TOBACCO. 445 



cotton, half of their bodies being inserted in the worm and the other half projecting, hav 

 ing eaten their way out thus far. The worm in such cases will be found in a half torpid 

 state, undergoing a slow but certain death. 



The flea-beetle has made its appearance from time to time in some sections, to the detri 

 ment of this crop, but only to a limited extent, and in certain sections. 



Worming. Unless the worms that feed upon the leaves of tobacco are destroyed, the 

 crop will be liable to be, or, at least, rendered so worthless as not to pay for the labor 

 bestowed in its cultivation. The surest remedy is hand-picking, and this must be sufficiently 

 frequent to prevent injury to the leaves. The field should be gone over every few days, if 

 possible, during the period of worming, as many will escape notice, and the eggs will con 

 tinue to hatch. By a careful examination of the under side of the leaves, the eggs may often 

 be seen and destroyed before the worms are hatched. They are about the size of a mustard 

 seed, of a light greenish cast, and semi-transparent. 



Flocks of turkeys are said to be valuable in destroying the worms. Bonfires built near 

 the field at the edge of evening, at the time of the appearance of the moth that lays the eggs, 

 will be the means of destroying large numbers, since they will be attracted to the fire by its 

 light. 



Major Rayland, of Virginia, says: &quot;Dissolve an ounce of the cobalt of the shops in a 

 pint and a half of water and mix it with molasses or other syrup, bottle it and drop it 

 through a quill into the heart of the blossom of the jimson-weed. It should be done about 

 sundown, and the poisoned flowers pulled off next day, otherwise the plants will be destroyed. 

 It has been authentically stated that this weed, so treated, planted around the edge of the 

 tobacco-lot, and here and there through the patch, will prevent, to a great extent, the rav 

 ages of the worm.&quot; 



Topping. This consists in breaking off the tops of the stalks of tobacco, and is done 

 in order to increase the size and value of the lower leaves; also, to prevent the plant from 

 seeding, and to hasten its maturity. The best time for doing this is generally considered to 

 be just before the flower-buds open, or, rather, just as soon as the blossom-bud at the top of 

 the stalk is formed. When there has been a partial failure of the first setting of plants, 

 rendering the growth uneven, it will sometimes be necessary to go over the field twice for this 

 purpose, topping at first only the earliest plants, and the remainder a few days later. It is, 

 however, desirable to top all the plants at the same time, if possible, in order to secure uni 

 formity in the maturity of the crop. 



The .condition of the plant will indicate how great a length of the stalk is to be removed 

 in this process. The general rule is, to take off all the leaves that are less than six inches in 

 length, or just above the last well-developed leaf. When quite late in the season, it may be 

 necessary to go a little lower than this, and take off a few of the larger leaves in order to 

 have the crop mature before the appearance of frosts. 



In some of the Southern States, priming is practiced, which consists of removing the 

 first or lower leaves of the stalk. The arguments in favor of priming, as given, are that 

 the lower leaves harbor worms, making the worming process more laborious, requiring so 

 much of the stooping posture, while the saving of those leaves is of ten a sufficient temptation to 

 the producer to prepare them for sale, where they add to the worthless product which is cum 

 bering the market. Other advantages of priming that are presented are that the removal of 

 the lowest leaves permits additional nourishment to be supplied to the other leaves, and 

 admits of a better circulation of air, with additional light and heat, which are so essential to 

 plant life. The old adage with many of the Southern planters is, &quot;Prime high and top low,&quot; 

 while some do not prime at all. It is not practiced to any extent at the North. Of course, 

 all plants intended for producing seed for a future crop should never be topped, but be 

 permitted to blossom, and ripen their seed. 



