DIVISION OF TOBACCO 1011 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The transport of the tobacco to the drying room was done Q'uite rapidly by a new 

 method to which reference will be made later on. The curing was considerably aided 

 by the remarkable autumn weather. 



In short, it may be said that the summer of 1913 was hot and moist, giving the 

 tobacco excellent growing conditions. The harvest gave a product which was well 

 developed, gummy, thin, and with good qualities of tissue. 



While the drying process was going on in October, 15 arpents of land were under- 

 drained, requiring 9,{)<X) feet of tile. The main drains are of 6-inch tile and the 

 laterals of 3-inch. The former are 2,480 feet in length and the latter 6,250 feet. 

 Numerous test-s on the area to be drained were made to get information as to the 

 nature of the soil, which was found to be composed of a topsoil 9 inches deep, com- 

 posed of a mixture of sand and clay, grey in colour, and very light. This rests upon 

 a yellow fine sand, IS inches thick. Then comes a bhie sand, a little coarser and 

 slightlj' marly. The same formation is found down to the water table, that is, to a 

 depth of 4-J feet. Following these indications and those furnished by a careful 

 levelling, the plan adopted was as follows : The lateral drains were arranged to follow 

 the line of greatest fall, and had a maximum length of 350 feet. They were placed 

 at an average depth of 3 feet and only in one very low spot, about 34 feet in length, 

 do they reach the water table. They are spaced uniformly 60 feet apart ; the fall, 

 which gradually increases, in no instance exceeds -06 per cent. They enter the main 

 drains at an angle of 30 degrees, the obtuse angle being on the higher side. The 

 joints are made telescopic, the upper part of the lateral drains being on a level with 

 the upper part of the main drain. 



The whole drainag-e installation is made up of two systems, each composed of 

 nine laterals, emptying into a main drain. The two mains unite and empty into a 

 discharge by a glazed tile drain 7 inches in diameter. This discharge is a ditch 

 running along the property and emptying into the river Yamaska. 



At each meeting point of the main drains or collectors, an inspection well, 8 

 inches in inside diameter, has been placed. The levelling of the land, the locating 

 of the trenches, the calculation of fall, the placing of the tile, the filling of the 

 trencher, the construction of two inspection wells, and the clearing of the discharge 

 ditch took over four weeks' work. 



This drained area will be planted in tobacco next year (1914) ; the manure 

 required was applied and ploughed under by November 17. 



As soon as the drying process was finished, stemming was commenced, and sorting 

 was carried on as fast as the stemming was done. The stemmers, three in number, 

 separated the top, middle, and bottom leaves. The sorting force was made up of four 

 classifying by colour and four by length, leaves of the same length being made up 

 into small bundles or " hands '', the work being carried on as follows : In each group 

 of top, middle, and bottom leaves, respectively, the deep-coloured leaves were separated 

 from the light-coloured ; then, in each of the two groups so formed, three divisions 

 were made, the first made up of those leaves absolutely whole, the second of those 

 leaves of which at least half was Tintom, and third, of the torn leaves. All were then 

 sorted according to length, 16 inches, 18, 20, 22, etc. All leaves of the same length 

 ■were made into " hands " together. The crop was then baled and lightly pressed and 

 sent to the Central Farm at Ottawa for fermentation, arriving at the end of January. 



Placing ix the Curing Shed. 



The best method of getting the tobacco moved into the curing shed from the field 

 is yet unsettled. The crop is necessarily subjected to many manipulations and con- 

 sequently to damage, to which it is susceptible. 



A new method was tried this year of placing the tobacco in the curing shed. A 

 movable framework was put on the wagon to receive the laths loaded with the tobacco 



Farxiiam. 



