20 
EXPERIMENTS WITH TOBACCO. 
and believe that once would have been sufficient. Rich land, 
with efficient and timely cultivation, will go far toward ma¬ 
turing a crop of this plant in this State. In fact, if irrigated 
much, it will not ripen. No crop is so effectually destroyed on 
wet lands as tobacco, and none is so little affected by drought. 
INSECTS. 
The insects particularly injurious to tobacco are the cat¬ 
erpillar of the tobacco moth, which appeared here June 21st 
this year, but not in large numbers, and a cut worm. The 
latter attacks the plants as soon as set out, their mutilated 
condition suggesting its presence. The only remedies are 
vigilance and industry on the part of the grower. The early 
part of the day is the best time to find the cut worm ; later 
in the day they retire deeper into the soil, and are difficult to 
catch. All plants injured by the cut worm should be re¬ 
placed from the seed bed. The tobacco worm is also injuri¬ 
ous to the potato and the tomato, but prefers the tobacco 
plant, perforating and eating the leaves. When at rest it 
lifts up its head and the fore part of its body, remaining in 
that position, apparently lifeless. From its resemblance, 
while in this position, to an Egyptian sphinx, Linnaeus gave 
to it the name Sphinx. The larva should be diligently 
sought for during the entire season, as much of the value of the 
crop depends upon how well this is attended to in this regard. 
PRIMING. 
Priming is another operation to be attended to, and con¬ 
sists in removing such leaves as lay on the ground. If left 
on, these produce an inferior quality of tobacco, called 
“ lugs,” because they get soiled and blackened. 
TOPPING. 
Topping the plants is had recourse to when the top of 
the flower stalk is lar^e enough to be taken out. There is no 
particular height to top at. The usual topping, however, 
leaves twelve to sixteen leaves, the result of which is to throw 
the whole strength of the plant into the remaining leaves, 
and induces the growth of leafy shoots from the base of each 
leaf, called suckers. 
