16 



HOW TO EAISE TOBACCO. 



without tlie use of the cultivator ; stir the ground and 

 keep it free from weeds by going through as often as 

 necessary with the hoe. 



Worms. — The tobacco baring got up from tea to 

 twelve inches high, looli out for the green worm 

 which eats the leaves. They are often found 

 earlier. You will see a small round hole oftentimes 

 no larger than a large pin-hole in the leaf; if you turn 

 it up you will be very apt to discover on the under 

 side a small worm no larger round than a common 

 thread needle, and half an inch in length. Kill him^ 

 and all his kind, for if left, he will grow to the size 

 and length of your finger, and would not make much 

 of a breakfast off a third of a full-grown leaf-, keep 

 the growing plants free from all such by going 

 through the field often, and picking them off. Well- 

 trained turkeys will oftentimes assist in destroying 

 them. All other fowls should be kept off, as they 

 often do more damage than good by scratching, and 

 otherwise injuring the leaves. 



Topping and Suckering. — The plants having 

 grown to the bight of two feet, will begin to run up 

 to blossom ; let them get up pretty generally even ; 

 then go through and break off the stems about two 

 and a half feet from the ground ; have the whole even 

 on top. A few plants will not be quite ready to top ; 

 let such remain, and in a few days go over the field 

 and top those left. This will be about the middle or 

 twentieth of August. If any plants are later, they 

 should be topped before the first of September, that 

 they may have a few days for their leaves to fill out 

 and ripen. Leave three or four of your earliest and 

 best plants to go up to seed without topping. The 

 suckers will now begin to grow, at first near the top, 

 and then farther down ; these should be broken off as 

 they make their appearance, that the whole growth 

 may go into the leaves. Also, if any branches come 

 out on your plants left for seed, break them off, and 

 only leave those close to the top ; look out at all times 

 for the green worm, for they will work as long as the 

 crop stands, and frequently, if not shaken off, after it 

 is hung in the shed, as long as it remains green. 



Harvesting. — In the course of two or three weeks 

 after topping, the plants will begin to ripen, which may 

 be known by the change in color of the leaf. It will 

 look spotted with spots of lighter green, a yellowish 

 green. When fully ripe the leaf may be folded togeth- 

 er, and moderately pressed without breaking or crack- 

 ing. Now is the time to begin to harvest it. All this is 

 supposed to take place before there is any appearance 

 of frost, as a very light frost often does great damage. 

 All touched by it is ruined, and good for nothing. The 

 crop must be cut and hung, even if not fully ripe, be- 

 fore any frosts occur. If there are strong appearances 

 of a frost you can secure the crop by cutting it down, 

 and putting it either under your sheds, or by putting 

 it in piles, not over a foot deep, in the field, and cov- 

 ering with straw. It is well to let it stand, if not fully 



ripe, as long as it can safely, for the cool nights have 

 a tendency to thicken up the leaves. The cutting is 

 best performed with a hay-knife, with a sharp, round- 

 ing point, in the following way : stand at the right- 

 hand side of the plant or row; with the left hand 

 grasp the stalk down two or three leaves from the top 

 and lean it back on the row ; now, with the point of 

 your cutter held in the right hand two or three inches 

 from the stalk, close to the root under the bottom 

 leaf, with a sudden stroke or dab, sever the same 

 from the root ; lay it gently down back in a line with 

 the row. Proceed in like manner to cut what you can 

 take care of, and not get injured by sunburn. Have 

 two rows of buts together, lying the same way for 

 after-convenience. This cutting is done after the dew 

 is off in the morning, or in the afternoon. Let it re- 

 main until the top side is somewhat wilted ; then com- 

 mence to turn it over. Step between the two rows 

 with the buts lying toward you, and with each hand 

 take a plant on either side ; raise them from the 

 ground, and by twisting the hartds in or out, turn the 

 plants, laying them either to the right or left, 

 as most convenient, at right angles to their former 

 position. Go through with the two rows, and you 

 have the next two with the buts the other way ; take 

 these and lay the tips directly opposite those first 

 turned, and you have an alley, with the buts of the 

 plants of two rows on either side, which will be con- 

 venient to drive in to load. When wilted suflicient 

 to be handled without breaking, if in the forenoon, 

 you can load it from the rows as they lie ; if in the 

 afternoon, it is best to put in hakes, which is done by 

 putting five plants at the bottom, and on these four, 

 decreasing one on each layer, and terminating with 

 one on the top ; this will protect it from dew and wet. 

 The best cart for hauling the tobacco is a one-horse 

 wagon, geared long, with merely a platform resting on 

 the axles. Such a cart can be driven between the 

 rows and loaded from either side, having the buts of 

 the plants uniformly one way, and laid crosswise on 

 the platform. Great care should be used, in all the 

 handling, not to bruise, break, or tear the leaves. 

 Having cut all, excepting your seed-plants, strip all 

 the leaves from these, and set a stake to each to tie it 

 up to ; let the stake be a foot taller than the plant ; 

 it will answer to keep a piece of old carpet from break- 

 ing down the stalk when you wish to cover it up on 

 cold nights. Let the seed-plants stand till the pods 

 or bolls are cured to a brown, and the seed is ripe ; 

 then cut off the top of the seed-stalk, and hang it up 

 in some dry and safe place, where it will be ready to 

 shell and use the next season ; only the ripest and 

 best pods should be used. 



B01LDING.3. — We will next consider what build- 

 ings are necessary, and how arranged; you will not 

 have time to build notr — therefore, will have to 

 use such as you have ; your stables, sheds, and 

 barn-fiodrs can be arranged so as to hang up an acre 



