236 Tobacco as a Farm Crop for England. 
Number of Plants.- — On August 28th I had liviug, — 
1707 plants of Carter & Co.'s " Virginian." 
432 „ „ English-grown. 
19 resembling Pennsylvaiiian. 
6 said to be Maryland. 
7 „ Latakia. 
4 unknown. 
:U75 
Cultivation.- — Weeds were kept under by hand-hoeing. 
Toppivg finished. — Topping was finished on September 4th. I left only 
6 leaves on the latest plants. 
Cutting. — Cutting began on September 6th, and ended on September 22nd. 
Suckering. — Suckeriug continued till cutting was nearly finished. 
Carrying. — In cutting and carrying, the stems were slit, and the plants 
slung on sticks, and carried head downwards. 
Shelter. — The plantation was sheltered by hedges on every side, the field 
by a hedge on the north, and a crop of maize on the south, while sheep-gates 
on end aflbrded some shelter from the east and west. 
I found the maize a most useful protection, because it grew as the 
tobacco did. 
Curing (preparations for). — I began curing directly after cutting, on 
September bth. A hop-kiln, which had not been used for hops for several 
years, was prepared by substituting for the cowl a square ventilator, with 
louvre boards which could be opened and shut at will to any point of the 
compass, and scaffolds were fixed to support in three tiers the sticks with the 
tobacco-plants hanging to them. 
Curing-fuel.— The luel used was charcoal, which was burnt on the floor. 
A sheet of iron was hung over the fii'e to save the plants hanging immediately 
above it from being scorctied. 
First Curing. — In my first curing, I followed the directions for curing a 
bright yellow given in a pamphlet of Messrs. Carter & Co., of which the fol- 
lowing is the outline : — 
1. Yellowing process, 90° 24 to 30 hours. 
2. Fixing colour, 100°-120° 16 to 20 „ 
3. Curing leaf, 120°-125° 6 to 8 „ 
4. Curing stalk and stem, 12o''-170° .... 9 „ 
except that I continued the yellowing process longer — up to 57 hours — 
because after 30 the leaves had changed so little. This, however, was not 
nearly enough, and the next process, that of fixing, was so successful that the 
greater part of that curing was fixed a permanent green. 
It was very difficult to maintain a temperature of 170°, and quite un- 
necessary, it ajjpears to me, for I cannot see the object of drying the stalk. 
Second Curing. — In my second curing, begun on September 15th, I 
" yellowed " for 101 hours, and did not keep the fire going so regularly at 
night, so that the temperature fell at one time as low as 65°. I " fixed" for 
17 hours, and cured for 15 hours, never going higher than 125°. 
This curing was more successful than the first, and I obtained more briaht 
yellow leaves; but it seems to me that with Virginian tobacco it can hardly 
be possible to cure a whole kiln-full bright yellow, unless the leaves were 
separated from the stalks, and taken lo a separate fixing room as they were 
