34 



HOW TO RAISE TOBACCO. 



The plant should never be cut while the dew is on the 

 leaves ; but wait until it is off, say ten o'clock, and 

 what tobacco is cut from that time until two o'clock, 

 if the day is hot, will need close attention. In 

 short, the whole operation, from cutting in the field, 

 to the hanging upon the poles in the barn, needs care, 

 as a little carelessness or inattention will damage many 

 dollars' worth. No hand should be allowed to handle 

 k, who is unwilling to use care, and perform every 

 operation just as directed, or else by breaking of 

 leaves, or sticking fingers through them, etc., he may 

 do more damage than his wages amount to. The 

 plant to be cut should be taken by the left hand, not 

 carelessly by the leaves, but carefully by the stalk, 

 and as carefully leaned over, to give a chance to use 

 the ax, which should have a handle about one foot 

 'long. Cut the plant with one blow, laying it carefully 

 down, vnth the top to the sun ; if it is laid otherwise, 

 the leaf will burn before the main stalk of the leaf 

 will wilt sufficiently to admit of handling. Even in 

 that position, it may burn unless attended to, but not 

 as soon. After lying until pretty well wilted, and 

 before burning, turn it over and wilt the other side. 

 "When so wilted that the main stem has lost most of 

 it"? brittleness, load as explained above ; taking hold 

 of the but of the stalk, lay them carefully upon the 

 arm, and again as carefully upon the load. If the 

 day be very hot, use expedition in getting to the shed, 

 else, if the distance be great, the load may heat, which 

 will spoil the leaves for any thing but fillers. 



When carried into the shed, if quite warm, they 

 should be left only one plant deep upon the floor and 

 scaffolds. If the day be cool, and they are to be hung 

 up soon, they may lie much thicker. They should 

 never be hung upon a pole less than five inches in 

 width. If sawed pieces are used, saw them just that ; 

 if poles are \ised, see that they are about that ; for if 

 any thing of less width is used, the plants will hang 

 so close, that the chances of pole-burn are greatly in- 

 creased. They are fastened to the pole by a half 

 hitch. [Their position is represented by Fig. on p. 27.] 



It requires two hands to hang them, one to hand 

 them, another to tie them. The poles should be about 

 eighteen inches apart, and the number hung upon 

 a twelve-foot pole will depend upon the size, from 

 twenty-four to thirty, so regulating them, that when 

 thoroughly wilted, they will scarcely touch each other 

 If hung thicker than this, a little unfavorable weather 

 will cause more or less pole-burn, sweat and mould. 

 After the tobacco is hung, the building should be so 

 thoroughly ventilated that there will be a circulation 

 of air through every part. The ventilators should be 

 kept open during all fair weather, until well cured 

 down. During storms, shut the doors and exclude as 

 much wet as possible ; being cautious to give it a 

 thorough ventilation again, as soon as the rain ceases. 

 When it is cured enough to be husky in dry weather, 

 exclude all hard winds, that will crack and damage 



the leaves. When the leaves are so much cured, that 

 there is nothing about them green but the stem, a 

 moderate quantity of wet weather will not injure it, 

 but rather improve the color ; as the sap of the stalk 

 works through the stems into the leaves, during moist 

 weather until the stalk has been well frozen ; after 

 this takes place, the tobacco should be picked. 



Picking. — Tobacco, as a general thing, should not 

 be picked until about December; at least not until 

 the fat stems (main stems of the leaves, which are not 

 thoroughly cured at the but-end) have mostly or all 

 disappeared, which they will have done by that time, 

 if the crop reached maturity before harvesting. The 

 operations of picking and assorting are by many, who 

 make only two classes or qualities of the tobacco, car- 

 ried on at the same time. By far the preferable way 

 is, especially if there is a very large crop to pick, to 

 take off the leaves during damp or wet weather, tic 

 them into bundles of fifteen or twenty pounds, with 

 twine, and pack it away into cellars, or wherever it 

 can be kept without drying up. It can then be assort- 

 ed in any kind of weather, thus gaining considerable 

 time, as two will pick and tie up in this way as much 

 during one wet spell as six hands would, assorting and 

 hanking up, at the same time. Another reason why 

 the last practice is preferable, is, that, by the former, 

 the assorting can be but indifterently done ; whereas, 

 by the last, it can be done as carefully as desired, 

 Tobacco should not be allowed to get too wet before 

 picking ; in fact, should not be allowed to get wet at 

 all, so as to feel wet, only just damp enough to make 

 the leaves pliable, so as to handle and pack without 

 breaking or feeling husky. If allowed to get wet, 

 before picking, it is next to impossible to get it dried 

 to the proper state again unifoi-mly, so but that soma 

 of the leaves will still be too wet, while others will 

 be dry enough to crack and break. So if the rains 

 are long enough to get it too wet, which they often 

 are, by all means let it remain upon the poles until 

 the next wet spell. 



Assorting. — Tobacco, to sell well, should be assort- 

 ed into three classes or grades. Wrappers, Seconds, 

 and Fillers. The wrappers will include the soundest, 

 best-colored leaves, the color (a dark cinnamon) should 

 be as uniform as possible ; this quality should include 

 nothing but what is fit for wrappers. The Seconds, 

 which are used as binders for segars, etc., will include 

 the small top leaves, of which, if the tobacco was top- 

 ped too high, there will be one or two to each plant — 

 the bad colors, and those leaves somewhat damaged 

 by worms and bad handling, but not go much so sa to 

 be ragged. The third class, or Fillers, will include the 

 balance of the crop, bottom leaves, ragged leaves, etc. 

 The tobacco should be done up into hanks of about 

 one third of a pound each, or about what can be en- 

 compassed by the thumb and fingers, winding at the 

 but with a pliable leaf, drawing the end through the 

 hank to secure it. 



