FARMERS' REGISTER— TOBACCO CULTURE. 



223 



worth little or nothing; but Avhen properly applied, 

 by being kept dry, and sown on young wheat, 

 clover, or vetches, in March or April, its effects are 

 most extraordinary; in a iew days the yellow sick- 

 ly plants will assume a dark green, which is as 

 much a test of" health in plants as the rosy cheeks 

 of a dairy-maid. The fact is, plants receive nearly 

 as much nourishment Irom the air as the roots; 

 and as the soot is throwing ofl' abundance of gases, 

 which are imbibedthrough the pores of the leaves, 

 it gives a heallhlul vigor to the plant, and enables 

 it to throw forth its roots to supply nourishment 

 during the stages of blossoming and perfecting 

 the seed. — Repertory of laventions. 



TOBACCO CULTURE — XO. 3. 



[Continued from p. 75:2, Vol. [.] 

 To tlic Editor of tliu Farmers' Register. 



Cutting and Curing. 

 The process of cutting tobacco, is so simple 

 and so generally understood, that it scarcely needs 

 an ex|)lanation; the whole art consisting in placing 

 the knife on the top of the stalk in such a direc- 

 tion as to split the stalk nearly to the bottom leaf, 

 without cutting off the leaves. The stalk is then 

 to be cut off immediately below the Ia3t leaf, and 

 the plant is then set up on tiie ground, with the 

 but of the stalk up, so as to expose the stems of 

 the leaves to the sun, that the plant may become 

 limber enough to handle without breaking. The 

 splitting of the stalk, answers the double purpose 

 of hanging the plant on a stick, and rendering it 

 more easy to be cured by fire. Tobacco should 

 not be cut early in the morning, when the dew is 

 on it; as it Avill thus become very dirty if set on 

 the dry ground. But these suggestions are but of 

 litdc importance when compared with the difficul- 

 ty of determining with precision, when the plant 

 is at its greatest perfection. Or in other words, 

 hoio to cut, every planter knows, but lohen to cut, 

 has been a matter of dispute, even amongst the 

 best informed, and most skilful planters. Some 

 contend, that tobacco should get very ripe before 

 it is ready for the knife. That is, it should become 

 in the ' general, full of yellow spots all over, and 

 that the leaves when doubled, and pressed belween 

 the fingers, should split, or break fi-eely — while 

 others contend, I think with more plausibility, that 

 it ought to be cut before the grain of the leaves 

 will crack freely, when pressed as above described. 

 It is manifest to me, not only from the reasonable- 

 ness of the thing, but from experience, that to- 

 bacco is at its greatest perfection in quality and 

 weight, before it becomes verj'full of yellow spots, 

 and also, previous to the grain breaking freely 

 when pressed: for it seems clear to me, that its 

 getting very spotted, and very brittle to the touch, 

 are both evident marks of the plant being on the 

 decline, and of course, must have lost, some of its 

 essential oil, together with its silkiuess, and tena- 

 city of texture. The heaviest and highest priced 

 tobacco, I ever made, was cut at the stage above 

 described. I am therefore convinced, both fi-om 

 experience and observation, that many good 

 planters loose both in quantity and quality, by let- 

 ting their tobacco stand too long in the field. The 

 tobacco then being thus cut, and sufficiently lim- 

 ber to handle without breaking, the sticks should 

 be brought into the field, the plants picked up, and 

 eight or ten plants put on each stick, having first 



stuck the end of each stick obliquely into the hill 

 under the roots of the stalk, so as to keep the to- 

 bacco from the ground. T think this the best 

 mode, as the tobacco may safely remain in the 

 field all day, without injury, when making a large 

 cutting, (which is often necessary) and also, can 

 be more safely, conveniently, and speedily remo- 

 ved to the scatlbld, or barn, as circumstances may- 

 require. If the weather should be fiiir and mild, 

 after cutting it is best to scaffold it three or four 

 days, that the sun may commence the curing pro- 

 cess, by yellowing the plants, killing the stalks, 

 and reducing the sap — all of which contribute 

 much to the successful application of fire. If the 

 tobacco is hung on scaflblds, the slicks should be 

 pressed close together, to prevent the sun from 

 burning it, and also to hasten the process of yel- 

 lowing the plants. But on the other hand, should 

 the weather be rainj' or vv'indy about the time of 

 cutting, it should be removed immediately fi-om 

 the field to the barn, and hoisted up, leaving a 

 space of from eight to twelve inches, laetween the 

 sticks throughout the house according to the size 

 of the plants. I see my neighbor J. F. Edmunds, 

 who is one of our most skilful planters, has re- 

 commended the plan of putting the sticks about 

 half the distance in tlic top of the house, that is 

 cuslomaiy, and gradually widening to the bottom 

 — say five inches at top; and eleven at bottom. I 

 think this a valuable suggestion, as I linow the 

 tobacco in the top of the house always cures first. 

 This plan will retard the curing of the top, and 

 consequently bring the top of the house on an 

 equality with the body, and must therefore give a 

 more uniform house of tobacco. The heat being 

 always concentrated in the roof of the barn, I have 

 invariably observed that the tobacco when cured, 

 is much darker in the roof than the body of the 

 house. If this reasoning then, is correct, there is 

 a -two-fold advantage in this plan — that is, a sav- 

 ing of room, as well as a more uniform house of 

 tobacco. But to return from this digression. The 

 planter having his barn well filled with tobacco 

 and a large quantity of wood prepared, both green 

 and seasoned, he commences his fires, with min- 

 gled feelings of hope and fear. For I may truly 

 say that this is not only the most difficult part of 

 the whole management of the tobacco crop, but 

 the most slavish and hazardous. This is the rock 

 on which the hopes of the planter have been often 

 suddenly dashed; for no matter how fine the to- 

 bacco, or how skilful the planter, if outward cir- 

 cumstances should be unfavorable, high Avinds, &c. 

 it will be impossible to cure a good house of to- 

 bacco. The curing process has always been a 

 most difficult and dangerous one, but has been 

 rendered doubly so ibr the last ten years, by the 

 demand for bright French tobacco. Were a stran- 

 ger suddenly to open one of our cellared barns, 

 (where ihe fires had been unremittingly ke])t up, 

 from Monday morning until Saturday) and see 

 one of the hardy sons of Africa, with his red eyes 

 and soot}' locks, he would imagine himself on the 

 borders of the infernal regions. But thanks be to 

 the whimsicality of the French, or the avarice of 

 the Scotch, or whatever other cause that has put 

 this kind of tobacco out of fashion, for it will save 

 the planters many a load of wood, and many a 

 sleepless night, and me much time in describing 

 the tedious process of curing it. As the old fash- 

 ioned dark tobacco is now in demand, instead of 



