208 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



heat to cause the seed to germinate. Tobacco seed germinates in from 

 ten to fourteen days under normal conditions. 



In the Southern states it may be necessary to weed the plant beds, and 

 wherever weeds or grass appear in the bed they should immediately be 

 pulled out. From six to seven weeks after sowing the seed the young plants 

 will be ready to transplant to the field. The cloth cover should be removed 

 for a few days prior to transplanting so as to harden the plants, and the 

 beds should be well watered before the plants are pulled in order to lessen 

 the injury to the roots. Plants should be taken from the plant-bed in the 

 early morning and placed in a shady place until used. 



Preparation of the Soil. — Tobacco requires a good seed-bed, therefore, 

 the preparation of the soil is one of importance, and although the minor 

 details of soil preparation may differ in the various tobacco districts, the 

 ultimate object should be the same. Fields intended for tobacco culture 

 should be plowed the previous fall to a depth of at least ten or twelve inches, 

 and, if it is desirable, as in some localities, to apply stable manure,this should 

 be applied at the rate of from fifteen to twenty loads to the acre, broadcasted 

 over the field before plowing. Lime has been found beneficial upon some 

 tobacco soils and should be applied after the land is plowed, and disked in 

 during the preparation of the seed-bed. 



The spring preparation of the soil depends largely upon the method 

 to be used in transplanting the seedlings, either by machinery or by hand. 

 In most of the Northern states, especially where cigar leaf tobacco is grown, 

 machine setting is practiced, while in the Central Atlantic and Southern 

 states most of the tobacco is transplanted by hand. 



In the North where machinery is used the fertilizer is applied broadcast 

 after the spring plowing and harrowed in by means of a disk harrow. 

 Smoothing harrows, such as the Acme or Meeker, are then run several 

 times over the fields, pulverizing the soil and leaving it in good condition 

 for the planter. 



In the Central Atlantic and Gulf Coast states most of the tobacco is 

 transplanted by hand and the fields require entirely different treatment 

 than where the machine is used. The field to be used for tobacco culture 

 is bedded up during February, the beds varying from three to three and 

 one-half feet apart for cigar tobaccos. The commercial fertilizer is applied 

 in the drill and mixed with the soil by having a single-shovel plow furrow 

 run in the drill, after which two furrows are made with a one-horse turning 

 plow forming a list. 



The field is left in this condition until the plants are large enough on 

 the plant-bed to transplant to the field. At this time this list is leveled 

 off either by a small harrow or with a log. Where the land has been listed 

 for some time, it is good practice to re-list and then log off, as the small 

 plants will take root much quicker in fresh-plowed mellow soil. 



Fertilizers. — Tobacco responds to good fertilization and feeds heavily 

 on nitrogen and potash. Larger amounts of commercial fertilizer are used 



