6 
EXPERIMENTS WITH TOBACCO. 
as to give the soil the potash, so essential to the raising of 
a good tobacco. The planting was done May 28 and 29, 
in rows three feet apart, plants one foot apart in the row. 
Our aim this year was to grow a finer leaf, more suitable 
for wrappers. In this we succeeded, by crowding the 
plants closer together, 8,000 being needed to set a half 
acre. The weight of stalk and leaves, when harvested, 
was 5,842 pounds. 
CURING. 
This season we did not place the tobacco in layers on 
the floor, when it came from the field. The tobacco was 
hung up at once, and the room closed. In this way we 
succeeded in obtaining a leaf of firmer texture and more 
uniform color. We also saved considerable labor. Care 
must be taken to keep the tobacco house closed and the 
air moist until the leaf has attained a deep yellow color, 
when a little ventilation will be necessary. This is to be 
increased as the curing process advances. 
BULKING. 
After the leaves were stripped and tied in bundles, 
called hands, the tobacco was piled in a conical heap, 
butts out, to go through a sweat or process of fermenta¬ 
tion. A year ago we deferred this fermentation until the 
following spring by breaking up these heaps as soon 
as they became warm, but found that we were unable to 
bring the tobacco to a sweat without artificial means. 
The heat soon rises (in from two to three days), and it is 
of the most importance to watch this fermentation closely. 
If the heat rises above 130° F., the heaps must be 
opened up. It is advisable to break up the bulks after 
the first fourteen days, and again a month later. Change 
the hands by bringing the center on the outside, and the 
