, the cutting, housing and curing. If the it • 

 bacco is generally ripe it is better to cut all clean ;i< 

 we go, than to have unripe plants for another cutlii g. 

 Great care should be taken in handling not to bruise 

 the plants, as every bruise will show when curtd. 

 When cut it should be laid with the butt to the tuh, 

 and as soon as wilted it should be drawn to tie 

 barn, where the hands are ready to stick and harg. 

 The speediest way is to have one end of the sti(i 

 sharpened, that an iron spear with a socket may be 

 put upon it, the other end to be put in a large au}.er 

 hole at a proper height. 'I'he plant can now be run 

 on the stick over the spear quite fast. Ten or twelve 

 large plants will be enough for a four feet stick. 

 When a quantity of sticks are filled, they should be 

 hang. Begin at one side aod ^ from top to bottom, 



