108 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[Afkil, 
old which grew as well as new seed. I think it is a good 
plan to raise seed enough at any time to sow for ten years, 
as it is thought to deteriorate by constant raising without 
changing. If seed snaps or pops when it is thrown on a 
hot stove, it will grow. 
Preparing Seed Beds.— There are two plans of pre¬ 
paring beds for sowing seed; the first and best, is to 
spade or plow a bed in rich, dry ground, with a southern 
exposure ; the south side of a barn is a good piace, asthe 
reflection helps to warm the ground. Where you have 
tobacco stalks, as you make a furrow with the plow or 
spade fill one third full with the stalks and turn the next 
furrow over them, and so continue until the bed is broken 
up. Tiie stalks hold moisture, make the bed warm, and 
help to drain it. Take well-rotted hog manure and spread 
over the bed to the depth of about two inches, then liar 
row or rake until the manure is thoroughly mixed with 
the surface of the bed, and all is well pulverized and as 
fine as garden mold. For a bed one rod wide and fourrods 
long, take two common-sized table-spoonfuls (as much as 
will lie on conveniently) of seed and mix well with four 
quarts of ashes, or slacked lime, and sow broadcast; the 
ashes will enable the seed to be sowed evenly; then take 
a hand-roller and roll the bed evenly, or place a board on 
one end of the bed, walk on it to press the ground to the 
seed, move it over, and repeat this until the bed is all 
pressed over. Another plan is to burn a large brush-heap 
in a clearing, or on any new ground, in the evening; in 
the morning dig the ground up with the ashes on ; while 
warm, rake the bed fine and sow the seed as above di¬ 
rected. Very little weeding is required where the ground 
is burned, as the fire destroys the weed and grass-seeds 
If the weather is dry, the plants will need watering 
after they are sprouted, (which will be in about three 
weeks); in fact, the surface of the bed should be kept con¬ 
stantly moist; the beds should be kept clear of weeds ; do 
not let the weeds get a start of your plants, or they will 
soon choke them out. If the plants grow well and evenly, 
the above-sized bed will plant four or five acres, but it is 
always safe to have two or three such beds, to guard 
against a failure, and to supply your neighbors. The 
usual time to sow is from the middle of March to the 
tenth of April, or as soon as the ground admits of work¬ 
ing in the Spring. I have known seed sown in the Fall 
make good plants, but do not recommend it. 
Soil.—A rich, sandy, second bottom, I believe to be the 
best for raising tobacco, although our chocolate-colored 
uplands, when very rich and highly manured, will grovv 
an excellent quality of tobacco, but will not yield as much 
to the acre. Black river-bottoms will yield more to the 
acre than any other kind of land, but the tobacco is not 
of so fine a quality ; it grows larger, has coarser stems, and 
heavier body, and consequently, is not so good for wrap¬ 
pers or fine, cut as the second botlom or upland tobacco. 
Manuring and Preparing for Planting. —Tobacco 
is a gross feeder and grows rapidly wdien once started ; 
it therefore needs plenty of food to make it grow well. 
There should be a good coat of clover to plow under ; if 
the ground is naturally rich, this alone, will make a good 
crop ; bu.t hog and stable-manure well rotted, is what the 
tobacco, as well as any other crop, delights in, and the 
more manure, the better the tobacco. The plan that I am 
now experimenting on is, as soon as I cut my tobacco in 
the Fall I give the ground a good harrowing, and then 
drill in wdieat; the ground being well cultivated all the 
Fall, is clear of weeds and mellow and needs no plowing. 
In the Spring I sow clover ; after the wheat is off, I keep 
the stock off until about September, to give the clover a 
chance to harden and spread. I then let the stock eatas 
low as thpy want to, which drives the clover to root and 
causes the crown to spread ; I do not suffer stock to run 
on the clover during Winter or Spring. About the last of 
May or first of June I plow the clover under, which is 
now in blossom, and so I .alternately keep two fields in 
tobacco and wheat, at the same time feeding the ground 
a crop of clover every two years; in this w>ay I expect 
my land to increase in fertility all the lime. The clover 
turned under, makes food for the cut-worms, and they 
trouble the tobacco-plants but little. We now harrow 
thoroughly, following in the same way that we plow, to 
make the sod lie flat and not drag up ; next the roller is 
put on, and after the ground is well rolled it-should be 
again harrowed, and, if cloddy, rolled again. Make the 
ground in the best condition possible, so that the roots of 
the tobacco will have no difficulty in penetrating the soil 
and searching for food. My plan is to furrow east and 
west three feet apart, north and south three and a half 
feet. I plow the tobacco both ways, but do all the hoe¬ 
ing, suckering, etc., north and south. Some mark out the 
ground 3 feet each way, but I think it is too close. If the 
tobacco is large, three feet does not give room to work 
among it conveniently. I mark out the ground with a 
small one-horse plow, going east and west first, finishing 
the way that I make my hills. The usual way to make 
the hills is with the hoe, making the hill where the fur¬ 
rows cross each other, drawing the dirt into a hill about 
1 
The Potato or Tobacco Worm. 
The above engraving represents one of our 
most voracious and destructive insects. It is 
shown in its different stages of larva, chrysalis, 
and imago, or moth. The larva or worm, fig. 1, 
is a great pest upon potato and tomato vines, 
and upon tobacco. It is especially injurious to 
the latter crop, as it perforates the leaves and 
renders them ragged and worthless. The worm 
as it comes from the egg is so small as to be un¬ 
observed, but having an enormous appetite, it 
devours rapidly, and soon grows to about twice 
the size represented in the cut. When not feed¬ 
ing, it lifts up the head and fore part of the 
body, and remains apparently lifeless. From 
its resemblance in this position to the Egyp¬ 
tian Sphinx, Linnseus gave the name Sphinx 
to the genus. The larva, fig. 1, is of light green 
color, with whitish oblique stripes, and has a 
horn upon the rear end of the body. Though 
it is repulsive in appearance, it is perfectly harm¬ 
less to touch, and may be picked off with the 
hands without fear. After it has reached its 
full size, it leaves the scene of its ravages and 
goes into the earth, where it throws off its skin 
and becomes a brown colored chrysalis, fig. 2. 
The curious projection, like a handle, is a sheath 
which holds the tongue of the future moth. 
Tiie moth or perfect insect, is represented in the 
engraving, fig. 3, of the natural size. It is of a 
gray color, with orange colored spots on each 
side of the body. As there are five of these 
spots on each side, it is called Sphinx quinque- 
maculatus, or five-spotted sphinx. The moths 
may be seen towards night flitting about the 
flowers from which they suck the juices by 
means of their remarkable tongue, which is five 
or six inches long. When the tongue is not in 
use, it is closely coiled up and hidden between 
the two feelers. From the manner of their flight 
and feeding they are frequently mistaken for 
humming birds, and are called “ humming bird 
moths,” and “ hornblowers.” The moths should 
always be destroyed if possible; by so doing 
we prevent the production of several hundreds 
of most destructive worms. Naturalists make 
one or two other species, which closely resem¬ 
ble the five-spotted moth, and are only distin¬ 
guished by characters which would not be no¬ 
ticed except by the entomologist. [The illustra¬ 
tions above were in part re-sketched and en¬ 
graved from figures in Harris’ valuable work 
on Insects, referred to in our March No., p. 71.] 
Tobacco Culture.* 
Prize Essay—by Judson Popenoe, Montgomery Co., O. 
I commenced the cultivation of tobacco about fifteen 
years ago; I therefore write from experience, and shall 
try to give that experience, in a short and plain way. 
Varieties. —I have cultivated various kinds of tobac¬ 
co, but have come to the conclusion that what we call 
the Ohio seed-leaf is the best and most profitable kind for 
general cultivation. There are other kinds of tobacco 
that sometimes are profitable, and do well, but most of 
these do not cure out so well, nor color so evenly, nor 
•are they so fine and salable as the seed-leaf. The Ha¬ 
vana tobacco is too small and has not the fine flavor of the 
imported. The Connecticut seed-leaf I believe to be 
identical with our Ohio seed-leaf; the difference in the 
climate may make a slight variation in the quality, but we 
plant the Connecticut seed-leaf here in Ohio, and I don’t 
think they can be told apart. The most of the tobacco 
raised in this district is (lie Seed-leaf, which is strong evi¬ 
dence that it is the best and most profitable to raise here. 
Seed. —At topping-time a few of the most thrifty stalks 
should be left to grow without topping, for seed. When 
the crop is cut, let the seed-stalks stand, stripping off tiie 
leaves and suckers. As soon as the seed-pods are black, 
the seed is matured ; then cutoff the seed -heads below 
the forks of the plant, and hang them in a dry place, out 
of the reach of mice, to cure. At leisure time, during 
the Winter, strip the seed-pods from off the stalk, rub them 
in the hands until the seed is rubbed out, sift through a 
fine sifter, putin a dry place, secure from vermin of all 
kinds, and it is ready to sow. I have sowed seed six years 
* To our great surprise, over eighty persons sent in essays 
on Tobacco Culture, in response to our Premium offer. Of 
these 15 were in German. One of the essays was written 
by a lady. They were handed over to a competent Commit¬ 
tee of three, two of whom were engaged nearly two weeks 
in examining the manuscripts. They found several very fine 
essays—some of them excellent specimens of skillful use of 
the pen; others were rather historical; others were com¬ 
plete and very excellent on some points, but did not contain 
information on all points. The best one, perhaps, on the cul¬ 
ture (by Mr. Schneider), had too little practical information 
on the important matter of curing and packing. The Com¬ 
mittee felt constrained to adhere to the terms of the offer, 
and select the one discussing all points “ from securing seed 
to curing and marketing the crop.” Taking all things into 
consideration, they finally awarded the First Prize of $15, to 
Mr. Popenoe, as above: The Second Prize of $10, to Mr. A. 
B. Foster, Crawford Co., Wis. The Third Prize of $5, was so 
nearly balanced between Messrs. Christian Schneider of 
Madison Co., Ill., and Oliver T. Bishop and Wm. H. White, 
of Hartford Co., Conn., that the Committee could not award 
It to any one of the three; so they decided to recommend the 
Publisher to increase the amount offered, and pay a Premi¬ 
um of $5 to each of these gentlemen, which was cheerfully 
acceded to. All these five essays, and a number of others, are 
published In book form as noticed on another page.] 
