THE SOUTHERN PLANTER, 



UebotetJ to glgrfculture, ©ortfculture, anti the ©ouselioin glv 



Agriculture is the nursing mother of the 

 Arts . — Xenophon . 



Tillage and Pasturage are the two breas; 

 of the State. — Sully. 



FRANK: G. RUFFIN, Editor. 



P. D. BERNARD, Proprietor. 



Vol. Xllf. 



RICHMOND, FEBRUARY, 1853. 



No. 2. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 TOBACCO. 



Mr. Editor — A very important part of mak- 

 ing a crop of tobacco is to have an abundance 

 of good plants in good time. Excepting the 

 advent, of a hail-siorm about the time when 

 we intend to make the first large cutting, or a 

 freshet when we have a fine crop growing in 

 its reach, I know of nothing: so vexatious to 

 the planter as a scarcity of plants. Indeed 

 this ought to be more mortifying to him than 

 either of the above casualties; for they are 

 unavoidable, while every planter who will can 

 always raise plants enough in good time.— 

 Some years ago a very skilful and energetic 

 planter told me that he would dismiss his 

 overseer for a failure in plants as surely as for 

 any other cause, and said that no man is ex- 

 cusable for such failure. Then I thought his 

 judgment harsh and unreasonable — but now I 

 agree with him. An experience of seven 

 years has convinced me that he was right, for 

 in that time I have invariably succeeded while 

 many around, me have frequently failed; and 

 I have had fine plant beds where no one else 

 expected any thing but emphatic failure. 



Land bearing a virgin growth of small post 

 oak,andslopinggently southward, is preferred. 

 In this region such land is generally of thin 

 soil, but very retentive of moisture, even on 

 the ridges and hill tops. The wood for burn- 

 ing should be hauled to the place before Christ- 

 mas or as soon after as possible; and the bed 

 should be burned the first suitable spell. The 

 common practice of burning a long heap of 

 logs, laid upon skids, is considered the safer 

 plan; the firing ought to be begun very early 

 in the morning, whenever the earth is dry 

 enough. It cannot be too dry — but many beds 

 are ringed by burning too wet. The first fire 

 ought lo burn about an hour and a half— after 

 that, one hour will be enough in a place if the 

 fires be kept well burning. Great care should 

 be enjoined on all hands to see that this is 

 done, and that all leaves and trash are swept 

 off clean in advance of the fires, and that the 

 fires are not moved too far. Attention to 

 these points is necessary to ensure a well 

 burnt patch, and good burning is essential to 

 success. 



It is good policy to burn just so much i 

 one place as the force can complete ir 

 Vox.. XIII.-2. 



day. By morning the earth will be cool and 

 ready to be broken up. Upon the manner of 

 doing this a great deal depends. Beds on the 

 hills, if imperfectly broken, are very apt to 

 fail in dry seasons. The operation should be 

 performed by the most careful men, under the 

 master's or manager's eye, (N. B.— The former 

 is the best,) not with the common hoe, but with 

 grub hoes, long, strong and sharp. The hoe 

 should be driven in up to the eye; then by 

 using the helve as a lever the earth is easily 

 loosened or broken up, and the hoe withdrawn, 

 or rather lilted out, without inverting the soil 

 or exposing the clay. The strokes of these 

 hoes should be close, so that no unbroken in- 

 tervals may remain. During this process a 

 good many small roots will be removed. The 

 next step is to chop the surface closely with 

 hill hoes, the hands walking backward; then 

 rake over. A second chopping and raking' 

 complete the preparation. But in large beds 

 on hill-sides there ought to be one or more 

 small drains opened through the beds. And 

 all beds ought to be protected from washing 

 rains by good trenches around them. 



Experience has taught me that double the 

 usual quantity of seed ought to be sowed, and 

 I never put on 100 yards less than a table- 

 spoonful and a half, heaped slightly. Mix the 

 seed thoroughly with clean, dry ashes, and 

 sow one-half the mixture over the bed, and 

 returning on the first track, sow the other half. 

 The bed" must then be trod closely by the hands, 

 and covered tolerably thick with straight, fine- 

 brush. I like to lay the brush up and down- 

 hill — tails up; and the buts of the second 

 course upon the tails of the first. This ar- 

 rangement tends to prevent washing, and on 

 southern slopes lets in the sunshine better than 

 any other. On level beds the brush should be 

 laid north and south. 



If the soil be poor, it is well to put on a cart 

 load of fine manure after breaking up the bed, 

 and chop it in with the hill hoes. On all land 

 this will give the plants an earlier start. But 

 whether this has been done.' 

 should be top-dressp^ 

 up well, and 1 

 sown ou?> 

 If the ' 



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