﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  173 
  

  

  home-made 
  manure 
  is 
  used, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  commercial 
  fer- 
  

   tilizer 
  is 
  very 
  nearly 
  doubled. 
  Peruvian 
  guano 
  has 
  been 
  

   generally 
  abandoned 
  in 
  raising 
  fine 
  tobacco. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   fertilizers 
  used 
  are 
  manufactured 
  especially 
  for 
  fine 
  tobacco 
  

   under 
  various 
  names 
  and 
  brands, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  rich 
  in 
  ammonia, 
  soluble 
  phosphates 
  and 
  potash. 
  

   Much 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  paid 
  to 
  home-made 
  manures, 
  

   stable 
  manure 
  being 
  generally 
  used 
  and 
  preferred 
  to 
  all 
  

   others, 
  and 
  giving 
  best 
  results 
  when 
  used 
  in 
  combination 
  

   with 
  commercial 
  fertilizers 
  — 
  the 
  latter 
  starting 
  the 
  plant 
  

   and 
  giving 
  quick 
  growth 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  finishing 
  the 
  growth, 
  

   giving 
  body 
  and 
  maturity. 
  Size 
  may 
  be 
  attained 
  without 
  

   manure 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  fertilizers 
  alone, 
  but 
  not 
  body. 
  Some 
  

   planters 
  make 
  their 
  own 
  fertilizers 
  by 
  treating 
  bone 
  dust 
  

   with 
  sulphuric 
  acid, 
  and 
  composts 
  are 
  also 
  made 
  of 
  muck 
  

   and 
  stable 
  manure. 
  Ashes 
  are 
  also 
  used, 
  and 
  by 
  some 
  

   guano 
  is 
  considered 
  especially 
  applicable 
  to 
  new 
  land'. 
  

  

  SEED-BEDS. 
  

  

  The 
  soil 
  selected 
  for 
  the 
  seed 
  bed 
  is 
  as 
  fine 
  as 
  flour, 
  \^ith 
  

   the 
  least 
  possible 
  admixture 
  of 
  coarse 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel, 
  in- 
  

   clined 
  to 
  be 
  moist, 
  but 
  not 
  wet, 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  drained. 
  

   The 
  sowing 
  is 
  done 
  sometimes 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  December 
  1, 
  

   and 
  again 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  April, 
  but 
  January 
  and 
  

   February 
  are 
  preferred. 
  

  

  Usually 
  the 
  plants 
  appear 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  March 
  if 
  the 
  

   sowing 
  has 
  been 
  timel}', 
  and 
  arc 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  grown 
  for 
  

   transplanting 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  May. 
  

  

  Plants 
  are 
  read}^ 
  for 
  setting 
  out 
  when 
  the 
  leaves 
  are 
  about 
  

   3 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  three 
  fingers, 
  but 
  for 
  old 
  

   ground 
  the 
  plants 
  should 
  be 
  larger, 
  and 
  leaves 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  inches 
  

   long. 
  

  

  transplanting 
  tobacco. 
  

  

  Planters 
  generally 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  lOlh 
  of 
  May 
  is 
  soon 
  

   enough 
  to 
  begin 
  transplanting, 
  and 
  that 
  successive 
  plant- 
  

   ings 
  are 
  desirable, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  crop 
  may 
  not 
  all 
  mature 
  

   at 
  once. 
  Later 
  than 
  the 
  10th 
  of 
  June 
  is 
  not 
  looked 
  upon 
  

   with 
  favor 
  by 
  the 
  best 
  planters. 
  Planting 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   done 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  August, 
  but 
  never 
  with 
  expecta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  very 
  moderate 
  returns. 
  If 
  set 
  out 
  too 
  

   early, 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  damaged 
  by 
  cold, 
  and 
  to 
  

  

  