1S2 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



frround about two feet, forks set up perpendicular- 

 ly, about ten feet apart I'rom each other ; in which 

 I)oies are put nearly (he distance ol' a common 

 lence rail from each other. Fence rails are thus 

 put across from one pole to another, leaving a 

 space of lour feet between each rail. These are 

 what are called tiers. A scaffold should not be 

 very iiiyh, fot if it is, the lower leaves of the to- 

 bacco will become bruised (rom the winds. A 

 scafJold should be of such a height, as to leave 

 the ends of the tobacco leaves from one to two 

 Jeet from the orround. It is not so well to erect 

 scaffolds on the north or north-west part of a 

 barn. They should always be made on the 

 warmest sides of the barn. A planter ean always, 

 fret his forks lor his scaffolds in the winter season, 

 whilst cutting wood and rail stuff. Having said 

 this much about scatlolds, I now return to the 

 curing and housing of tobacco. 



A person unacquainted with scaffolding of to- 

 bacco, would suppose that there could not be so 

 much put in a barn in this way, a^^ there could 

 he by firing. It would be entirely a mistake. 

 There can be as much tobacco cured in a barn 

 by scaffolding, as there can be by firing. It is 

 true it could not be done po quickly ; yet in an or- 

 dinary housina season there is ample lime to do it. 

 A planter who has several barns, when f-caffold- 

 ing of tobacco, should manaaeso as to be able to 

 take into the house a part of a scafiold of tobacco 

 every day, except rainy ones, during the season, 

 When tobacco is being carried in the barn from 

 the scaffold, the lower part of the barn should be 

 huntjfull; and if that part of the barn will hold 

 all that is at that time to be taken from the scaffold 

 it should be left there uniil the space is wanted 

 for more tobacco from the scaffold. By this 

 means, the tobacco may have the advantage of 

 several days in the barn, before it is finally hung 

 away. The best time of the day to take tobacco 

 ■in the barn, li-om the. t^caffold, is late in the even- 

 ing. It should be handled very carelully, so as 

 not to crumble the cured leaves. Tobacco should 

 not, whenever it can be avoided, be carried in the 

 barn from the scaffold, while wet with dew. This 

 can always be avoided, except when there is an 

 appearance of rain. 



When about to fill a barn with tobacco that has 

 been scaffolded, the tobacco should behungsoas! 

 leave ^rc holes, for if, about this time, there should 

 come a spell of wet weather, the tobacco can 

 have fires put under it, and be kept from being 

 injured by the weaiher. However, tobacco that 

 has been well killed by being scaffolded, will not 

 injure in wet weather as near as soon as a person 

 might suppose. It is only in long spells of warm 

 wet weaiher that firing is necessary for tobacco 

 that has been scaffolded. There are only two 

 cases in which I would recommend firing of to- 

 bacco — one is- in the instance just mentioned. 

 The other is when a crop of tobacco, from unto- 

 ward circumstances, ripens, or is not fit to be cut 

 until late in the season for housing. Fires, by 

 curing the tobacco quickly, prevents it from freez- 

 ing in the house, which the lower leaves are 

 apt to do, if left to cure by the air, when housed 

 late in the season. Sometimes i)lanters fire for 

 want of house-room ; that is, they cannot wait 

 for their tobacco to cure by the air. ( have 

 always thought it best to have a sufficient number 

 of hams. A planter had better build two barns 

 than to have one burnt down. 



I will here make some remarks on the con- 

 struction ol tobacco houses. Tight houses will 

 not cure tobacco as well as moderately open ont^s. 

 P^ven when tobacco is cured by fires, a very tight 

 house is not the best. There is a large quantity 

 of moisture in a house of uncured tobacco — so 

 there must be some opening lor it to escape. I 

 have seen barns where the main building was 

 shedded all around with no other covering except 

 the roofs of the main building and sheds— that 

 is, no weather boarding put on any part of it, 

 except the rools. Barns of this construction 

 certainly cure tobacco best when there are no 

 long spells of wet weather ; for these kinds of barns 

 cannot be fired in. It is also liable to be injured, 

 if not stripped shortly after it is cureil. 1 have 

 also seen barns of this construction with the 

 sheds partially weather-boarded by setting up 

 narrow planks around the sheds two or three 

 inches apart. This is certainly some security 

 against wet weather; yet (he tobacco is no,i suffi- 

 ciently secured against it. Those who have the 

 limber, can build no kind of barns that will answer 

 better lor tobacco than the old fashjoned barns 

 built ol oak boards and shingles: ihey let in suffi- 

 cient air when it is curing, and keep out damp 

 air after it is cured. IBarns, when built with 

 plank and shingles, always cure tobacco best 

 when the plank is put on with one end upwards, 

 though the flames of barns weather-boarded in 

 this way, will not last as long as when the plank 

 is put on horizonlal.y. The best way probably 

 to build a barn to suit all times, and all kinds of 

 weather, would be to have all the plank intended 

 lor weather-boarding, made into large doors, and 

 well hung wiih good hinges, so tliat when the 

 tobacco wanted air, all the doors could be opened 

 — when damp air would injure it, the doors could 

 be shut. A barn constructed after this manner, 

 would cost a little more money lor hinges lor tb- 

 doois, and latches lor fastening of them. I h ve 

 seen one built alter this manner, which ansA'ered 

 very well until it was burnt down. The doora 

 could reach only to the eaves of the house, it' so 

 far ; of course the other parts of the building 

 must be weather boarded in the usual man- 

 ner. (N.) 



When tobacco is ripe and fit to be cut, there 

 are around the roots of the plants several leaves 

 nearly cured. They can now be saved either 

 before or after it is cut. Tobacco should have no 

 leaves taken from its roots until it is ripe; taking 

 away the leaves too early stops the growth. The 

 tobacco saved from around the roots of the plant, 

 is called ground leaf. The usual way of saving 

 this kind of tobacco, is to pull the leaves by hand 

 from the roots of the plants, and tie* them up in 

 small bunilf's, and straddle them across a s'ick, 

 until they ate cured enough. When fine ground 

 leaf is cured, the usual ^vay is to select the 

 largest leaves that are about half cured, and run 

 a peg three or four inches long through \he 

 large end of the stein, filling the peg with leaves, 

 but leaving a space of about half an inch be- 

 tween them, and then hang them across tobacco 

 [sticks. 



The best time of the day to gather ground 

 leaves, belbre the lobacco is cut, is Tate in the day 

 about an hour from sunset ; when the tobacco 



* Sweet potato vines make a <];ood tie. 



