THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR, 
35 
tnay be inspected and selected witbnut prejudice 
to eitlit-r pariyi there will be honest competent 
men from the east, who are fully acquainted 
with the qualiies of Russia Hemp, and more 
particularly that article the Government re- 
quires, whose hands it is to pass through before 
it will be paid (or. 
I conclude this subject with a conviction that 
this appeal will not be in vain, and that in three 
years the imcign article will be entirely exclu- 
ded fromour ports, and heavy exports made to 
Europe. 
And I will impress upon your minds the im- 
portance of adhering to these instructions; and 
when your hemp is ready for market, by calling 
upon Messrs. vV. VV. Thompson & Co., ol 
St. Louis, or the sub'criber, you can obtain any 
information in regard to the final dispo'ition. 
David Myerle, St. Louis, Mi. 
Washington City, April 8th, 1844. 
The following letter is submitted to the farm- 
ers of the West. The hemp named by the Su- 
perintendent, was raised by A. G. Porter, of 
Buchanan Couniy, Missouri. It was carefully 
preserved (after cutting) from the rains and 
dews, which discolor it. It was broke in small 
hands, which causes it to produce less tow. 
With a subsequent treatment I gave it, it pro- 
duced this result. Any farmer who will adhere 
to my instructions can produce the same with 
as little labor and expense as to do it otherwise. 
David Myerle, Saint Louis. 
U. S. Ropewalk, April i>th, 1844. 
Sir.-— Through your politeness I received, 
on the 2d instant, a copy of your circular to the 
hemp growers of the Western country, giving 
them general, and what I should think, very ac- 
curate directions for growing and preparing 
hemp. Your remarks on the drying of hemp 
in the shade that the essential oil may be re- 
tained, I conceive to be of the utmost impor- 
tance, for since hemp is a vegetable it is of great 
raiiment that the oil should be retained in order 
to prevent its rapid decay. 
I think from w'hat 1 have seen of the Ameri- 
can hem;' that the most of it has been dried in 
the sun by its being so very harsh and brittle. 
Your remarks on the sorting of it will be of 
great utility, as I have discovered clean out-shot 
and hall-clean all in the same bale, varying in 
length from 3 to G feet, which of course in hatch- 
eling, a large portion ol the hemp will be drawn 
out as tow, therefore there should be as much 
uniformity as possible in the length of the heads, 
by so doing it will be an advantage to the one 
who sells as well as to the one who buys. 
In regard to the hemn raised by Mr. A. G 
Potter, of the Stneol Missouri, much credit, 
as you observe, is certainly due him in the pre- 
paration of his hemp, not that the strength is 
greater than the mo'-t of American hemp, but 
fur its being so well cleaned of the wood par- 
ticles and d the tow, and also for Us b ing of 
good c I ir an I properly packed and uniform in 
its lengih, and when the Western hemp is all 
prepared like it, then tnere will be no fear of 
sending it to any market, as it will compete with 
the Russian in quality and in price 
I hope, "ir, vou will soon see vour labors 
crowned bv -seeing the American hemp used, 
not onlv in this c untrv. but in foreign countries 
also, which in my opinion will be the case, i( 
proper insiruetions are strictly adhered t >. 
Very respectfully, yourobed ent servant, 
Wm. tlABiN, Superiniendent. 
To David Mverle, Esq., WashinetoD,D C. 
Broom Corn --Large quantities of the br ish 
of broom corn, raised in tne valK^y of the Ohio 
and elsewhere, have been shipped to England 
witliiii thiee months past, together with tirourn 
ban lies, for the purpose ol manufacturing the 
brooms there. By managing in this way, vye 
understand that brooms can b- afforded cheaper 
in Great Britain, than il m .de here and then 
exfiorled. 
Prepare without delay for a vigorous spring 
campaign. 
From the Southern Agriculturist. 
Cultivation and Curing of Cuba Tobacco. 
Sir: — The following communication on the 
Cuba tobacco, is from a gentleman who has 
had opportunities of becoming thoiouglily ac- 
quainted with the mode of cultivating and cu- 
j ring the plant as practised in Cuba; and where 
I experience has enabled him to ascertain the 
mo lifications necessary to be adopted in trans 
ferriiig the culture to this country. It w'ill be 
perceived that Gen. H.-rnandez estimates the 
value of the tobacco, in Leaf, at 50 cents per lb. ; 
a higher price than it usually brings m our 
markets, where it is purchased for the purpose 
ol being used as 7i'm/ipe?sl orsegars; the fittings 
of wnich are generally of American or Virginia 
tobacco. It is well known, however, that the 
best tobacco raised in the island is never ex- 
ported, being reserved for the manufacture ol 
the celebrated Havana segars, after selling, as 
we have been informed, for more than a dollar 
a pound. As the tobacco raised and curea here, 
is considered by judges as no way interior to 
the best Havana, it would probably sell foreven 
a higher price than that estimated below, were 
it properly prepared for market according to the 
Cuba method. 
There can be no doubt but that this valuable 
plant may be easily added to the enriching sta- 
ples, and other numerous resources that form 
the golden fleece of the South. If is an ad- 
vantage of this culture that it affords an in- 
stance in which the manufacturingand agiicul- 
tural interests are happily combined, as its high- 
est profits can only be obtained by putting the 
tobacco into a wrought form, and making it in- 
to segars. 
The subjoined directions w'ill be found more 
specific and irinute, than any that have before 
been given to the public, and will, therefore, I 
hope, prove an acceptable contribution to the 
pa?es of the Agriculturist. With respect, your 
ob’t. serv’t., W. H. Simmons. 
COPY OF A LETTER from Jos. INI. Hernandez, Esq., 
to Dr. Wm II. Simmons, dated 
Mala-Compra, April 15, 1830. 
Dear Sir .-—I have delayed this communica- 
tion on the culture of Cuba tobacco longer than 
1 ought, but as you are acquainted with the 
multi, diciiy of engagements that have constant- 
ly occupied rny attention, 1 trust that you will 
excuse me. 
The first thing to be considered in this, as in 
every oiher culture, is the soil, which for this 
kind or tobacco ought to be of rich sandy loam, 
neither too high or too low; that is, ground ca- 
llable of retaining moisture. The more level 
the better, and it possible, well pro'ected by 
margins. The next should be the selection of 
a spoi of ground to make the necessary beds. 
It would be preferable to make these on land 
newly cleared, or at all events when the land 
has not been seeded with grass; for grass seers 
springing up together with the tobacco, 
would injure it materially, as the grass cannot 
be removed without disturbing the K bacco 
plants. In preparing the ground for the nurse- 
ries, break it up properly, grub up all the stamps, 
dig out the roots, and carefully remove them 
with the hard; this being done, make the beds 
from three to four inches high, ol a reasonable 
lenvth and foin three to three and a half feet 
broad, so s to enable th-^ hands at arms-length, 
to weed ont the tender young plants with the 
fingers Iro 11 both sides of the bed, and keep 
t iem perfectly clean 
1 he months of December and January are 
the most proper for sowing the seed In this 
country* -some per"ons sneak of planting it as 
early a.s the month of November. 1 am, how^- 
ever, of opinion that about the latier part of De 
cember is the best time to sow tobacco seed; 
anv sooner would expose the plants to suffer 
from the inclemency of the most severe part of 
onr winter season. Before the seed is sown, 
lake some dry trash aipl burn it off upon the 
nur"ery beds, to destroy insects and grass seeds; 
’ Florida. 
then take one ounce of tobacco seed and mix it 
with about a quart of dry ashes, so as to sepa- 
rate the seed as much as possible, and sow it 
bioadcast. Alter the seed has been thus sown, 
ihe surface of the bed ought to be raked over 
slightly, and.trodden upon by the loot, carrying 
the whole w’eight of the body with it, that the 
ground may at once adhere closely to the seed, 
and then water it. Should the nuisery beds ap- 
parently diy from blighting winds or other cau- 
se.s, watering will be absolu ely necessary: for 
the ground is to be kept in a moist state from the 
tune the seed is planted until the young plants 
are large enough to be set out. 
The nurseries being made, proceed to prepare 
the land where the tobacco is to be set out. il the 
land is newly cleared, (and ne.\ land is proba- 
bly more favorable to the production of this 
plant than it is to that of any other, both as re- 
gaids quality and quantity,) remove as many 
of the stumps and roots as possible, and dig up 
the ground in such a manner as to render the 
surlace perfectly loose; then level the ground, 
and in this slate leave it until the nursery plants 
have acquired about one-half the growth neces- 
•sary to admit of their being set out. T. en 
break up he ground a second time in the same 
manner as at first, as in this way all the small 
fibres of roots and their rooty parts will be more 
or less separated, and thus obviate much of that 
degree ol spunginess so common to new land, 
and which is, in a great measure, the cause of 
new landselaoni producing well the first year, 
as the soil does not lay close enough to the roots 
of the plants growing in it; so that a shower of 
rain produces no other effect than that ol remo- 
ving the earth still more from them. Should 
the land be such as to admit of being worked 
with the plow, it ought certainly to be preferred 
to the common hoe. The plow, however, should 
be excluded alter the plants are set out. 
The ground having been piepared and pro- 
perly levelled off, and the plants sufficiently 
grown to be taken up, say to the size of good 
cabbage plants, take advantage of the first w'et 
or cloudy weather to commence setting them 
out. This should be done with great care, and 
the plants put single at equal dis'ances; that is 
about three leet north and south, and two and 
a half or two and three-fouiths feet east and 
west. They are placed thus close to each 
other, to prevent the leaves growing too large. 
The direction of the rows, however, should al- 
ter according to the situation of the land, where 
it has any inclination the widest space should 
run across it, as the beds will have to be made 
so as to prevent the soil from being washed from 
the routs by rain, when bedded; but, where the 
land is rather level, the three feet rows should 
be norih and south, so as to give to the plants 
a more full effect on them by passing across the 
beds, than by i rossing them in an oblique di- 
rection To set the plants out regularly, take a 
task line of 105 feet in length, with a pointed stick 
three leet long at ea< h end ol it, then insert a 
small piece of rag or something else through 
the line at the distance ol two feet and ihree- 
lounhs from each other, place it north and 
south, (or as the land may require,) at full 
length, and then set a plant at every division ; 
carefully keeping the bud ol the plant above the 
surlace groun l. Then remove the line three 
leet irom the first row, and so on until the plant- 
ing is completed. Care ought to be taken to 
lirevent the stretching of the line from mispla- 
cing the plants. In this way the plants can be 
easily set out, and a proper direction given to 
ttiem both ways. In taking the plants up from 
the nursery, the ground should be first loosened 
with a fl it piece of wood or iron, about an inch 
broad; then carelully holding the leaves closed 
to wards each other, between the fingers, draw 
them up and place them in a basket or some 
other convenient thing, to receive them for plant- 
ing. After taking up those which can be plant- 
ed during the day, water the nursery, that the 
eanh may again adhere to the remaining ones. 
The evening is the best time foi setting out the 
plants, but where a large field has to be cultiva- 
ted. it will be well to plant both morning and 
evening. The plants set out in the morning, 
