314 
ON THE CULTIVATION OP THE CUBA TOBACCO. 
that estimated below, were it properly prepared 
for market, according to the Cuba method. 
There can be no doubt that this valuable plant 
may be easily added to the enriching staples, and 
other numerous resources that form the golden 
fleece of the south. It is an advantage of this cul¬ 
ture, that it affords an instance in which the man¬ 
ufacturing and agricultural interests are happily 
combined, as its highest profits can only be ob¬ 
tained by putting the tobacco into a wrought form, 
and making it into cigars. 
The subjoined directions will be found more 
specific and minute, than any that have before been 
given to the public, and will therefore, I hope, 
prove an acceptable contribution to the pages of 
the Agriculturist. 
With respect, your obedient servant, 
W. H. Simmons. 
Mala-Compra, 15 th April, 1830. 
Dear Sir I have delayed this communication 
on the culture of Cuba tobacco longer than I ought, 
but as you are acquainted with the multiplicity of 
engagements that have constantly occupied my 
attention, I trust that you will excuse me. 
The first thing to be considered in this, as in 
every other culture, is the soil, which for this kind 
of tobacco ought to be of a rich sandy loam, neither 
too high nor too low ; that is, ground capable of re¬ 
taining moisture. The more level, the better, and 
if possible, well protected by margins. The next 
should be the selection of a spot 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 seeds spring¬ 
ing up together with the tobacco, would injure it 
materially, as the grass can not be removed with¬ 
out disturbing the tobacco plants. In preparing 
the ground for the nurseries, break it up properly, 
grub up all the small stumps, dig out the roots, 
and carefully remove them with the hand; this 
being done, make the beds from three to four 
inches high, of a reasonable length, and from three 
to three and a half feet broad, so as to enable the 
hand, at arm’s length, to weed out the tender 
young plants with the fingers from both sides of 
the bed, and keep them perfectly clean. 
The months of December and January are the 
most proper for sowing the seed in Florida. Some 
persons speak of planting it as early as the month 
of November; I am, however, of opinion, that 
about the latter part of December is the best time 
to sow tobacco seed; any sooner would expose the 
plants to suffer from the inclemency of the most 
severe part of our winter season. Before the seed 
is sown, take some dry trash and burn it off upon 
the nursery beds, to destroy insects and grass seeds ; 
then take one ounce of tobacco seed and mix it 
with about a quart of dry ashes, so as to separate 
the seed as much as possible, and sow it broad¬ 
cast. After the seed has been thus sown, the sur¬ 
face of the bed ought to be raked over slightly, and 
trodden upon by the foot, carrying the whole 
weight of the body with it, that the ground may 
at once adhere closely to the seed, and then water 
it. Should the nursery-beds apparently become 
dry from blighting winds or other causes, watering 
will be absolutely necessary ; for the ground ought 
to be kept in a moist state from the time 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. If 
the land is newly cleared (and new land is proba¬ 
bly more favorable to the production of this plant 
than it is to that of any other, both as respects 
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 surface perfectly 
loose; then level the ground, and in this state 
leave it until the nursery-plants have acquired 
about one half the growth necessary to admit of 
their being set out. Then break up the ground a 
second time in the same manner as at first, as in 
this way all the small fibres of roots and their 
rooted parts will be more or less separated, and 
thus obviate much of that degree of sponginess so 
common to new land, and which is in a great 
measure the cause of new land seldom 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 of removing 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, how¬ 
ever, should be excluded after the plants are set 
out. 
The ground having been prepared and properly 
levelled off, and the plants sufficiently grown to 
be taken up, say of the size of good cabbage plants, 
take advantage of the first wet or cloudy weather 
to commence setting them out. This should be 
done with great care, and the plants put single at 
equal distances; that is, about three feet north and 
south, and two and a half or two and three fourths 
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 
alter 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 
roots by rain, when bedded ; but, where the land 
is rather level, the three-feet rows should be north 
and south, so as to give to the plants a more full 
effect on them by passing across the beds, than by 
crossing them in an oblique direction. To set the 
plants out regularly, take a task line of 105 feet 
in length, with a pointed stick three feet long at¬ 
tached to each end of it; then insert a small piece 
of rag or something else through the line, at the 
distance of two feet and three fourths 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 of the 
plant above the surface of the ground. Then re¬ 
move the line three feet from the first row, and 
so on until the planting is completed. Care 
ought to be taken to prevent the stretching of 
the line from misplacing the plants. In this way 
the plants can be easily set out, and a proper 
direction given to them both ways. In taking the 
