The Arkansas banner., 1844-03-27
AGRICULTURAL.
From tae Southern Planter.

Mr. William Baker, of Louisa, penned the following instructions for curing tobacco, merely for the use of friend in Missouri, who had requested him to dc so. The value of Mir. B's ideas on this subject may be judged from the fact that he obtained, last summer, for part of his tobacco crop, forty-onc dollars hundred; the highest price of the season, if not the highest ever paid ill Richmond, to planter. He has ever been known both in that market and ia his owii county, as suc- cesslul cultivator of the S Virginia weed"
 MIR. BAKERS METHOD OF MANAGING TO-
 BAeeo.
 am raising a kind of tobacco called Oro- noco, which is preferred for manufacturing purposes, but it is not admired by the ship pers. would, therefore, advise you to cul- tivate the green Frederick, or some other kind, for shipping It is important in the tobacco crop, in order to raise it of superior quality, that it be planted as early in the season as possible, To accomplish this, you should select your best land for plants, burn it well, prepare and SOW your seed as early in the winter as practicable, say by the last of Feb ruary, at all events. deem 1t unnecessary to say anything to you about preparing your soil, presuming you understand that part 0! the business as well as l do. Commence plant ing as soon as your plants are of sufficient size and finish by the 10th of June, if you can As your soil in Missouri is richer and more productive than ours in Virginia, have no doubt your tobacco will bear topping higher than we generally top ours. l have topped mine for the last four years to eigh leaves, and have made more and the quality is better than when 1 topped 1t higher have no doubt yours will bear topping to ten or twelve leaves. Be sure you top it high enough to prevent the top leaves from wliet- ting against the ground because the value of tobacco is often very much impaired in that way. You should be as particular in guarding against the other extreme, that o topping too high, by which you will injurt \ your tobacco in several respects, as by nak- ing it thin and poor. and the leaves very narrow You should sec that 1t is not dis figured by the horn norm, if you have any and that your negroes do not break the leaves when pulling off the suckers. In fact, grea care should be used when handling your to- bacco through the whole course of manage ment, from the time you commence topping until it is ready for market, that they do no DTcdk HOT DTulSC IL NllhC " 10 StCtht Hc crumble it when dry, after 1t is cured, no deGace 1t in any way whatever You shouls not cut your tobacco until 1t is we'll maturcd unless you are forced to do so from it's firing or fdanger of it's being bitten by frost. Whcr you cut it, great care should be used to pre- vent it from sun-burning. Do not let it re- main on the ground until 1t becomes timber but have it carefully taken up and secured as soon as it will bear handling, or, in other words, as soon as it has commenced falling In every instance, move it to the houses as soon as possible after it is cut, m order te secure it in case of rain. If Il IS large, yo, should not hang more than from eight to tel plants on q stick, the space between the tier in vour tobacco house being four feet. space of six inches between the sticks on th : tiers in your tobacco house will be necessar, while the tobacco is green. After its cure, it may be stored closer. You should buil /, your houses with round poles or frames plankcd up, or m any way to suit your con venience or fancy, so you have them tolera ply tight. The bodies should be high enoug y to admit of not less than three clear tier [ below the ieis.s. You may have the roof of states, blanks, o- shingles, jIs: as yo' ; please. it is best to have them close, SO the'