young plants from cold or a drouth. After the plants have
commenced coming up, re-sow the patches with half the
quantity of seed first sown, which will not interfere with
the plants first up, but make good re-planting plants. When
the plants, or some of them, have grown to the size of a
Spanish mill dollar, take off the brush, pick off all
sticks, weeds, and grass, and keep them well picked until
you have finished setting out.

"Should the plants not grow fast enough to suit, manure with
Peruvian guano; have it fine, and sow over in the middle of
the day when they are dry, or if it be raining briskly, it
may then be sown over. Should the patches be suffering for
rain, put five pounds of Peruvian guano in twenty gallons of
water, and sprinkle it over with a watering-pot. To destroy
the flea, bug, or fly, put dry leaves around the patch, and
set fire to them at night, which will attract and destroy
them if they are disturbed with a broom or leafy brush."

The old Virginia planters selected and made the plant patch as
follows:--

"The quality of earth, and places which are universally
chosen for this purpose, are newly cleared lands of the best
possible light black soil, situated as near to a small
stream of water as they can be conveniently found, due
attention being paid to the dryness of the place.

"The beds, or patches, as they are called, differ in size,
from the bigness of a small salad bed to a quarter of an
acre, according to the magnitude of the crop proposed; and
they are prepared for receiving the seed in March and the
early part of April, as the season suits, first by burning
upon them large heaps of brush wood, the stalks of the maize
or Indian corn, straw, or other rubbish; and afterwards, by
digging and raking them in the same manner of preparing
ground for lettuce seed; which is generally sown mixed with
the tobacco seed (the same process being suitable to both
plants); and which answers the double purpose of feeding the
laborer, and of protecting the young tobacco plant from the
fly; for which intent a border of mustard seed round the
plant patch is found to be an effectual remedy, as the fly
prefers mustard, especially white mustard, to any other
young plant; and will continue to feed upon that until the
tobac