644 



TOBACCO 



TOBACCO 



cigarettes and for export purposes. It is adapted 

 to sandy soils, underlaid by a red or yellow clay 

 subsoil. The deeper the sand the brighter the 

 tobacco produced, and the nearer the surface the 

 subsoil comes the darker in color is the tobacco. 

 The leaves are light and spongy, of rather thick 

 texture, set close together on the stem, with an 

 erect habit of growth, but drooping at the ends, 

 the tops often touching the ground. It is a modi- 

 fied type of the native Maryland and Virginia 

 tobaccos. It is grown in North Carolina, Maryland, 

 Virginia and South Carolina. 



Maryland smoking.— The Maryland smoking 

 variety is used for manufacturing and export pur- 

 poses. It is adapted to clay loam and sandy soil. 

 The leaves are thick and coarse in texture, but are 

 light and chaify when cured. They have a semi- 

 erect habit of growth, drooping at the tips, and 

 vary in length from twenty to thirty-six inches 

 and in width from ten to twenty-six inches. The 

 plants bear ten to eighteen leaves and reach an 

 average height of about four feet. This variety 

 was discovered in Maryland when the first settlers 

 explored that region. It is mostly exported to 

 Prance, Germany and Holland. It is grown in 

 Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. From the 

 Maryland tobacco many of the important native 

 varieties have been developed by growing in differ- 

 ent sections of the country and by continued selec- 

 tion of seed for a particular type. 



DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE 



Sumatra tobacco. 



The seed-beds. — The place selected for the seed- 

 bed for Sumatra tobacco should have a slightly 

 southern exposure in order to get the full benefit 

 of the warm rays of the sun in the early spring 

 and should be permanent. The slope should be 

 sufficient to insure perfect drainage at all times. 

 It is desirable that the seed-bed be surrounded 

 by board walls and covered with regular tobacco 

 tenting cloth or glass sash. The cover will protect 

 the tender plants from the cold north winds and 

 produce more uniform and favorable conditions, in- 

 suring early, rapid growth. 



The soil should be abundantly fertilized every 

 spring and kept free from weeds and grass, as, 

 under these conditions, it becomes better adapted 

 to plant-bed purposes each succeeding year. The 

 most desirable soil seems to be a rich, friable, 

 sandy loam. Deep plowing or spading should be 

 avoided, the usual depth being four or five inches. 

 The ground should be harrowed and stirred with 

 'hand-rakes until thoroughly pulverized, and all 

 roots, tufts and clods of earth should be carefully 

 removed. After this preparation, a liberal applica- 

 tion of fertilizer rich in nitrogen and potash should 

 be evenly distributed over the bed. A fertilizer 

 containing 10 per cent of ammonia, 8 per cent of 

 available phosphoric acid and 12 per cent of solu- 

 ble potash is highly recommended. Chlorin in any 

 form must be avoided. 



There is such a limited amount of plant-food in 

 tobacco seed because of its small size, that the re- 



serve material for the nourishment of the young 

 plants is soon exhausted ; consequently the tobacco 

 seedlings are forced to prepare their own food 

 much sooner tjian is the case with most other 

 crops. For this reason it is absolutely necessary 

 for tobacco-growers to have the soil and plant-food 

 in the seed-beds in the best possible condition for 

 use by the young plants, in order to aid the slow- 

 growing young plants during the critical period of 

 the first stages of growth. After applying the 

 fertilizer the bed should be thoroughly stirred 

 again and left very smooth, in which condition it is 

 ready for the seed. 



It is customary to sow the seed at the rate of 

 about one tablespoonful to 100 square yards of 

 seed-bed. It is impracticable to sow the seed alone 

 and it should be thoroughly mixed with wood- 

 ashes, corn meal, land-plaster or commercial fertil- 

 izer. In order to secure a uniform stand of plants, 

 it is advisable to sow half of the seed lengthwise 

 of the bed and the remainder crosswise. The proper 

 time for sowing is from February 1 to March 1. 

 Whenever practicable it is best to prepare the 

 land and apply the fertilizer one to two weeks be- 

 fore the sowing of the seed. After sowing, a light 

 roller should be run over the bed, or some other 

 means used to put the soil in a firm, compact con- 

 dition, in which state it will retain its moisture, 

 thus giving more favorable conditions for the 

 germination of seed and the growth of the young 

 plants. 



The necessity of properly caring for the seed- 

 bed can not be too strongly emphasized, since noth- 

 ing is of more importance in securing a vigorous 

 growth in the field than strong, healthy seedlings. 

 They should be made to grow steadily and vigor- 

 ously, without being checked until ready for trans- 

 planting. In order to secure this condition, strict 

 and constant attention must be given to watering, 

 keeping down all weeds and grass and preventing the 

 ravages of insect pests. In some cases it is necessary 

 to use an additional application of fertilizer in the 

 way of a top-dressing. The necessity for this is 

 often indicated by the plants turning yellow. The 

 fertilizer should be essentially of the same compo- 

 sition as that previously used, and often gives 

 best results when applied in a liquid form. This 

 method of application makes it necessary to wash 

 the fertilizer thoroughly into the soil by means of 

 an abundant spray, and thus avoid injury to the 

 tender plants. 



Whenever it is found that the plants are too 

 thick in the bed, it is advisable to thin them out by 

 drawing an ordinary rake across the bed, allowing 

 it to sink to a depth of one-half to three-fourths of 

 an inch. This can be done without seriously injur- 

 ing the remaining plants and is, in fact, of posi- 

 tive benefit to them. 



Some system should be provided for watering 

 the plant-beds during spells of dry weather. Water 

 should be applied in the form of a light spray. 

 During the first two weeks of plant growth it is 

 essential that the surface soil be kept comparatively 

 moist at all times, for at this stage a few hours of 

 hot sun, after the soil has become dry, will be 



