Amslp^'i878.rm'}       Tobacco  Cultivation  in  Virginia.  427 
fertilizers  ;  moreover,  it  requires  strict  care  and  close  attention  during 
the  whole  period  of  its  growth.  Yet  the  high  price  generally  paid  for 
good  tobacco,  which  has  been  well  cured,  fully  repays  the  planter  for 
his  time  and  trouble  expended.  The  kind  most  generally  cultivated  in 
Virginia  is  the  "  common  "  tobacco  (as  it  is  called),  the  Nicotiana 
tabacum  of  our  Pharmacopoeia,  a  tall,  stately  plant,  sometimes  attaining 
the  height  of  five  or  even  six  feet  and  having  large,  broad  leaves,  some 
of  which  attain  a  length  of  two  feet.  The  first  step  in  the  cultivation 
■of  tobacco  is  sowing  the  seed  in  a  "  plant  bed,"  which  is  accomplished 
in  the  following  manner  :  A  warm,  dry  spot  with  a  southern  exposure 
being  selected,  it  is  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  seed  by  having 
the  ground  cleared  and  all  the  sticks,  brushwood,  etc.,  upon  it  burned 
and  the  ashes  raked  over  the  surface  ;  this  process  effectually  rids  the 
ground  of  the  seed  of  weeds.  The  seeds  are  so  minute  that  they 
require  to  be  mixed  with  sand  and  scattered  broadcast,  and  even  then, 
as  is  the  case  with  many  other  small  seeds,  many  do  not  germinate 
from  being  sown  too  deep.  After  the  seeds  are  sown  the  "bed"  is 
surrounded  by  a  temporary  fence,  to  protect  it  from  the  depredations 
of  cattle,  and  the  young  plants,  when  they  appear,  are  watched  care- 
fully, being  watered  regularly  and  liquid  manures  sometimes  applied  to 
them  to  hasten  the  growth  ;  they  must  also  be  protected  during  chilly 
nights  by  having  cloths  spread  over  the  "bed."  Sometimes  the  "bed" 
is  attacked  by  flies,  which  play  sad  havoc  among  the  plants,  and  neces- 
sitate a  replanting. 
When  the  plants  have  attained  a  height  of  six  to  eight  inches,  they 
are  ready  to  be  transplanted,  which  is  best  done  just  after  a  rain.  The 
ground,  having  been  previously  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  plants 
by  manures  or  fertilizers,  is  divided  offinto  rows  running  about  three  feet 
apart  one  way  and  four  the  other  ;  at  the  squares  formed  by  the  inter- 
sections of  these  rows  hills  of  earth  are  heaped  up,  in  which  the  plants 
are  set  out. 
The  planting  is  done  in  this  manner  :  Some  of  the  men  take  a  num- 
ber of  the  plants  in  baskets,  and  each  one  selecting  a  row  of  hills, 
traverses  the  entire  distance  of  the  field,  dropping  a  plant  upon  each 
hill  ;  each  one  of  these  is  followed  by  a  second  person,  who  takes  up 
the  plant,  and  making  a  hole  in  the  top  of  the  hill  with  a  stick  which 
he  carries  in  his  hand,  inserts  the  plant  in  it  and  levels  the  earth  around  it. 
When  the  transplanting  is  finished,  the  plants  do  not  generally  require 
