Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-02-20
FARMERS COLUMN.
cultivation OF Tobacco.

seed forwarded to W through the kindness OF
J. O. Wilson, Esq, from Washington
Those who have received these packages will
doubtless be interested in the following state
ment Of r. 8. Hicks, Esq, Of Spencer coun-
ty, Ind, relative to the cultivation Of, cur
ing and pricing Of tobacco in Southern Indi-
ana, in climate differing but little from that
of Iowa. He says it is one Of the most GER
tain crops grown in that region, yielding when
properly cultivated one thousand pounds to
the acre. It brought last year ten cents per
pound, and he thinks will bring twelve cents
the coming season. ~~
The following are the instructions Of Mr..
Hicks:
F1Rsr.-The soils best adapted to the rails
ing Of tobacco are sandy soil, in river or
creek bottoms, and on uplands mixture Of
clay and sand. Such soils will usually be
found where hickory, pawpaw or dog wood
abounds. It also does we'll in soils producing
the beech. New ground lin beech deadenings,
has always produced excellent tobacco, in
Southern Indiana, and many tobacco plant
ers manage to have such deadenings, every
two or three years, so IS to have the advan-
tage of strong new ground to plant in.
SEcosD.-Sowimg the seed. Select rich
place, clean everything off, make the ground
perfectly bare of trash, then cover with brush
and wood, and burn 10 ashes, let the ashes
remain or 10 hours, until perfectly cool,
when the ground thus burned over should be
spaded.up carefully and made as fine as pos
sible, rake it over to mellow it, then mix the
seed with ashes, and SOW. After sowing rake
it in we'll A table spoonful of seed will SOW
bed 16 feet square, and tea-spoonfull, it
properly sewn, is sufficient to plant one acre
Of ground. The seed should be sown the first
dry spell after Christmas, because when sown
then, the plants are known to stand the
drought much better than when sown later.
The ground must be perfectly dry when
the seed is sown. In order to keep the cattle
and other stock off the tobacco beds, throw
over them straight brush to protect the plants
| In the spring take off al the leaves and brush
90 as to allow the plants to grow thrifty.
THIRD.-Reparing tho ground for plant
ino.-This is important, and should be care
fully attended to. 1st-Break up the ground
deep; 20 down to the subsoil, if possible
Do this early in the spring, SO soon as the
ground is in good order for breaking; let it
then lay until you are about ready for plant
ing, when it should be carefully broke up
again and narrowed, then it is ready for plant
ing. :.
FousrH.-As to tho time and nsaansr Of
plantinq.-So soon as the plants are Of Guf-
ficient size to handle well, after the 1st Of
May, lay off your grounds in 81 or feet
squares, by furrowing. Then take the hoe
and make little hills similar to cabbage bills at
the intersection Of the burrows, then plant
your tobacco and keep on planting, if neces-
sary, till the last Of June. The first plant, or
rather early plants, bring the best tobacco
Be careful and plant where it becomes neces.
sary, 80 as to make all your ground available.
Flrra.-As to manner of cultiuat;ng.-
Plow at least twice each way and keep the
weeds out. Let the last blowing and hoeing
be thorough, and put tolerably good hills
around your plants. This makes them grow
much more thrifty. At the last working with
hoe, prime your plants, that is take off all the
bottom leaves IS high up as 6or8. This gives
more nutriment to the plants, and expands
the leaves above, and gives texture and quail
ity to the tobacco. Tobacco must be topped.
Say at the first topping take off all above -
leaves, and the second and final topping, take
| off all above 10 leaves. The rule is that the
plant must have two toppings. This must
be done after the tobacco has assumed its full
shape, or nearly so. The succoring, taking
off bottom and top leaves, as specified above,
together with toppings, is necessary that the
main leaves may thicken up and expand, and
thus make the first class tobacco. Commence
worming early, watch the bud worms. they
injure worse than any Others. Be attentive
from tie time the plants begin to grow until
the tobacco is cut and cured in the barn. In
pulling off the succors be careful to examine
and destroy all worms that may be on them;
for if left on the succor, they Immediately 60
on to the plant. The entire tobacco crop
must be wormed at least once . week, and
this should be done either in the morning or
evening, otherwise the worm will not be found
so easily. A man and two good sized lads
can thoroughly cultivate ten acres of tobacco,
if in any degree Industrious.
SIxrH.-As to cutting and curing oftobac-
| eo-Along the latter part OF September and
first of October the tobacco, if planted early
and we'll cultivated, will be ready for cutting
and curing. It can be easily told when it
should be cut. When ripe it becomes little
yellow, and quite brittle, having q tendency
to draw up, with here and there little yellow
specks on it. Then cut-it is ripe. 1t must
not be left till frost comes. Never cut i'm
mediately after rain. Let at least three
dews fall upon it after a rain, then cut. The
mode Of cutting is to split down diagonally
through the stalk near the ground, then hang
your tobacco on four foot sticks, putting eight
plants on each stick. Hang the sticks up in
the barn or in good shed, in tiers four feet
wide and one foot apart. This will give air
free circulation through the barn, and cause
the tobacco to cure up nice and bright. If
put up in barns properly, it assumes bright,
20 lden hue, ard makes the choicest and best
tobacco offered in The markets.
SEvENrH.-As to the mode of stripping
and prizing-When the tobacco has become
thoroughly cured, strip it from the stalk and
tie up in hands of eight leaves each-this
makes bundle. Stripping is done in damp,
rainy weather, when it comes in case, that is,
it becomes soft and pliable. The inferior is
usually put up in hands or bundles of twelve
leaves each, instead of eight. 1t is too soft
to prize Immediately after stripping. Take
and hang the hands on sticks, each bundle
one inch apart, and let it thoroughly dry
After which, and upon coming in case again,
it is ready for prizing, that is packing in hogs
heads. It can easily be told when it is in
pricing order. The stem gets brittle and will
| break or rather spit from one END 70 the ot0-
or. Get hogsheads made five feet long, out
of good seasoned lumber, A inches in dame
ter, lumber 3-4 Of an inch thick, with 8 hoops
Put into hogshead from 1900 to 1900
pounds of tobacco, taking care to All the hogs.
heads full Of one quality Of tobacco. The
fine or No. article by itself, and the inferior
article, or lugs, Is it is called in market, by
itself, and mark the hogsheads accordingly.
In pricing, put in two hands or bundles at q
time, and fill the hogshead six times, press