THE FAUMEUS' llEGISTER. 



Vol. IX. 



MAY 31, 1841. 



No. 5. 



EDMUND RUFF IN, EDITOR AND PUOPRIET-OR. 



PRIZE ESSAY. 



From tlie Kentucky Fanner. 



The undersigned have examined the essay on 

 tobacco, submitted to them by the Kentucky 

 Slate Agricultural Society, and award the pre- 

 mium to that signed " A. Bealty." 



John Calhoon, 

 John H. JNIcHekuy. 

 James F. Ijuckner. 

 Thos. Towles, Jr. 

 Dec. 31, 1S40. 



AN ESSAY ON THK CULTIVATION OF TO- 

 BACCO.* 



The first step in ihe process of tobacco culture 

 is to make provision lor an abundant supply ol' 

 plants. Tobacco seed are very small, and the 

 plants, when they first spring Irom ihe ground, 

 grow very slowly, and would soon be smothered 

 by weeds if not carefully guarded against. The 

 places selected for plant beds should be such as 

 would not be likely to produce many weeds. New 

 ground, or that wliich has been long set in grass, 

 would be best lor this purpose. To guard siill 

 further against weeds, and to ensure a thriliy 

 growth of plants, it is essential that the place in 

 which the seed are to be sown should be burnt. 

 A light burning with slra%or other light material 

 will not be sufficient. A good coat of brush laid 

 upon the ground intended to be used for a plant 

 bed, and arranged so closely as to make it burn 

 readily, serves best for the purpose. Care must 

 be taken also, belore laying on the brush, to rake 

 all trash from the ground, so that the heat may 

 readily destroy the seeds of any weeds whicii 

 may have been deposited there. New ground is 

 always to be prefi?,rred lor plant beds, and brush 

 as the material for burning the ground. But if 

 the tobacco planter have no new ground, then he 

 must substitute grass land in its stead, and this 

 should be well burned by having a range of logs 

 (those which are seasoned answer best) laid 

 along one edge of the ground intended for a plant 

 bed, and heaped up sufficiently to make them 

 burn readily. These must be set on fire, and 

 after burning the ground which they cover sulli- 

 ciently, they must be moved by means of hooks, 

 to the adjacent ground not yet burnt ; and so on. 



* For this essay a premium was awarded by the 

 Agricultural Society of Kentucky. The friend to 

 whom we were much indebted recently, for the notes 

 to an essay on the same subject from Maryland, speaks 

 of this one as follows : 



" This essay on tobacco I consider very valuable. 

 It is apparent, however, that the management of the 

 crop for market is not such as would be approvt-d 

 amongst our best planters in Virginia. The dilierent 

 quahties are not separated, but are " prized" uj) toi^e- 

 thtr — short and long, rich and thin, dark and bright, 

 are put uito the same hogshead. This evidently in- 

 jures the sale of the better qualities, and does not much 

 enhance the value of the inferior." 

 Vol. IX.— 17- A 



in succession, until the entire space intended for 

 a plant bed is burnt, if one set of logs is not 

 sullicient to burn a space as large as will be ne- 

 cessary, others must be added so as to enlarge 

 the space, or they nuiy be burut atdifliurent places 

 as may be most convenient. 



Where sod ground is iutended to be used, it 

 would be advantageous to have the sod lightly 

 skinned oft with sharp hoes, belore the space ia 

 burnt over. . 



Alter the ground is burnt it must stand suffi- 

 ciently long to cool, and then the ashes should be 

 carelully removed. The ground should now be 

 dug up wiih hoes, to the depth of two or three 

 inches, and so as to pulverize it as much as possi 

 ble; and should be well raked with an iron tooth 

 rake, so as to break up the soil into the most mi- 

 nute parts, it will now be ready (or sowing the 

 seed. It is important that this operation should 

 be as regular as possible ; and care should be 

 taken to put the proper quantity of seed upon the 

 ground, if sowed too thick, the plants will be 

 so much crowded as to injure their growth. If 

 sowed too thin, a deficiency of plant may be the 

 consequence. A common silver table spoonful 

 ol seed will be suificient for fifty square yards. 

 More than that quantity should not be sowed on 

 that space of ground. But if the ground prepar- 

 ed be abundant, the plants would grow more 

 thrifty by sowing a spoonlul of seed on seventy 

 or eighty square yards. The seed allotted for a 

 particular bed should be put into a vessel half 

 filled with fine mould or earth, and stirred so 

 thoroughly as to cause the seed to be equally dis- 

 tributed in all its pans. It should now be sepa- 

 rated into two e(]ual divisions. And the plant 

 bed having been divided into convenient lands for 

 sowing, one portion should be sowed as equally 

 as possible in one direction, and the other portion 

 in Ihe same bed, in the opposite direction. The 

 plant bed should now be well raked with an iron 

 tooth rake, both ways, and should then be well 

 trodden by the leet of men or boys, so as to 

 render the loose soil firm and compact. The 

 bed should be thinly covered over with bru'sh to 

 keep it moist and to protect the plants from li-ost. 

 Plant beds should be prepared and sown as early 

 in February as the weather will admit ; thou^fi 

 it will be in good time if sown any time in that 

 month. 



Tobacco requires a rich soil, and that whicli is 

 new or nearly so, answers best. Next to ground 

 .which has been recently cleared, lands which 

 have been long in grass, especially if pastured by 

 sheep, answers best lor tobacco, in preparing 

 ground tor tobacco, great care should be taken 

 to plough it deep, and pulverize it completely. 

 Grass land inte/ided for tobacco, should always 

 be ploughed the previous fall. And it ia better 

 that all kinds of land intended for that purpose, 

 should be ploughed in time to have the benefit 

 of the previous winter frosts. It should be kept 

 light and free Irom weeds, by repeated ploughings, 

 till near ihe time of planting. It should then be 

 laid off' into ridges, by a single horse plough. 



