TOBACCO CULTURE. PREPARATION ON THE SOIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2074, 22 October 1885, Page 4

TOBACCO CULTURE. PREPARATION ON THE SOIL.

Trim been \ niouilv stated that tobacco unpjvei isln n the soil to a great extent, oon-,uqnuiUy giow<M-> may confine it to a single piece, l.tthei thin Invo it-> injurious efftcts upon all pirts of tlio f.irni. Any piautital fanner would discover the fall. icy of Midi reasoning, for as lio would noci s inly c irry must, if not all, of Ins inmuit' to tins 0110 spot, >ear after year, thereby leivum' tho letn.iining pirts of the farm to 1 ike o no of itsL-lf .is best it may, it would b" tho finest way to impmciish a f.inn that .v f.iiincr could tako. Resides it will take almost ii much again niinuie por aero to r.ii--c .i crop in this way, as it will whcie tobacco i-> grown in a Kit.itinii of ciops, and a now pice" of Lmd taken for it eveiy year. This plan distribut s tho mamno o\er a gicat portion of the farm, thus keeping the wholu in a good state of fertility. A woek or so befoio it is intended to plant, the held should bo worked over with tho plough until thoroughly pulverised ; if there has boon fiom twenty t.» foity loads of manure applied to tho aore, accoiding to the natural condition of tho soil, no further manuring will bo necessary, and the Und will bo loady fni ridging, tins i-, performed with a .common plough. Beginning on ono hide of tho field, I »k« a light furrow «o as to thiow up a ri Ipf' 1 .il> »ut hvoorbit inches hijjher than tfio mu rounding surface of tho hold. When arrived at tho end, return another tin row alongside, so that the earth tinned up by tho plough unites with that of tho founer funow, loavnig a ridge apparently about ten inches m height but really only fivo or six nbo\o the general level ; so proceed, uwking tho distance betwixt the nH^es throe and n-half feet apart, until tho wholo is hrn lied. Tho plants should bo fully tluee foot apart, and to secure gieater accuracy measure oif the distance in thntysi\ niches on tho top of tho ndgo with an instrument constructed a* follows : — Take two ft ups of board, two and a-half feet long and ono inch square, mako one end of each pointed, then spread them in the form of a pair of compasses until tho points aio tho desired distances apart, making the other ends lap each other, fasten them, and put a bi ace about tho middle to keep them stiff. With this instrument ono person can go before, and, planting one point at a time mi the apex of the ridge, mca^uie off l.ipidly and correctly the place for each rtlntit. Now take a hoe, and at each indentation m vde by the compasses, cut off two or three inches in depth fuun tho top of the ihl#j ami tap it lightly with the back of tho hoe , this fuiuis a p) itforni or "bench " for the reception of the plant.

rn\NsiM,\N riMr. Wlicu the mice 11 thui prepared, one person gocn a-hiMd, a buy will do vciy well, with .1 bwket of plants, and drops one on eieh " bench," the planter following as rapidly a,s possible, as it is injurious to the plant to leave its roots long exposed to the air. In inserting the plant, a hole nuy be made with a pointed stick, but the moht ox]>cditious, a* well as the be->t way, i"» with the lunds. T ho routs of the plant arc carefully inserted, and the earth preyed nioflfi-itely tight upon them ; care must be taken not to press the delicate heart leaves, for upon their preservation depends the future vigour of the plant. The best tiiue for planting is during a warm, dru/lmg rain ; but if no such occasion presents itself, when everything meady, then immediately beforo or after a shower of rain. If it is necessary to plant without any rain, it should be done in the evening, and each plant watered slightly. Unless absolutely new ia iry, never plant when the ground 11 of the connistonce, as the roots are doubled up and btick together, and unless planted carefully straight they will never become vigorous, if they evor flourish. In cane hot, diy weathor is expected to follow, leave a little disc around each plant to hold about lulf a pint of water. In taking the phmU from the seed-bed, if the earth is not pieviou-ly well moistened by rain, w.itci the ground sufficiently ho that the plants will come np with Rome earth attached to the roots ; they mny be pulled by taking hold and gently doubling up the heveral large leaves of the plant at once. They are ako nicely raised with a common table-fork and small trowel, digging deep enough to seciro all the roots. They should not be transplanted until the plant has four large leave", and bliould hUnd from three to four inches high, After planting tho whole aiea, it xhotild be gone over in a few days, and Kiich plants as h ive been destroyed by woirns n-placcd by now ones ; if, however, a plant shows signs of remaining vitality, place a m w one alongwdo, as it often bap}/"iis that a plant of the first setting, even though it may bo injured, will eventually outstrip iii growth one of a subsequent pLnting-; eithc cm hs v~,pA to advantage in rJiil.ioiug.iiiy lui-x^ii* punts at the first h ieing, tiaiiiplansmx them with a large ball of eaith to tho roots.. To further unsure a good crop, i second seed-bed nhouui bo laid a fortnight or so later, using the pl.mts as required to replace any that nuy, through it, variety of eiiUHea, become injiiicd, and any ciccss of expected iequuernents might be (jiven to tho l°«s fortunate neijrhboius. Keep all caterpiil.u.soH by ]< md picking, 1 would advise every f tnuer to keep a «mall flock of turkeyn in lin fowl-yard. They will be found invalu able asHistants. Mako a practice, mj^litand morning, of turning tho Hock into the plintations; tliej will eagerly seek the dreaded caterpillar, and will clear the leaves without any u&k of their being damaged. A good plan would be to keep them confined, and let them accustom themsolve* to week the pests.

OCLTIVATION. When the weeds begin to appear pretty freely, and after the plants have made visible giowth, a cultivator must bo run between the row.i, taking caro that it does not throw tho cat th on the nclgea and cover the plant ; a cultivator thnt can be regulated in width is the best. Hoe down all proini licncc of tho ridges to a level with the pl.iut, and eradicato all weed-, that have come up between the leaves of tho plants ; also transplant from any doublo plants to such hills n» Imro becoino vacant. Bank up ths plants occasionally. Tho plants will now begin to grow vigorously, and will require, no atttention beyond transplanting to fill vacancies, until a new crop of weeds appear?, when tlfe cultivator must bo again inn through and the plants carefully hoed, ficsh oaitli being drawn up after the weeds liive been sciapcd away. Caie muHt be f.il.fii not t<> hoe too deep close to tho j'l nit, as it destroys too mary of the liljioih mots which have begun by this timo t'» ixiTiirnte tho soil in every direction. Y. lien the weeds and grasa havo been th'H "Uglily killed by the sun, the shovelI'loii^h in hook may bo run between the r<)\v. and a boy following after uncovers hik li leaves us may bacmne buried by the n],i iiitmn. Hoe the ndges into an even tli ip, r.ithcr flit upon the top, rounding oil gi.ulu.illy till they meet in the centre b> tv twii the rows of tobacco, forming a ditch <«i ftii row not too deep but answering all the pui pier-, of a di.iin. This is all the i ulti if ii < < I it will ref|itne ; but as the vveedn cxiiie up it \\ill bencKt tho tobacco as well as the ground if they are bcraped of! with a hoe; uiio must bo taken, however, not lo bio t\ the leaves, at .» Hound, intact tobaco will 11 aliic fully as nmuh again as an urvmil for, mjiiied lot. When Brat transpi niter), ,mr| until (irmly rooted and II Hiii-hmg, the pi mU ihould be piotccted dining tho he.it of the d.iy by covering with ti tioi buHh, matting or riuphu.