THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Culture of Tobacco. 



Some gentlemen, new beginners, have asked 

 us to give some information in regard to the 

 preparation of land for tobacco and the culti- 

 vation of the crop. In lieu of a fresh article, 

 which, if we were to prepare it, would be mere- 

 ly a rehash of others that have appeared pre- 

 viously in the Planter, we subjoin copious ex- 

 tracts from two excellent ones that appeared, 

 the one in January 1852, and prepared for the 

 Planter by Messrs. William Garth, and R. W. 

 N. Noland of Ivy Creek, Albemarle, in pursu- 

 ance of an order made by the Hole and Corner 

 Club of Albemarle, of which other gentlemen 

 were members: the other by a gentleman of 

 Prince Edward, but not the gentleman who 

 still owes us a good article on the subject, which 

 we hold him boun"d to write in the penalty of 

 a " sharp stick 



Preparation of Soil. — The land selected 

 for tobacco should depend somewhat upon 

 the prospective price of the article. If 

 we have reason to suppose it will com- 

 mand a high price, we pitch the crop upon 

 our best lands, and either increase the 

 number of hills, or at any rate, by apply- 

 ing the manure to rich land, increase the 

 weight of the plants. But if we appre- 

 hend low prices, we put it on poor land, 

 and find the enrichment of the land no in- 

 considerable part of the profits of the 

 crop. But of this we will have no more 

 to say hereafter. We like to break up to- 

 bacco land early, particularly red land, so 

 as to let it be thoroughly pulverized by the 

 action of the winter's frost. If possible, 

 we would like to do this when the weather 

 is just above freezing point, in order to 

 destroy the insect deposit in the soil, and 

 with the same end in view, to barrow in 

 the cold weather of February. We plough 

 with a three-horse plough followed by a 

 sub-soile coulter. During March, April 

 and May, haul out and scatter the manure 

 intended for the crop — sow one bushel 

 plaster per acre, and plough in with a one 

 or two-horse plough. Such red land as 

 has no sand in it, after the first ploughing, 

 should not be ploughed the second time, 

 except with a coulter or shovel, so as to 

 break it to the proper depth, without turn- 

 ing under the pulverized soil on the sur- 

 face. For this purpose a coulter is to be 

 preferred. When the land is properly re- 

 duced by harrowing, lay off with a shovel 

 19 



plough three feet four inches each way, 

 and throw up a large hill. This hilling 

 should, if possible, be done early, while 

 there is a season in the land, so as to be 

 ready to receive the plant when the time 

 for planting arrives. 



This brings us to the end of the subject 

 embraced in our first division, which we 

 beg leave, with an apology for the imper- 

 fect manner in which it is gotten up, re- 

 spectfully to submit. 



In our first article upon this subject, we 

 brought the crop up to the process of hill- 

 ing, and this we recommended should be 

 done early while there is "season" in the 

 land. In a full crop this is often imprac- 

 ticable, and the planter is forced to de- 

 pend for season upon the rains that fall 

 after hilling. This should not change the 

 shape of the hills. They should still be 

 pointed and only so many cut off in antici- 

 pation of a shower as you have plants to 

 fill. If cut off and allowed to stand for 

 any considerable time the hills bake and 

 require freshening up before being planted. 

 Plants stand better in hills freshly cut off. 

 It is a common error to cut off hills too 

 high. An elevation of six inches above 

 the common level is sufficient on ordinary 

 land. Indeed we consider land unfit for 

 tobacco that requires higher hilling. Wet 

 spots, however, occasionally occur in land 

 cropped in tobacco, which rather than 

 leave unoccupied we plant, and do so by 

 giving increased height to the hill. In 

 advocating low hilling and priming, our 

 friend Gilmer says, " it is better to have 

 lugs at bottom than at top" and we agree 

 w 7 ith him. 



Planting with too much season, (upon red 

 stiff land particularly,) is fatal to a crop, as 

 clods are thus formed about the roots of 

 the plant that no after cultivation can .re- 

 duce. A safe rule is never to plant to- 

 bacco until the land is sufficiently dry to 

 work with a hoe. 



Many persons, (overseers particularly,) 

 err in not allowing plants to attain proper 

 size before setting them. Small plants 

 may be used in new ground, but never in 

 old land, except very early in the season, 

 when the beds require thinning. 



In planting it is only necessary to ob- 

 serve the following precautions : First, to 

 insert the plant a little below the depth at 

 which it grew in the bed — straightening 

 the' roots in so doing. •Secondly, to press 



