ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE CUBA TOBACCO. 
315 
plants up from the nursery, the ground should be 
first loosened with a flat piece of wood, or iron, 
about an inch broad; then carefully holding the 
leaves closed toward each other, between the fin¬ 
gers, draw them up, and place them in a basket 
or some other convenient thing, to receive them 
for planting. After taking up those which can be 
planted during the day, water the nursery that the 
earth may again adhere to the remaining ones. 
The evening is the best time for setting out the 
plants, but where a large field has to be cultivated, 
it will be well to plant both morning and evening. 
The plants set out in the morning, unless in rainy 
or cloudy weather, should be covered immediately, 
and the same should be done with those planted 
the evening previous, should the day open with a 
clear sunshine—the palmetto leaf answers this 
purpose very well. There should be water con¬ 
venient to the plants, so as to have them watered 
morning and evening, but more particularly in the 
evening, until they have taken root.* They should 
also be closely examined when watered, so as to 
replace such plants as happen to die, that the 
ground may be properly occupied, and that all the 
plants may ripen as nearly together as possible. 
From the time the plants are set out, the earth 
round them should be occasionally stirred, both 
with the hand and hoe. At first hoe flat, but as 
soon as the leaves assume a growing disposition, 
begin gradually to draw a slight bed toward the 
plant. The plants must be closely examined, even 
while in the nursery, to destroy the numerous 
worms that feed upon them—some, by cutting 
the stalk and gnawing the leaves when first set 
out; these resemble the grub-worm, and are to be 
found near the injured plant underground ; others 
which come from the eggs deposited on the plant 
by the butterfly, and feed on the leaf, grow to a 
very large size, and look very ugly, and are com¬ 
monly called the tobacco-worm. There is also a 
small worm which attacks the bud of the plant, 
and which is sure destruction to its further growth; 
and some again, though less destructive, are to be 
seen within the two coats of the leaf, feeding as 
it were on its juices alone. The worming should 
be strictly attended to every morning and evening, 
until the plants are pretty well grown, when every 
other day will be sufficient. The most proper 
persons for worming, are either boys or girls of 
from ten to fourteen years of age. They should 
be made to come to the tobacco-ground early in 
the morning, and be led by inducements, (such as 
giving a trifling reward to those who will bring the 
most worms,) to worm it properly. Grown per¬ 
sons would find it rather too tedious to stoop to 
examine the under part of every leaf, and seek the 
worm under ground ; nor would they be so much 
alive to the value of a spoonful of sugar, or other 
light reward. Besides, where the former would 
make this search a matter of profit and pleasure, 
it would to the latter prove only a tedious and 
irksome occupation. Here I will observe, that it 
is for similar reasons that the culture of the Cuba 
tobacco-plant more properly belongs to a white 
population, for there are few plants requiring more 
* It is hence generally necessary that wells should be sunk at 
convenient distances through the field. 
attention and tender treatment than it does. In¬ 
deed it will present a sorry appearance, unless the 
eye of its legitimate proprietor is constantly watch¬ 
ing over it. 
When the plants have acquired from twelve to 
fourteen good leaves, and are about knee high, it 
may be well to begin to top them, by nipping off 
the bud with the aid of the finger and thumb nail,* 
taking care not to destroy the small leaves imme¬ 
diately near the bud; for if the land is good and the 
season favorable, those very small top leaves will 
in a short time be nearly as large, and ripen quite as 
soon as the lower ones, whereby two or four more 
leaves may be saved; thus obtaining from sixteen 
to eighteen leaves in the place of twelve or fourteen, 
which is the general average. As the topping of 
the tobacco-plant is all essential in order to promote 
the growth, and to equalize the ripening of the 
leaves, I would observe that this operation should 
at all events commence the instant that the bud of 
the plant shows a disposition to go to seed, and be 
immediately followed by removing the suckers, 
which it will now put out at every leaf. Indeed 
the suckers should be removed from the plant as 
often as they appear. The tobacco-plant ought 
never to be cut before it comes to full maturity, 
which is known by the leaves becoming mottled, 
coarse, and of a thick texture, and gummy to the 
touch, at which time the end of the leaf, by being 
doubled, will break short, which it will not do to 
the same extent when green. It ought not to be cut 
in wet weather, when the leaves lose their natural 
gummy substance, so necessary to be preserved.— 
About this period the cultivator is apt to be ren¬ 
dered anxious by the fear of allowing the plants to 
remain in the field longer than necessary, until ex¬ 
perience removes these apprehensions; he should 
be on his guard, however, not to destroy the quality 
of his tobacco, by cutting it too soon. When the 
cutting is to commence, there should be procured a 
quantity of forked stakes, set upright, with a pole 
or rider setting on each fork, ready to support the 
tobacco, and to keep it from the ground. The plant 
is then cut obliquely even with the surface of the 
ground, and the person thus employed should strike 
the lower end of the stalk two or three times with 
the blunt side of his knife, so as to cause as much 
of the sand or soil to fall from it as possible; then 
tying two stalks together, they are gently placed 
across the riders or poles prepared to receive them. 
In this state they are allowed to remain in the sun 
or open air, until the leaves have somewhat wilted, 
whereby they will not be liable to the injury which 
they would otherwise receive if they came sudden¬ 
ly in contact with other bodies when fresh cut.— 
Then place as many plants on each pole or rider as 
may be conveniently carried, and take them in 
the drying-house, where the tobacco is strung off 
upon the frames prepared for it, leaving a small 
space between the two plants, that air may circu¬ 
late freely among them, and promote their drying. 
As the drying advances, the stalks are brought 
closer to each other, so as to make room for thos 
which yet remain to be housed. 
* Washing the hands after this in water is necessary, as the 
acrid juices of the plants, otherwise, soon produce a soreness of 
the fingers. 
