100 



THE LANCASTER . FAkMER. 



[^niy. 



planted. The more macliiues were improved 

 the more the use of hand tools was dis- 

 carded. The time is not far in the past when 

 no one expected to raise a crop of corn 

 without using the hoe to plant and cultivate 

 it. Now the hand-hoe is never seen in most 

 corn-fields in the Western States. 



The ease with which corn was raised when 

 the soil possessed all its virgin richness caused 

 farmers to fall into negligent habits concern- 

 ing every stage of its cultivation. They were 

 at little trouble to select and cure seed. They 

 rarely went to the expense of purchasing an 

 extra article for planting. They took their 

 seed corn from the same bin where they ob- 

 tained the food for their pigs and chickens. 

 On this account the quality of their corn de- 

 teriorated. The application of manure did 

 not commence till the soil showed signs of ex- 

 haustion. Then it was not applied to the soil 

 in the best way to secure the best results, but 

 in tlie manner that was easiest. Manuring in 

 the hill or drill, as is practiced in the east, 

 was thought to be attended with too much 

 work. Little or no attention was paid to giv- 

 ing a top-dressing to hills or drills of corn. 

 Very few ever used ashes, land plaster, or any 

 commercial fertilizers on corn ground. The 

 consequence has been that farmers in the east 

 have finally surpassed those in most parts of 

 the west in the production of large yields of 

 corn. Tlie report of the National Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture published last fall showed 

 the heaviest yield of corn in the New Eng- 

 land States and almost the lightest in some of 

 the western ones where the soil is prairie and 

 the climate very favorable to the production 

 of the crop, [t seems evident that western 

 farmers must adopt the measures that eastern 

 farmers are forced to adopt to raise large 

 crops of corn. They need not lay aside the 

 use of the riding cultivator, but they must 

 take up the use of the hand-hoe. It is rare to 

 read ah account of how a premium corn crop 

 was produced without noticing that the hand- 

 hoe was used before, in connection with, and 

 after the horse cultivator. Tlie former works 

 the ground in the hill itself while the latter 

 works that between them. 



Although the yield of corn in many States 

 where the natural conditions are favorable to 

 its growth is only thirty bushels to the acre, 

 still a hundred bushels are sometimes pro- 

 duced. To produce the latter amount no 

 more laud is required and no more plowing 

 and harrowinji performed. Extra care, how- 

 ever, was taken in every operation from the 

 time the seed ears were selected the fall pre- 

 vious to planting the crop was put into 

 the crib. The seed was carefully tested before 

 the season of planting and the kernels count- 

 ed and dropped on finely prepared soil by 

 hand. In many cases a shovelful of well- 

 rotted stable manure or compost was placed 

 in tlie liill before planting the seed. A care- 

 fnl person went between the rows at the time 

 the sprouts were making their appearance 

 and removed any small stones, lumps of earth 

 or other substances that might obstruct the 

 growth of the tender plants. As soon as the 

 plants were a few inches high a handful of 

 wood ashes, land plaster, or some other fertil- 

 izer was thrown between them. The hand- 

 hoe was used about the hills in advance of the 

 cultivator. While the plants were quite small 



a careful watch was kept for cut-worms, 

 which were killed before they had done much 

 damage. If too many stalks were found in a 

 hill a part were removed. If all were de- 

 stroyed from any cause new seed was planted. 

 The hoe, cultivator and plow were used as 

 often as occasion required till the stalks of 

 corn were sutliciently high to completely shade 

 the ground and prevent the growth of weeds. 

 When the stalks were sutticiently large to 

 throw out ears suckers were carefully removed 

 and cured for fodder. The smutty ears were 

 cut off and destroyed. A good deal of labor 

 was spent, but the large yield compensated for 

 all the care bestowed. — Oiicagn Tinges. 



THINGS PUT INTO TOBACCO. 



"There is no doubt," said a large city 

 manufacturer, " that tobacco is fixed up in 

 many ways, in order to prepare it for its 

 various markets. A poor tobacco may gain 

 a higher marketable value by treatment, 

 although it is not possible to make a good 

 article out of a bad one. The genuine lover 

 of tobacco will distinguish between a natural 

 and an artificial flavor, unless the latter is 

 carefully employed. 



"The points to be attended to in cigar 

 making are appearance, flavor, color, texture, 

 easy draught, and evenness in burning. Much 

 depends upon the appearance ; that is, the 

 wrapper. In New Jersey, for instance, a light- 

 colored wrapper must always be used. In 

 Pennsylvania and farther south it is impos- 

 sible to sell anything but Coloiados. The 

 New England wrapper will alone suit them. 

 Colorados are, however, not liked in the West, 

 even in Colorado itself. In almost every 

 Western State, except perhaps Ohio, dealers 

 must have a dark, smooth, and somewhat 

 oily wrapper. They won't touch a light cigar. 

 The heavy, dark wrappers are grown mostly 

 in Pennsylvania. They do not compare with 

 Eastern wrappers, but Western dealers must 

 have them in all except the higher grades of 

 goods. 



" While the appearance of a cigar is due 

 chiefly to its wrapper, its flavor depends upon 

 the filling. The best cigars have Connecticut 

 wrappers and Havanna filling. This wrapper, 

 even now so highly prized, is, however, slowly 

 deteriorating. It has no longer the smooth, 

 clear surface and silky quality of a few years 

 ago. It is dry, more friable, and has a rougher 

 appearance than formerly — that is, unless it is 

 grown on a fresh soil. Our domestic tobacco 

 lands are losing some of their most excellent 

 qualities. We still get splendid tobacco from 

 the South, which is largely used in the various 

 forms of filling, smoking and chewing, but I 

 now refer to the important point of wrapping. 

 We cannot do as much as we would wish 

 toward improving the appearance of wrappers 

 — they will not stand strong treatment. Cer- 

 tain processes are used, however, with fair 

 results. 



"The chemists have an important share in 

 our work, as they do nowadays with the man- 

 ipulation of almost every article of human 

 consumption. I know fifteen of them em- 

 ployed in the factories of this city. It is an 

 open secret that their duties consist largely 

 in insuring the evenness of goods, flavoring 

 them, and improving their apparent quality. 

 In the flavoring of wrappers they can do but 

 little though they often color or spot them. 



It is in the flavoring of fillings and in de- 

 veloping and heightening the narcotic powers 

 of the weed, and thus making it marketable 

 at higher prices that their services are in de- 

 mand. I do not think that opium or its salts 

 are now used by manufacturing tobacconists, 

 though there is an absurd popular belief to 

 that effect. Nor do I know of any leaf that 

 is used to any extent as a substitute for to- 

 bacco. The ancient cabbage leaf assumption 

 is a popular delusion. In England, however, 

 five or six years ago, prepared cherry leaves 

 were largely used as an adulteration; but, in 

 order to obtain a a narcotic effect, the manu- 

 facturers used opium, and the Government 

 broke up the business by stringent laws against 

 such adulterations. L know of no other in- 

 stance of the sort in cigar manufacture, 

 though I have detected adulterations in smok- 

 ing tobaccos. 



"I cannot name all the substances used in 

 flavoring tobacco. Every manufacturer has 

 a formula suited to his particular trade, 

 Tliere are some flavors which are in regular 

 use. Among these vanilla is by far the most 

 extensively employed. This is used only in 

 the fillings, in the form of an alcoholic tinct- 

 ure or extract, and is introduced through a 

 process of absorption. Pew cigars are whol- 

 ly free from vanilla, but its effects are com- 

 paratively harmless when not too freely used. 

 The tonka bean and balsam of fir are also 

 much employed in the same way, and for the 

 same purpose. Cedar oil is a fine flavor, but 

 is seldom used except in a fine quality of ci- 

 gar. A really fine cigar can hardly be said to 

 improve under any manipulation beyond the 

 necessary curing. 



"The tobacco flavor may be very well im- 

 itated, with a little assistance, of course, 

 from the original article. The best tiling now 

 known for that purpose is valerian. It is very 

 largely used, but as it is excepted by most 

 people as an excellent nervine, I should not 

 consider its effects injurious. Vanilla and 

 valerian are doubtless the most valuable chem- 

 icals now in vogue among the tobacconists. 

 By their use the dullest and weakest stems 

 may be flavored up into a fair article of to- 

 bacco. They are largely used in those smok- 

 ing grades wliich are sometimes heavily adul- 

 terated with coarsely ground barks. Cigar- 

 ette tobacco is the most highly flavored of all 

 not excepting even chewing tobacco, which is 

 well known to be pretty heavily repaired, as 

 we say. Not only valerian and vanilla, but 

 cascarilla bark enters into cigarette tobaccos. 

 They are generally made of very ordinary to- 

 bacco, except when prepared by large manu- 

 facturers who have a reputation to sustain. 

 To make a cigar burn well ammonia is no 

 doubt the best tiling now known, though with 

 the poorer qualities the old plan of soaking 

 the tobacco in a stiff solution of saltpetre is 

 still adhered to. The latter practice must be 

 injurious, and should be wholly discarded. 



" This matter of burning is an important 

 one. A manufacturer in trying his leaf, will 

 have a sample cigar made of it, and, getting 

 a fair light, will lay it horizontally upon a 

 table. Then, taking out his watch, he will 

 note the time it continues to burn. Manufac- 

 turers will sometimes buy a tobacco which is 

 good in all respects but that of burning well. 

 He gets it, of course, at a lower figure on that 



