PLANTING- TOBACCO. 297 



planter then makes a hole in the centre of each 

 hillock with his fingers, and having adjusted the 

 tobacco-plant in its natural position, presses the earth 

 gently round the roots with the hand. The field 

 requires constant care to prevent growth of weeds; 

 and the plant in its early stages is liable to injury 

 from the attacks of the horn-worm, or tobacco-worm; 

 a caterpillar which, if left to grow, will increase to the 

 size of a man's finger, and commit great devastation in 

 the crops. It is furnished with a thorn-like protu- 

 berance at its extremity, from which it obtains the 

 name of horn-worm,* and by which it is seized and 

 pulled from the plant; the act of destroying these 

 worms is termed worming the tobacco. The next 

 operation is that of " topping " the plant, which hin- 

 ders the leading stem from running up too quickly to 

 flower and seed, and so starving the leaves ; to prevent 

 this, the top is nipped off with the thumb nail, which 

 is considered to be better than any instrument that 

 could be adopted, because it partially closes the wound 

 and does not allow the plant to bleed.f The custom 

 is to " top " the plant to nine, seven, or five leaves, 

 according to the quality of the soil, and the strength 



■ * It is ultimately transformed into a large brown moth, with variegated 

 wings, measuring about 4^ inches from the extreme of each tip ; the body 

 having patches of dull red upon it. It is popularly termed the Tobacco- 

 hawk. It is the only insect that feeds upon the plant. No animal will 

 touch it. 



f Tatham, in his Essay on the Culture of Tobacco, 1800, says, "many 

 of the Virginians let the thumb nail grow long and harden it in the 

 candle for this purpose ; not for the use of gouging out people's eyes, as 

 some have thought fit to insinuate." 



