ening is commonly chosen to set these places on
fire, and when everything thereon is consumed to ashes, the ground
is dug up, mixed with the ashes, and broken very fine. The tobacco
seed, which is exceedingly small, being mixed with ashes also, is
then sown and just raked in lightly; the whole is immediately
covered with brushwood for shelter to keep it warm, and a slight
fence thrown around it. In this condition it remains until the
frosts are all gone, when the brush is taken off, and the young
plants are exposed to the nutritive and genial warmth of the sun,
which quickly invigorates them in an astonishing degree, and soon
renders them strong and large enough to be removed for planting,
especially if they be not sown too thick. Every tobacco planter,
assiduous to secure a sufficient quantity of plants, generally has
several of these plant beds in different situations, so that if one
should fail, another may succeed; and an experienced planter
commonly takes care to have ten times as many plants, as he can make
use of.

In these beds, along with the tobacco, they generally sow kale,
colewort, and cabbage seed, &c., at the same time.

There are seven different kinds of tobacco, particularly adapted to
the different qualities of the soil on which they are cultivated,
and each varying from the other. They are named Hudson, Frederick,
Thick-joint, Shoe-string, Thickset, Sweet-scented, and Oronoko. But
although these are the principal, yet there are a great many
different species besides, with names peculiar to the situations,
settlements and neighbourhoods wherein they are produced; which it
would be too tedious here to specify and particularise. The soil for
tobacco must be rich and strong; the ground is prepared in the
following manner:--after being well broke up and by repeated
working, either with the plough or hand hoes, rendered soft, light,
and mellow, the whole field is made into hills, each to take up the
space of three feet, and flattened at the top.

In the first rains, which are here called seasons, after the vernal
equinox, the tobacco plants are carefully drawn while the ground is
soft; carried to the field where they are to be planted, and one
dropped upon every hill, which is done by the negro children. The
most skilful slaves then begin planting them, by making