Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-21

occurS in a week from the first, prune or
break off the leaves five inches from the
hill; take out the bud, leaving ten leaves
on the stalk. The next topping, prune In
like manner, take out the bad, leaving nine
| leaves on the stalk. The next topping,
| prune In like manner; take out the bud,
leaving eight leaves on the stalk. The
plant is frequently topped to twelve and
| fourteen leaves, which makes the leaves
light and chaffy and the top leaves narrow
and imperfect. Topping should be done as
soon as the plant attains sufficient size to
pinch or break out the bud without disfg-
uring the tender leaves, and always before
the plant buttons or blooms.
To top TO ten leaves without counting is
done by putting the eye on the first leaf on
the stalk after printing; then break the bud
! TO that teal, leaving the top or bud leaf
| pointing or hanging Immediately over the
| second leaf at the bottom Of the stalk. To
i top to nine leaves, break the bud to the sec
! Ond Leaf, leaving the bud or last leaf hang
! ing Immediately over the first leaf on tie
stalk. To top to eight leaves, break the
bud to the third leaf, leaving the bud or
last leaf hanging over the fourth leaf
! from the bottom Of the stalk. The plant
should be protected from the ravages of
! the worms, the suckers pulled off when
| brittle and tender, and never be permitted
! to get hard and woody, which makes them
hard to pull of, and frequently break the
leaves in pulling them of, and the leaves
more liable 10 break after they are pulled
of, and by no means should be permitted
| 10 grow to a greater size than viii permit
| them to be broken off easily.
| CUTTING AND SCAFFOLDING,
Tobacco should be thoroughly ripe be-
! fore it is cut. 1t is the general conceived
| opinion that the leaf is easier to cure a
bright yellow color, If cut before it becomes
| thoroughly ripe. But it is an error and is
| often the cause Of the production of chaffy,
bitter nondescrlpt, scarcely worth handling
! and marketing. When rips, the fine varie-
ties grown on new land become very spot
| ted or yellow; but the coarse, heavy staple
on rich lots, frequently retain the green
even when ripe, but is very thick, gummy
| and brittle, and the leaf will always crack
on being pinChed up and pressed between
the thumb and finger.
Cutting is performed by splitting the
! stalk with knife to within four inches OF
the lower leaf, below which it is cut off and
turned over on the side Of the hill. If the
| weather is very hot and the ground dry, care
must be taken TO prevent it being burned
by the sun; this can be prevented by piling
ten or twelve plants together with the stalk
turned toward the sun. Ten average size
plants, and greater number Of smaller and
less number of large, should be hung up
on a stick Of four feet six inches in length.
Some prefer housing as it is hung; but il
the weather is clear and dry lis much better
to hang on scafolds sufficiently high to pre-
vent the ends of the leaves from tOucningthe
ground. The stick is hung on the scaffold
five inches apart, and when the leaf is
thoroughly spotted it should be housed fol
curing. The leaves should never attain a
solid yellow before the curing process is
commenced. If they do it is impossible tC
cure bright, fancy color.
The house should be tight up to the frs
l tier; not thoroughly tight above, but enough
so as to prevent the too great escape OF
heat. In housing, the sticks should bt
hung on the tier a. regular distances apar
-nevet closer than five inches. Though
the plant be properly cultivated, handled
and skillfully cured, still, II the heat is sp
Piled when it is crowded in the house in I
sappy condition, it must inevitably becom'
house burned and almost worthless.
CURING OR FIRING.
This should be commenced by lsyin!
two large sticks Of wood near each other III
three or four parallel layers, extending
nearly across the house, leaving four tC
five feet of open space leading towards the
door or opening, so that each tier can be ap
preached easily from the door. Then kindl'
small fires three or four feet apart between
each log of wood with small chunks or any
kind of fuel that is not inclined to blaze
and if a blaze should spring up suddenly, j
must be smOthered down Immediately By
pouring on it few ashes or dry earth, o.
by pulling down the fire. The heat Of tht
fire should be so slight and increased SO
gradually for six or eight hours as seeming
" to be imperceptibIe. This is called The
smoking process. But it is bette
to have the heat without the smok
if it were possible to do so. From
the time the curing is commenced
the heat must not recede or abate, but mus
be kept slowly and gradually on the in
crease, baking or drying the sap out of tn
leaf and stalk multi the tails of the leaf be
come curled up from four to six inche
, from the ends. At this stage, which i
usually accomplished in twenty or thirt
hours. The walls of the house should b
quite warm and the room filed with dis
, agreeable baking heat, which should be con
tinued without abatement until the maiI
stem Of the leaf is partially cured, and IN
til the stem is thoroughly cured, in thos
varieties intended for export demand, whlcl
is usually accomplished in from three t
five DAYS. In order TO retain the colo
when the stem is not thoroughly cured,
small baking fire may be made under
: vUhpupvpr the weather ia moist.
} | CHASING, STRIPPING, FIRING AND BULK
ING.
Stripping should never be done unles
the stem Of the leaf is thoroughly cured, s.
that it will not come loose when tied int
hands or bundles. In CHASING, or sorting
an eve must be had to color, texture, OF
length and width of leaf. In CHASING fine
t leafy, coloring tobaccos, suitable for WI az
= ping the fine plug chewing, all OF th
; smooth, yellow and bright spotted leaves
uniform texture, oil and width should b
tied together. The dark spotted and brigh
> red of like texture, oil and width should b
classed together.
q The dark and slightly ragged should b
, closed together, and each Of those classe
should be tied in neat bundles not exceed
} ing eight leaves to the bundle, including th
= leaf the Cafiy and ragged may be tied L
large bundles together. The coarse, ric
. tobacco, suitable for the export demand
> should be classed by putting all the ricl
DIV leaves of average size and texture
the first class; the slightly ragg d and sma
= rich leaves in the second class. Both
these classes should be tied up in neat bur
dies, not exceeding ten leaves with the til
leaf. .... .a-.
f An of the ragged and ehafy should ;
put in the third class, and may be tied
3 large bundles. Tobacco is very much bel
eftted if stripped during the winter an
bulked in a two course bulk, with the tai
lapped and heads exposed, and weighted
: pressed down with weights, and let RENAL
, until the last of March or the first Of APR