TOBACCO. 



we apprehend frost, we do not prime 

 as hif,Mi (say four inches.) If we have 

 an uncommonly rich spot, and tliere is 

 dant^cr tiiat the top leaves will come 

 to the ground, we should rise in the 

 same proportion. The crop should 

 be wormed and suckered at least 

 once a week. 



" Cutting and Hausinn-- — In about 

 three months after setting out, the 

 l)lants assume a spotted and yellow- 

 ish appearance, indicating that they 

 have attained sufficient maturity for 

 cutting and housing. This stage of 

 the tobacco culture is generally reck- 

 oned the most ditFicult and delicate 

 part of the whole business, and the 

 planter, if he wishes to he successful, 

 must give it all liis attention, as the 

 profit of a whole plantation for the 

 year greatly depends upon the dili- 

 gence and skilful management exer- 

 cised during the few days of cutting. 

 He should, therefore, be well prepa- 

 red for this state of the crop, by hav- 

 ing the barns close, carts and wag- 

 ons in good order, and everything 

 arranged to despatch business as 

 much as possible, since it is hard 

 work he has to encounter. To save 

 a heavy crop in the best manner re- 

 quires both energy and activity. The 

 most judicious hands should be se- 

 lected for cutters. The plants are 

 cut with a knife near the ground, and 

 suffered to lie in the sun for a few 

 hours, to cause them to ' fall' or wilt. 

 When the field is a pretty large one, 

 a middling or average hand should 

 count the whole number of plants he 

 cuts, so that, allowing each cutter the 

 same number, we may arrive at near- 

 ly the whole quantity cut. We should 

 never cut more nor less than will fill 

 the contemplated barn ; otherwise 

 there is labour lost in attending to a 

 barn not full, or the overplus is in- 

 jured for want of firing. The tobac- 

 co, after it has 'fallen,' or becomes 

 sufficiently limber, is carried to the 

 barn in carts or wagons, being from 

 six to ten plants on a stick, and stow- 

 ed away for firing. It is also of great 

 importance to be particular in the 

 arrangement of the sticks. The 

 equal and general circulation of heat 



throughout the house depends on the 

 manner in which this is done. Our 

 barns commonly have three firing 

 tiers above, and three below the joists. 

 We commence arranging the slicks 

 on the most elevated tier in the roof, 

 to which we give five inches distance ; 

 and on each tier, as we descend, we 

 gain one inch ; so that on the lowest 

 tier, nearest the fire, the sticks are 

 placed eleven inches apart. This dis- 

 position of the sticks, I have ascer- 

 tained by late experiment, is impor- 

 tant. The sticks of tobacco being 

 wider apart ne.xt to the fires, gives a 

 freer circulation, and, consequently, 

 a more equal temperature than the 

 usual way of equal distance from bot- 

 tom to top. The heat having more 

 space to ascend, must be more equal 

 and generally diffused, and will give 

 a more uniform house of tobacco. I 

 esteem this a considerable improve- 

 ment ; and if we have house room, 

 and make a greater difference in the 

 proportionate distance between the 

 sticks, it will be a still better arrange- 

 ment. The stems of the tobacco are 

 often split to hasten the drying. 



" Curing. — We commence our 

 warming or preparing fires the day 

 afler housing. We prefer what is 

 commonly called the ' bed logs' of 

 green, and the ' feeding' of dry or 

 seasoned wood. By this arrange- 

 ment the fires are rendered more 

 governable. The bed logs should be 

 nicely fitted to the barn floor, two 

 lengths to reach across, the large ends 

 placed outward, to guard against the 

 tendency of heat to the centre. We 

 keep up our warming fires from 36 to 

 48 hours, the mercury ranging from 

 100° to 115^. This will generally 

 bring the leaf to the drying state ; the 

 tail, or end of the leaf, now begins to 

 curl handsomely, and then the 'planter 

 must be on the alert. If he is careless, 

 and his fires are made too hot, the 

 aromatic oil passes off with the sap 

 and smoke, and he has a house of red 

 or dark inferior tobacco. If his fires 

 are kept too low, his tobacco gets 

 into a clammy sweat, and the oil es- 

 capes. There is much more danger 

 of the former than of the latter evil. 



801 



