in the North- West of Europe. 
739 
away by watering, therefore it comes up more equallj' than it otherwise 
would. If sown early in a cold climate, it should be covered at nights either 
by boards supported underneath, or by bell glasses, by branches, or by long 
manure. There are also tobacco growers who use frames covered with 
squares of glass or oiled paper. Finally, in order to force the sprouting of the 
seed, some people close the bed for three or four days, using a frame and 
covering the joints with cow-dung; after this they air the bed, water it, and 
shut it less carefully. We do not recommend this method, because those 
who do not know how to employ it iirojierly scorch the seed and the young 
plants, or make them come up too quickly and prevent them gaining strength. 
It is not necessary to cover up the seed-bed if one knows how to take advan- 
tage of the heat which it contains. This can also be made greater by adding 
manure round it, if the atmosphere remains too cold. 
Care should be taken to keep the young plants weeded, and also watered 
when necessary. 
The precautions which we indicate for the seed-beds apply equally to 
ordinary strips of land which are used where special seed-beds are unnecessary. 
The plants of the seed sown in February can be transplanted in May, but 
those from seed sown in March must be transplanted later in the year. If 
transplanted too young or too old, it will be equally troublesome to make 
them take root. 
When they have developed five or six leaves, the weather being favourable, 
they are sure to do well. They should not be planted out until there is no 
further fear of frost, because they cannot be protected in an open field. In 
Paris it very rarely freezes after May 10th. The land on which tobacco 
should be planted requires preparations which we shall now describe. 
Tobacco should be first grown in small quantities on all sorts of land, in 
order to see which gives the greatest quantity and the best quality. The 
obstacles which, until now, have been placed in the way of cultivating this 
crop, have prevented us obtaining enough experience to give advice on this 
point. But if anj- one wishes after this year to plant a large quantity of 
tobacco, we should feel obliged to tell him beforehand that, according to all 
the information we have received, tobacco succeeds best on a " substantial " 
soil. By this word we mean a soil composed of sand and vegetable matter, 
or of light land well mixed with claj'. It must be deep and well mellowed. 
Cleared woodland, broken uj) grass-land, and newly-reclaimed land are the 
best for tobacco, as the}' may be regarded as new land. 
According as the land destined for tobacco-growing is more or less compact, 
it should be more or less worked. If the plough is used, one lurrow should 
be turned before winter, so that the frost can pulverise the clods ; and the 
land should be worked twice after winter, namely, once at the begining of 
spring and once a little while before the transplantation of the tobacco. 
Certain land must be worked four times, once before winter and three times 
after, and it must be harrowed after each time. Preparing the land with the 
spade or the fork is preferable to ploughing, but is more expensive. It is 
then suSicient to give one digging before winter and one at spring time, unless 
the ground is verj- foul, in which case it requires a third stirring. 
Manure must never be put on newly broken-up land, but only on lhat 
•which is regularly cultivated, and which has produced wheat or some other 
crop which has exhausted it. As the tobacco-lands are generally strong, the 
manure of horses, sheep, and poultry, with dried night-soil, are generally 
preferred. It is needless to tell cultivators in general, that if they use strong 
land they should also use fresh manure as well as marl, chalk, or lime, to 
lighten it ; and when the land is too light, it should be made stronger by using 
ripe manure, esjiecially cow-manure, chalk, and clay. These preparations of 
the land are as necessary for tobacco as lor maize and wheat. 
