292 



FARMERS' REGISTER— TO TOBACCO PLANTERS. 



FIRING AND CUUllVG. 



Firing has been carried to great excess and ve- 

 ry much to tlie injury of tobacco of late years, both 

 in smoking it too much, and parching and curing 

 it up too rapidly. The smoke is a very objection- 

 able flavour, and the excessive parching makes the 

 leaf too crisp, and destroys the valuable elasticity. 

 It should be well cured, with as little fire as possi- 

 ble. iSbme cure it very well without fire. 



Several years ago, a great immber of planters 

 took up the impression, that the purchasers were 

 fond of hard fired tobacco, from the erroneous opi- 

 nion of some of them, wlio said they liked to smell 

 the effects of fire, because it was an evidence that 

 it was well cured; but they have since discovered 

 their error, and no one is now fond of the smell of 

 smoke, which is a great objection in every market 

 in Europe, as well as in America. 



PRESSING IN HOGSHEAD. 



The leaves in the bundles, which should not con- 

 tain more than four to six, should be arranged 

 straight and parallel with each other, not folded one 

 within another — nor for the leaves in one bundle 

 to mix with those of another. Some planters are 

 in the habit of packing their bundles very straight 

 in large bulks, and pressing them down with 

 heavy weights in proper order for pressing in hogs- 

 heads, and when they pack them in hogsheads, 

 turn them up edgewise, and pack the flat sides 

 close together, edges up, which causes the bundles 

 in sampling to come out very straight, and of a very 

 handsome appearance. This is the best mode. 



As many of the essential properties of this deli- 

 cious plant arc very volatile, the sooner it is well 

 cured and pressed in hogsheads, the better, and 

 the hogsheads cannot be too tight. And when a 

 crop comes in early, and can be well cured in au- 

 tumn, and pressed in hogsheads at that season, it 

 should be done. It will be more potent, contain 

 more stamina, and retain more of the fragrant and 

 odoriferous essences, as it will imbibe much more 

 of them in autumn than at any other season of the 

 year, because the atmosphere contains more at 

 that season than any other, in consequence of there 

 being more imparted to the air from the decline 

 of vegetation at that period, when the vegetable 

 kingdom renders up to the atmosphere, nmch of 

 the valuable, and most of the delicious excellen 

 cies, to the transmigrating elements of heat, mois- 

 ture and air ; and as tobacco has very attracting 

 powers, and great capacity to receive, it has very 

 great influence over those substances which dying 

 and decaying vegetation throws out to the winds, 

 through the agency of caloric and moisture. I 

 have never known tobacco in hogsheads to be so 

 exquisitely fine and high flavoured as that which 

 had been pressed late in autumn. It is, therefore, 

 an error, in my opinion, when it can be avoided, 

 to let it stay out of the hogshead during the winter. 

 It will be continually losing during its exposure 

 to the air, either in bulk or otherwise. As the 

 air circulates twenty to thirty feet below the sur- 

 face of the earth, you must agree that it circulates 

 much more in a bulk of toiiacco, and much more 

 in a bulk than in a tight hogshead, when hard pres- 

 sed. The winter and spring winds get so many 

 washings from rain, that they become thin, poor 

 and hungry, and will feed upon almost every thing. 

 The autumn winds, on the contrary, get fat from 

 the dying and decaying vegetation, and have much I 



to part with to all attracting bodies. Thus the fall 

 is the most unhealthy for man, and most nourish- 

 ing to tobacco. 



STRIPPING AND ASSORTING. 



The four top leaves that are good and perfect, 

 (not ragged,) and nearly of the same size, should 

 all be put together to make the first class, as they 

 always will be the best when ripe ; and the others 

 should be assorted in the same manner as to size 

 and quality. The mixing of large and small, good 

 and bad, gives a bad appearance and causes a crop 

 to sell for a much less average than if assortecl. 

 There is now too much experience in almost every 

 neighbourhood to doubt this assertion. 



SUBSTANCE AND TEXTURE. 



Many incorrect opinions have been expressed 

 by planters, of late, respecting these two qualities. 

 I have heard, with regret and surprise, a great 

 many say, that ayellow, thin, hickory leaf substance 

 was very much in demand, and has commanded the 

 highest prices. This is one of the most erroneous 

 opinions in circulation, and I will attempt to ac- 

 count for its origin. Several manufacturers have, 

 of late, selected the bright, rich, sweet, delicate to- 

 bacco of very high flavour, and although thin and 

 delicate, yet rich, but chiefly of the oil, spirit, and 

 saccharine constituents. And as manufacturing 

 lias increased, and this kindof leaf diminished, the 

 competition .^or it has been great, and caused many 

 sales to be made, of late years, at two, three, four 

 and five dollars per hundred, above the average top 

 of the market for other export qualities; and, al- 

 though that kind is suitable, and is, perhaps, the 

 best for exportation, our manufacturers generally 

 outbid the exporters. 



When high sales of this kind have been m.adeat 

 very high prices, I have seen planters in a kind of 

 indignant, contemptuous manner, pick outsomeof 

 the poorest leaves, and say — this is the kind of 

 stuff you want, and for which you give such 

 high prices; and for my thick, rich, substantial, 

 real tobacco, you will give only about half: I can 

 easily make such as you want on any of my poor 

 land — which is a very erroneous opinion. None 

 but new ground or high land, well manured with 

 vegetable matter, sucli as straw, leaves, and the 

 like, is competent to produce such. And althougli 

 this kind of tobacco is rather thin, and appears poor 

 to the superficial eye, it is, nevertheless, rich, and 

 of the most delicate and delicious ingredients just 

 mentioned; and having less of those gross, {jotent, 

 strong, cloying substances peculiar to the low 

 grounds, and rich cow-penned highlands or lots of 

 stable manure. 



But as 500 to 1000 hdds. per annum, of such to- 

 bacco would now more than supply the American 

 demand, the latter quantity would so far glut the 

 markets, as to put down the prices of such even 

 with, if not lower, than the other best export quali- 

 ties, because France, which of late years pays high- 

 er prices than any other country, wants the very 

 richest in every respect, the most potent and fra- 

 grant, to mix and give substance and flavour to 

 the indigenous of their country ; the culture of 

 which was greatly increased during Napoleon's 

 continental blockading, non-commercial system, 

 and has since been continued under the regulations 

 of the government of France. 



Texture is very important. A close, fine grain 



