TOPPING 469 



plants go. An opening is made with a peg or dibble and the plant 

 is inserted and the dirt firmed. If the soil is not moist enough, 

 some water will have to be poured in each hole. It is better to 

 set in cloudy weather and late in the day when this is practicable. 



Seasons for Setting in Different Regions. Tobacco is trans- 

 planted when the season gets warm so the plants will grow well with- 

 out being stunted. In Florida this would be in March, in Georgia 

 in April. In South Carolina planting begins in April, and runs 

 through May and into early June in North Carolina and Virginia. 

 In Tennessee and Kentucky planting begins in the latter part of 

 May and should end in the first half of June. In Ohio transplant- 

 ing is done in the first three weeks of June. In Pennsylvania and 

 Wisconsin transplanting is done in June, the best time being not far 

 from the middle of the month. In the Connecticut Valley the 

 tobacco is set the last of May or early in June. 



CARE OF THE GROWING CROP 



Cultivation. The cultivation of tobacco should begin soon after 

 the plants are set, at least by the time they take root, and should 

 be continued at frequent intervals so long as the growth of the 

 plants will permit. It is often an advantage to cultivate rather 

 deep early to let air down into the soil and warm it. In a droughty 

 year this would be of doubtful value. After this the aim in culti- 

 vation should be to preserve a dust mulch and to prevent the growth 

 of weeds. The hoe should be used just enough to keep the weeds 

 down. 



Topping. The aim of the grower is to develop all good mature 

 leaves as nearly as possible. To this end he removes the flower 

 heads of the plants when enough leaves have formed. Another 

 important reason for topping is that blooming and forming seed is 

 exhausting to the plant and damages the quality of leaf. Only the 

 plants that are to produce seed are allowed to bloom. Others are 

 topped when enough leaves have formed, when the button of the 

 bloom appears or when the plants begin to bloom. The practice 

 varies with the section. However, it is pretty certain that nothing 

 is gained in quality by allowing a plant to open its flowers before 

 topping. The number of leaves varies with the purpose for which 

 the tobacco is grown, the variety and the soil. Ten or twelve leaves 



