8 



now TO RAISE TOBACCO. 



time, spread out and smoothed down, which is most 

 conveniently done by putting it against the bi'east and 

 stroking the leaves downward smooth and straight 

 with the right hand. It is then passed, two bundles 

 at a time, to the man bulking. He takes them and 

 lays them down and presses them with his hands ; 

 they are laid, two at a time, in a straight line — the 

 broad part of the bundles slightly projecting over the 

 next two — and two rows of bundles are put in a bulk, 

 both rows carried on together, the heads being on the 

 outside, and the tails just lapping one over the other 

 in regular succession. The bulk, when carried up to 

 a convenient Ittght, should have a few sticks laid 

 across to keep it in place. It must often be examined, 

 and if getting warm it ought to be immediately changed 

 and laid down in another bulk of less bight, and not 

 pressed as it is laid down ; this is called " wind-rowing ;" 

 being loose and open, it admits the air between the 

 rows of l)undles, hence the term. The next process 

 in this troublesome, but beautiful crop, is to " condi- 

 tion " it for '■'■pacl-ing.^^ The bright, yelloio, and 

 second tobacco will condition, but most generally 

 in such bulks as I have just described, but it is best 

 to hangup the dull as soon almost as stripped. If the 

 bright or second do not dry thoroughly in the bulks, 

 that should also be hung up in the house to become 

 well dried. To properly hang up tobacco to condition, 

 small-sized sticks should be procured, and each one 

 nicely smoothed with the drawing-knife, and kept for 

 that purpose. After it has once been perfectly dry, 

 either hanging up or in bulks — so dry that the heads 

 are easily knocked off, and the shoulders of the bundles 

 crack upon pressure like pipe-stems — it should be taken 

 down, or if in bulks, removed, the first soft, moist 

 spell of weather, as soon as it is soft and yielding 

 enough, as it will become too dry to handle without 

 crumbling or breaking, and it must be put in four or 

 six-row bulks of any convenient length and hight, 

 the higher the better, laid down close, so that as little 

 of the leaves or shoulders as possible be exposed on 



the outside of the bulk. When completed put sticks 

 and logs of wood, etc., on the top so as to weigh it 

 down. Here it will keep sweet and in nice order for 

 packing at any time, no matter what the weather 

 be, if it was conditioned properly, it will not change a 

 particle while in the condition-bulk. \ 



Packing. — Mild, soft, pleasant weather is the best 

 to pack tolmcco in the hogshead. The size of the 

 hogsheads is fixed by law, forty inches in the head and 

 fifty-two in the length. Almost any wood will answer 

 to saw into hogshead stuff; the best, of course, is that 

 which is strong but weighs light, such as gum, or 

 beech, or birch, or poplar. No hogshead ought to 

 weigh over one hundred pounds, and staves drawn out 

 of red oak, or other, which make the best, but are too 

 costly, ought not to weigh over ninety pounds. 



Having got our tobacco in good order, our hogshead 

 ready, etc., the first mild day that we can spare, we 

 proceed to packing. Let me observe that while put- 

 ting the tobacco in condition-bulks, all of the bundles 

 that were soft or had an ill smell ought to have been 

 laid one side to be made s(veet and dry by a few hours 

 in the sun. The same precaution must be observed 

 while packing. In putting tobacco into the hogshead 

 for packing, a man gets in with shoes off, and lays one 

 bundle at a time in a circle, beginning in the middle, 

 and each circle is extended until the outer circle 

 reaches the staves of the hogshead ; a single row of bun- 

 dles is then laid all round the edge of the heads of the 

 last circle, then across the hogshead in parallels with 

 the former, always keeping the middle the highest ; 

 this is called a course. These courses are continued 

 until the hogshead is filled. The man who packs, 

 presses with his knee.s each bundle in each course, 

 and often stands upon his feet and tramps heavily, 

 but cautiously all round and across, so as to get in as 

 much as possible. 



This concludes the almost ceaseless round of labor 

 that is necessary to prepare for market this important 

 staple of our country. 



No. III.-BY CHRISTIAIJ SCHNEIDER, MADISON COUNTY, ILL. 



( Translated hy Ferdinand Schlueter.) 



Introduction. — As in other kinds of farming, the 

 culture of tobacco varies in different localities, and 

 every cultivator must modify the hints here given to 

 suit his own particular soil and location. The princi- 

 pal thing is, to understand the nature of the plant, 

 that is, the necessary requirements of soil, climate, 

 and culture, and the reason vihij all the work con- 

 nected with its culture is done ; for this must be 

 adapted to the end aimed at, and not only may be 

 different under other circumstances, but often must 

 be so. I have therefore tried to explain, why the 

 work is done, and how, in my location, (Central Illi- 

 nois,) I have best succeeded in growing the crop. 



1. Raising Plants from Seed. — Raising tobacco- 

 plants from seed is somewhat similar to raising cab- 

 bage-plants, but is different in two important things : 

 It takes considerably more time for the seed to sprout, 

 (six weeks,) and, on account of disturbing the roots, can 

 not well stand weeding. Therefore the principal cai^s in 

 providing the seed-bed is, to prepare for the early start- 

 ing of the seed, and to have the bed free from al. 

 weed-seeds. In the West we prepare the seed-bed in 

 the following manner : we take a plot of land — newly 

 cleared land is preferred — sloping southward, and 

 protected against winds. The bed should be four 

 feet broad and eight feet long ; on this we pile brush, 



