1864.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
weeding and keeping - the ground loose can be 
almost wholly clone by horse power implements. 
The Tobacco Field. 
It is to be presumed that whoever intends 
to plant tobacco this year, first prepared his 
seed bed as soon as the ground was in fit condi¬ 
tion, and that by the first of June the tardy 
seeds will have come up and covered the bed 
with their soft little roundish leaves, lying so 
close to the earth that the warmth of the soil 
prevents their being injured by the frosts. A 
seed beed at this season usually presents a very 
uneven appearance, some of the plants having 
greatly the start of the others; and a late frost 
not unfrequently nips the larger plants while 
the little ones escape because nearer the surface. 
The ground also was thoroughly prepared 
early in May or at about the same that com 
land was plowed, having received, well spread, 
8 or 10 cords of good manure, turned at least 8 
inches under. During the month of May it 
may have been necessary to drag the field once 
or twice to destroy the weeds, but at any rate 
at about the first of June, or as soon as corn 
and potatoes are planted, it will be time to plow 
again and prepare the land for the crop. If the 
tobacco planter thinks it desirable to still fur¬ 
ther enrich the soil—which is best unless it is in 
very good heart, warm, rich and mellow—it may • 
now be done in one of several ways. A dres¬ 
sing of 2 to 4 cords of fine compost, hog or 
sheep dung, or any fine manure, may be spread 
from the tail of the cart or wagon, and plowed 
in. Wood ashes may be sowed on alone, or 
mixed with gypsum (plaster). Superphosphate 
of lime (home-made), or any of the compounds 
found in market under the name of superphos¬ 
phate, may be used also, as may guano, castor 
pomace, poultry house manure, etc. Spread or 
sow evenly, plow in and harrow. If the sup¬ 
ply of manure is not quite so large as is desir¬ 
able, or if the soil be heavy, or not so warm 
and light as would be preferred, it is often best 
to plow and harrow, first taking care not mate¬ 
rially to disturb the manure turned under at the 
first plowing, and it may be worth while to roll 
the laud so as to break the lumps. Such ma¬ 
nure as is at liand may then be put in, in drills 
3 feet apart, and covered by the hand hoe. The 
hills or places where the plants are to be set 
out, may be prepared at the same time, 2) feet 
apart, by mingling the manure with the earth 
with a few strokes, and then compacting the 
soil a little by a blow with the flat of the hoe. 
Thus the moisture will be better retained. 
The ground should thus be finished by the 
first week in June—at furthest before the 15th. 
The plants may be set out as soon as a sufficient 
number are large enough. The common rule is, 
when the largest leaf will reach across the 
palm of the hand, or, has a width of two, or 
a length of three inches. The plants are treat¬ 
ed in transplanting much like any others: well 
watered some hours before moving from the 
seed bed; lifted with the least possible injury to 
the fibrous roots, (much soil can not easily be 
moved upon the roots.) The plants, which are 
handled by closing the leaves together in the 
fingers, are laid in hand baskets, and distrib¬ 
uted to the planters not much faster than they 
can be set out, unless the air is very moist or 
rainy. The soil ought not to be so wet as to be 
soggy, but transplanting is best done after a rain 
has moistened the soil, and when continued 
moist and cloudy weather is looked for. A plant 
is laid at each hill; the planter takes it in the 
left hand, holding it as before stated, without 
soiling the leaves, and with the right hand 
makes the hole, not packing th“ soil. This may 
be done by using a carving knife, or a thin blade 
of wood, a trowel, or his fingers. The hole 
should be so deep that the root need not be 
bent, yet not so deep that the entire hole may 
not be easily and surely filled, when the earth 
is closed about the roots. This should be done 
by inserting the knife or blade into the ground 
near the hole and closing it up, then pressing 
the soil at a little distance around the plant 
firmly downward, and at the same time toward 
the roots. Care and deliberation, that every 
thing be done well, pays by saving labor in re¬ 
planting. If the ground be moderately moist, 
no watering is necessary, but should the sun 
come out or the day be clear, the young plants 
should be immediately covered either with short 
fresh grass, or better with straw or hay chopped 
up H to 2 inches long, and thoroughly wetted. 
Should any plants fail, their places must be im¬ 
mediately supplied, that they may grow uniform. 
The cut worm must be very closely watched, 
or on some land 'a great proportion of the 
plants will be sacrificed. It may usually be 
found as close to the surface as the ground is 
moist, very near the scene of its depredations. It 
is said the worm prefers corn to tobacco, and so 
if corn be sown over the field in time to have 
a growth of 3 or 4 inches at tobacco planting 
time, the worms will take it instead of the to¬ 
bacco. It of course would be best to watch 
daily for some time before and after the plant¬ 
ing, in order to kill as many worms as possible. 
Should any readers of the American Agriculturist 
tiy this plan, we hope they will report results. 
Our pamphlet on “ Tobacco Culture,” costing- 
only 25 cents, contains a great deal of very 
valuable information, and will be of use to every 
cultivator whether he be experienced or not. 
The Hoe and How to Use it. 
No implement upon the farm will be more 
useful than the hoe, during the present month. 
Much can be done with the cultivator, and 
wherever the crop and the nature of the ground 
will admit of it, horse labor should be substituted 
for hand labor. In many places however the 
presence of stones or other obstructions, and 
rows of growing plants standing near togeth¬ 
er, require the use of this old-fashioned im¬ 
plement. Much labor can be saved by having 
the hoe of proper construction. It should be 
made of good steel properly tempered, that the 
edge may neither turn nor break, and not be too 
heavy to be handled with facility. Any one 
who has attempted to work with the weighty, 
cumbersome contrivance commonly used upon 
southern plantations, will prize the sharp light 
implement of northern manufacture. The handle 
should be just large enough to grasp readily, 
and inserted into the blade at a convenient angle 
for working, or so that it may be easily used for 
cutting weeds near the surface, and for drawing 
earth around a hill. It should always be kept 
bright, and to do this, care must be taken to 
wipe it clean and dry after working in wet soil. 
Every one knows the importance of using the 
hoe to keep weeds in subjection, but in too many 
cases this knowledge is not made practical. Other 
things being equal, clean culture will give at the 
least twenty per cent better returns than when 
weeds are left to draw the. nourishment which 
should go to the crop ; with corn this would 
make a difference of eight to ten bushels per 
acre—enough to pay well for several lioeings. 
Let this fact stimulate the neglectful to keep 
the hoe busy during this weedy month. An¬ 
other less obvious but equally important benefit 
conferred by frequent use of the hoe, is keeping 
the surface of the ground loose. This is needed 
for growing plants either in wet or dry weather. 
In the former case, the surplus moisture evapor¬ 
ates more rapidly; in the latter, the moisture 
from below is attracted upward, and also the 
warm atmosphere being allowed to penetrate 
the cooler soil, deposits the vapor contained in 
it. If culture be needed after the roots have 
extended over most of the ground, the hoe 
should be used very lightly so as not to disturb 
them, or more harm than good may be done. 
Manure Spreader. 
Mr. E. G. Storms of Montgomeiy Co., N. Y., 
describes a manure spreader which he finds very 
effective, and which he wishes us to record 
for the readers of the American Agriculturist be¬ 
fore somebody patents the idea. His direc¬ 
tions for making and using it are as follows: 
Take a two-inch hard wood plank 8 feet long 
by 8 inches wide, and along the center bore a 
row of two-inch holes, 10' or 12 inches apart. 
Into these insert branches of trees, of proper 
size, allowing the brush to extend 6 or 8 feet 
from the plank. [Rather short—but perhaps if 
longer the plank would bear too lightly on the 
ground.— Ed.] Fasten the ends of a chain near 
the ends of the plank and hitch the horse or 
horses to the middle of the chain. A long shal¬ 
low box may be fastened on top of the Brush 
drag, to carry off loose stones, or for the driver 
to ride on if necessary. If the manure is not in 
too large piles, [small piles and near together— 
Ed.], it will not require spreading by hand. II, 
should be drawn in continous paralell lines and 
the machine driven accross the rows of heaps. 
It seems almost impossible that a contrivance 
so simple should accomplish the work so effect¬ 
ually. The lumps of manure are generally 
“ pushed ” along several rods, leaving a fine, 
evenly distributed coat on the whole surface. 
The Use of Oxen in Horse Powers. 
Practical men of our acquaintance prefer to 
use an ox instead of a horse in the common 
stationary horse-powers, which work by means 
of an endless belt of wooden blocks on an in¬ 
clined plane. It is said to be easier to break 
an ox than a horse to work steady; that his 
weight and naturally moderate gait adapt him 
to this work. The horse is more nervous and 
spirited, likely constantly to vary his pace and 
making a great deal harder work of it than is 
necessary. There should be considerable cau¬ 
tion used in introducing the ox to his novel 
position and initiating him into the mysteries of 
“ travelling all day in a peck measure,” and go¬ 
ing, but not getting along. The thing to be par¬ 
ticularly guarded- against is his attempting to 
jump out. The head yoke described in April 
Agriculturist would find a convenient application 
in this case, but a half yoke and bow, or a breast 
collar would do well. The labor is not severe 
if continued for a moderate time; but it is cruel 
to work horses day after day in these treadmills. 
A lie is the handle which fits all sins. 
Editors should be able to live cheaply, for 
they very often get bored (board) for nothing. 
