42 



HOW TO PAISE TOBACCO. 



bunch clasped in one hand, take a leaf and wrap it 

 around, (beginning at the end of the bunch,) confining 

 the end under the first turn, continue to wrap smoothly 

 and neatly until about three inches of the leaf remains, 

 then open the bunch in the middle and draw the re- 

 maining part of the leaf through. This forms a neat 

 and compact "hand," that will bear a great deal of 

 handling without coming open. After the ground- 

 leaves have been removed, the good leaves are stripped 

 off and tied up the same as the ground-leaves, with 

 this exception : the leaves of each stalk should be tied 

 in a bunch by themselves, to preserve a uniformity in 

 color and size, as tobacco is sold in the market ac- 

 cording to coloi and size, therefore if the leaves of a 

 large and a small plant, or of a dark-colored and a 

 light one, be tied up together, it at once diminishes 

 the appearance and value of the crop. 



Bulking. — As soon as a quantity of tobacco is strip- 

 ped it should be "bulked down," or if intended to be 

 immediately delivered at the packing-house, put up in 

 bales. A place to bulk it in should be damp enough 

 to prevent the tobacco from becoming dry, and not 

 damp enough to cause it to mold. A platform raised 

 a few inches from the ground and open to let the air 

 circulate under, must first be laid down, and then the 

 "hands" of tobacco piled upon it crosswise in suc- 

 cessive layers and lapping each other about three or 

 four inches at the points of the leaves. If "bulked " 

 beside a wall, a space must be left behind for air to 

 pass through to prevent molding. It may be thus 

 " bulked" four or five feet in hight without danger of 

 spoiling. In most sections the crop is sold to mer- 

 chants who have packuig-houses, and who pack it in 

 cases of about three hundred pounds each, and store 

 it until it has gone through the "sweating" process 

 by which it becomes fit for manufacturing purposes, 

 and then dispose of it to manufacturers and specula- 

 tors in the city markets. 



Packing. — In order to transport it more readily, it 

 is put up in bales* of about one hundred pounds each. 

 The process of baling is performed thus : make a bot- 

 tomless box about thu-ty-four inches long (inside) by 

 sixteen high and wide. On each side nail two upright 

 cleats one and a half inches thick, each ten inches 

 from the end. Across these cleats, parallel and even 



with the top of the box, nail a narrow strip ot board. " 

 These strips or rails are to confine and keep the ends 

 of the straw bands out of the way while packing. Now 

 have a duplicate box the same size in length and 

 breadth, but about six inches deep, to fit down on the 

 top of the first box ; there must be three notches cut 

 in the bottom of each side of this box for the bands 

 to pass through. It should fit down close on the top 

 of the true box. There must also be a lid made to 

 slip up and down easily in the box, with three notches 

 in each side to allow it to slip past the bands. When 

 ready to pack, have good bands made of rye-straw, 

 and wet to render them more pliable. Twist them, and 

 getting inside the box, lay one band down on the 

 ground, with the knot in the middle, and within three 

 inches of the end of the box, and place one foot in 

 each corner of the box upon the band, then push the 

 ends of the band down between the outside of the box 

 and the rail. There must be three bands in all, one 

 at each end and one in the middle. When the bands 

 are in the box, the " hands " of tobacco are laid in the 

 same as in the " bulk," keeping the ends of the bunches 

 well against the end of the box, until it is filled, tlien 

 put on the lid and press it down with lever or screw, 

 whichever may be most convenient ; after it is pressed 

 sufiiciently solid, remove the lid and place the upper 

 box in its proper position, fill up to the top with to- 

 bacco and press it down again, and so until the box is 

 sufficiently full to come within the limits of the bands 

 to confine. Now remove the upper box and tie the 

 middle band first, (this prevents the mass from ex- 

 panding farther,) and lastly the end ones, and give it 

 another pressure to set the bands and restore the shape 

 of the bale ; now pull off the box and there remains a 

 neat, square bale of tobacco of about one hundred 

 pounds' weight, that will bear handling and transporta- 

 tion almost any where without injury or coming open. 

 If the tobacco should become too dry in the " bulk " 

 to pack, it may be restored by sprinkling it lightly 

 with hot water, using a small corn-broom, and re- 

 " bulking " it, taking down and sprinkling one layer 

 at a time and allowing it to remain about two days, 

 when the water will have become diffused throughout 

 the whole, and it again be fit to pack. 



Ho. XII.-BY JOHN J. PUESLEY, rRANKLIH COUNTY, MO. 



[Four experienced growers attested to the correct- 

 ness of the process described in this essay.] 



I have grown this plant for over ten years, and have 

 tried many different modes of cultivating it. There 

 are more than twenty distinct varieties, of which I will 

 only mention the most valuable : 



The Yellow Prior, Blue Prior, Orinoco, Little Fred- 

 eric, Big Frederic, Cuba, and Spanish tobacco. These 

 are considered the most valualtle in this State. The 

 Fellow Prior and Orinoco are the most profitable. 



I prefer the Yellow Prior, as it is the easiest culti- 

 vated and is the most fine and smooth of the many va- 

 rieties. Some growers prefer the Orinoco, on account 

 of it being the heaviest. I do not for various reasons : 

 it has large stiff fibers and ruffled stalks, which afford 

 hiding-places for insects ; it molds easier, is harder 

 to cure, and generally does not bring as good a price 

 as the Yellow Prior. 



Selecting Seed. — In gathering seed, the largest 

 and ripest bolls should be selected and put away m a 



