Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-02-12
this leave cracks orair holes sufficient

this leave cracks or air holes sufficient
for free ventilation.
A barn to hold two and a hal
acres of tobacco, which is as much al
one mar can attend to, should b,
twenty-four feet square. 1t shoult
have five tiers Of poles, the loves
about six feet from the ground: thes,
should extend across the barr, ,,nC
he fastened at each end into the walls
The poles should be four feet apart
and the tiers directly one above an
other.
The sticks which contain the to-
bacco should be placed within eight
inches of each other, on all the poles
except the bottom ones, which should
be left vacant directly over the fire
When tobacco is nearly cured, it very
readily catches fire.
| If there be wet spell of weather
before the stalks are thoroughly dry
build a fire under the tobacco suffi-
ciently hot to keep it dry. 1t should
not get damp and plant until the
stalks are dry, then it may be allowed
to get damp. H...t
Stripping will be the farmers la
Dor during damp weather, until his
tobacco is stripped aud ready for
market. 4, .--rserss,. ..s.-5. .',I +, ,
The lugs, shipping and manufactu.
ring, which are worst, medium, and
best qualities, should be separated at
stripping. The lugS, or worst quail
ity, are found at the bottom OF the
plant; they are chaffy and light
leaves, and should be stripped from
the stalk and tied in bundles by them
selves with all Of the ragged, black,
and injured leave.
The second quality, or shining to-
OdccO, is grade above the lugs it is
the red or brown tobacco; this should
also be tied i'll separate bundles.
The best, or m0nwf featuring, is the
finest and brightest leaves, anu shou Id
be put in bundles by itself.
In stripping the stems of the leaves
they should be broken off as close as
possible to the stalks; this adds to the
weight of the tobacco.
In forming bundle, the butts of
the leaves should be placed evenly
and closely together, aud press ed
tightly i'll the hand then leaf should
be folded to form a wrapper two in.
ches Ill width then wrap it tightly
and smoothly around the butts of the
leaves, winding it from the end down,
about two inches and a half; then
open the bundle in the middle, and
tuck the wrapper-leaf through the
opening, and draw it snug. so that
when the opening is closed the wrap
per-leaf will remain; this forms a
bundle which we call "hand of to-
bacco."
The hands should be strung on
sticks, and hoisted up in the barn on
the tier poles eighteen or twenty
hands may be put on each stick, at
equal distances apart.
BULKING AND PACKING.
Let the tobacco hang in the barn
until within week or two of hogs
heading, take it down, remove it
from the sticks, and put it in bulk.
Ihls is done by making y platform,
and covering it with straw or hay !;
then lay the hands Of tobacco, side by
side, in layers around, with the butts
outward; i'll the same manner as
wheat or oats are stacked.
Ii the atmosphere is dry, the bulk
should be covered up closely, SO that
the tobacco will retain its moisture.
1t should not be too damp, for there
Is danger of its mOlding III the bulk.
If it should mold, hang it up again
in the barn, and put fire under it,
The mold that it gets in the bulk Is
generally the yellow mold, which is
the most fatal. 1t sometimes gets q
white mold On IT, while hanging in
hn .,f, >I,> g
damp and warm but this does not
injure it, for it will rub
Oh while drawing the tobacco
through the hands. 1t should be
drawn through the hands every time
it is handled, to keep it straight, aud
to give it silky texture, which adds
to it's price.
We generally send tobacco to mar
ket i'll hogsheads, and sometimes in
boxes. A hogshead four feet in
length, and three feet in diameter, is
the medium size. One thousand
pounds Is considered full hogshead:
put one OF the above dimensions can
hold one Thousand five hundred
pounds, by hard pressing; but this
Dlackens the tobacco, and injures the
sale OF it. Packing in hogsheads is
lone by first laying a course or layer
of bundles straight across the bottom.
keeping the butts even and close to-
sether; then fill up Oh each side of
The center course, placing the butts
against the slaves then the butts of |
The hands that lie against the hogs
mead should be covered up with two
or three others. .pressed closely down.
ihe next center course should be laid !
across the first, and done in tie same /!
manner as before, and SO Oh, crossing |
each course in succession, until the |
logshead is two-thirds full; W hen the |
press should be applied till the to-
)acco is within foot and half of
he bottom of the hogshead.
The press should remain on an hour
IL more, i'll order that the tobacco
nay settle together; then the press
hould be raised, and the packing re-
umed as before, till the tobacco is
within foot and u half Of the top:
hen the press should again be ap-
'lied till the tobacco is pressed half
way down the hogshead; the same
proportion should be observed until
he hogshead is full. Then put the
ead III, and it is ready for market.