42 TOBACCO. 



soot, 1 quart of salt dissolved in 2 gallons of liquid from 

 barnyard, and 4 lb, of pulverized sulphur, the whole well 

 intermixed. Let a large quantity be got together early 

 in the spring, or winter rather, and put away in barrels 

 for use when wanted. This, and other such mixtures, 

 have been found efficacious in arresting the ravages of the 

 fly — both from the frequent dusting of the plants and the 

 increased vigour which it imparts to them, thereby en- 

 abling the plant the sooner to get out of the tender state 

 in which the fly is most destructive to it. The fly is a 

 small black insect, somewhat like the flea, and delights in 

 cold, dry, harsh weather, but disappears with the mild 

 showers and hot suns of opening summer. If possible, the 

 plants should stand in the bed from ^ inch to 1 inch apart, 

 and if they are too thick they must be raked when they 

 have generally become as large as 5 or 10-cent pieces. 

 The rake proper for the purpose should be a small 

 common rake, with iron teeth 3 inches long, curved at the 

 points, teeth flat, and f inch wide, and set ^ inch apart." 



Schneider, whose success as an Illinois planter has 

 already been mentioned, expresses himself thus : — " Eais- 

 ing tobacco-plants from seed is somewhat similar to 

 raising cabbage-plants, but is different in two important 

 things : It takes considerably more time for the seed to 

 sprout (six weeks), and, on account of disturbing the 

 roots, cannot well stand weeding. Therefore the prin- 

 cipal care in providing the seed-bed is, to prepare for the 

 early starting of the seed, and to have the bed free from 

 all weed-seeds. In the West we prepare the seed-bed in 

 the following manner : we take a plot of land — newly 

 cleared land is preferred — sloping southward, and pro- 



