200 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



taken off as will leave from b'ix to ten leaves, 

 (according to the season of the year and ihe vigor 

 of the plant,) to grow and mature. No judicious 

 planter would thini< of leaving more than ten 

 leaves to make Virginia tobacco, though we have 

 been told that Maryland tobacco was Irequenlly 

 topped as high as sixteen or eighteen leaves. If 

 not topped too high, the upper leaves will be the 

 largest and ripen the first. It would moreover be 

 considered most slovenly manajjement, and great 

 waste of the strength of the vegetative process, 

 10 permit the plant to button beiore it is topped. 

 Virginia tobacco, to be valuable, should be thick, 

 and rich, and uily ; but when permitted to button 

 before it is topped, it is thin and chaffy. 



The writer says nothing about the process of 

 priming, by which we infer that it is not practised 

 in Maryland; indeed we have heard it was ^ot. 

 Although, as we have' stated, the reverse is' the 

 practice with the majority of the best planters in 

 Virginia, yet there are some few whose success 

 both (or the quantity and quality of their tobacco 

 would entitle them to rank with the foremost, 

 whose practice has not been for many years to 

 prime. They top as high as they would do if the 

 priming had been done. They maintain that 

 those leaves (which are always small and take 

 very little nourishment from (he plant) serve to 

 protect the more valuable ones above froin the 

 dust. They are very little in the way of hilling, 

 and if they cover one occasionally, there is nothing 

 lost. The quantity o^ fine and passed tobacco is 

 believed to be larger, and the offal, or " iiigs,^^ as 

 they are called, are also increased, and the price 

 is thought to be fully equal to that managed by 

 priming. We have ourselves made some experi- 

 ments on this system, (or several years, and are 

 inclined to think lavorahly of it. This may look a 

 little heretical, but be it so; truth disdains to be 

 fettered by (brms and dogmas. 



(Note K.) 



The wood should be cut in the previous winter 

 and hauled to the barns at convenient times beiore 

 the busy season of firing tobacco begins. The 

 wood is better, too, (rom being half seasoned — the 

 fire is more unilbrm — there is less smoke and le.?e 

 sap and steam rising to coddle and scald the to- 

 bacco which itself already contains too much 

 fluid. Large wood is best, either split or otherwise. 

 (Note L.) 



Many of our best (iirmers differ in their man- 

 agement of tobacco after it is carried to the barn. 

 All agree in the necessity of its being ripe before 

 it is cut. One portion, (though we think (ewer 

 than formerly) are in the practice of taking it into 

 the barn as soon as it is cut, and yellowing it with 

 fire, and then curing it. The plan however most 

 In use, and which we think most advisable, is to 

 ecaffold it to be killed and yellowed by the sun, 

 from three to six or eight days, according to the 

 weather. I( should be crowded on the scaffold, 

 and if the weather is warm it will be in a condi- 

 tion to house and fire in a few days. This condi- 

 tion is known by its emittinor a certain mellow 

 odor, and by its beginning to assume a yellow 

 appearance, somewhat like a hickory leaf before 

 it falls in autumn, or perhaps spotted more like 

 the shell of a highland terrapin. It should be re- 

 marked that the practice of splitting the stalk 

 a^hen the tobacco is cut is universal in Virginia, 



which makes it dry quicker and also makes it more 

 convenient to hang over the stick. Not more 

 than eight or ten plants should be put on each 

 slick, and the respective sticks when placed in the 

 baru should not be nearer than ten inches apart. 

 Indeed it is desirable, il" there is a plenty of house 

 room, that the plants should not touch each other, 

 as they are liable to be scalded by the quantity of 

 hot sap which must pass off during the curing 

 process. After the tobacco has been taken into 

 the house antl properly regulated as to distances, 

 a fire should be built across the house under each 

 tier. These fires should at first be moderate, and 

 increased very gradually from day to day as ihe 

 tobacco dries and cures, till it is thoroughly cured 

 up. Some, however, stop the fires when the stems 

 have been killed and turn dark, leaving them to 

 dry up, or apfjiy the fire again some days after. 

 We have found it much easier to regulate the 

 heat by building the fires between two large log? 

 placed parallel. If the heat gets too high, they 

 can be drawn fi^irther asunder, or put nearer, if too 

 low. A third log on the top is generally neces- 

 sary as the curing operation is brought to a close. 

 It requires the most careful, viorilant, and judicious 

 hands on the farm to attend to the curing, nor can 

 the mow* careful and detailed account of the ope- 

 ration be substituted for experience. 



{Note 31.) 

 It is best that tobacco should not be caught ir> 

 rain after it is cut, neither is it desirable to cut it 

 immediately alter rain. 



(Note N.) 

 In V'iririnia our tobacco barns are usually con- 

 structed nl logs squared at the ends, and they are 

 cellared 18 inches, or 2 feet, to secure the logs 

 from :lie action of the fire. Some planters build 

 their houses very close ; but there is a great deal 

 of good sense in the remarks of our writer on thia 

 subject. If, is best to have them close lor some 

 feel near the ground to prevent the action of the 

 wind on the fire. 



(Note O.) 

 Ground leaves are not gathered with us before 

 the plant is cut. There are always infi^rior leaves 

 near the ground, which are permitted to remain 

 and cure on the stalk. When the stripping is 

 going on, they are taken off and tied to themselves 

 and are called "/»gs." 



(Note P.) 

 Many of the writer's remarks are judicious and 

 correct ; but it is very apparent that the manage- 

 ment alter the crop is cured is not in Ihe same 

 style of our best Virginia planters. He speaks 

 correctly when he says that the greatest skill of 

 the planter is needed from this time till it is brought 

 to market. Indeed we may say that almost every 

 thing depends upon the subsequent treatment. 

 We have seen very indifferent crops, by skilful 

 management, command the finest prices ; and on 

 the contrary, the richest and best cured have been 

 sacrificed (or paltry sums. Hence the high wages 

 which the judicious overseers have commanded 

 in the tobacco region. The diflference in price 

 between two hogsheads well managed, and the 

 same number indifferently managed, would pay 

 his wages, as high as they may appear. We 

 will proceed to state somewhat in detail the dif- 



