Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-02-19

There is no reason why the farmers
Of Missouri should not make as bright
tobacco as the farmers of other states
the climate is SO suitable and the
soil is so eminently adapted to its
grow tn, that their neglect in this re-
gard can only be attributed to the
common but groundless idea that
Missouri will not produce bright to-
bacco. Tobacco which natures early
can generally be cured successfully
that which ripens late can rarely be
made bright. Therefore, it is ,speci-
ally necessary, to have plauts as carly
as possible. The plant-beds Should
be burned and sOwn as soon after the
first of January each year as the
weather will permit; after the seed
is in the ground the bed should be
covered thinly with straw, or with
brush, which must remain on the
beds until spring opens, this protects
the young plants from the cold and
Keeps the land warm and moist when
the plants are as large as q half-dime
piece, the brush or straw must be re-
moved, so that they may get the ben
e6t of the sun. Precaution should
next be taken against the flies, which
are sometimes very destructive. 1t
bug can jump only short distance
upwards, aud may be kept out of the
bed by plank about twelve inches
in width set up Oh it's edge around
the bed. Grey soil with yellow sub
soil is best adapted to the growth of
yellow tobacco. When the plants are
large enough, they should be trans
planted any time after the 3Oth of
May and before the 10th of June if
seasonable, this will give them suffi
cient time to mature and turn yellow
on the hill. AS soon as the plants
have commenced growing, they should
be worked out, and this should be
repeated after every rain, whether
the land be free from grass or not,
until. the crop begins to ripen. When
the plants have attained the requisite
height they should be primed about
ten inches from the ground. and top
ped at fourteen leaves if early in the
season, at twelve, ten aud eight leaves
as the season advances, as it is de-
sirable that q good deal of the crop
should ripen at the same time. If it
is observed that the plants are grow
ing too coarse, the suckers should be
allowed to remain some time, but not
long enough to break the leaves IN
pulling them off. When there is ripe
tobocco enough to fill barn it should
be cut, aud it is of great assistance to
the curer that the tobacco should be
uniform in size, ripeness aud color,
therefore when there is enough to
tnn, orfs Lar 4 l.
taken in cutting, to get as much of the
same class together as possible. 1t is
not possible to cure barn of tobacco
bright when some stalks are green,
others ripe, some coarse others fine !;
one 81 ,ss or the other must fail, and
sometimes both. There should be
from six to eight plants to the stick,
and the sticks should be ten to twelve
inches apart in the barn ; the farther
apaI t the sticks, the less apt the to-
bacco is to sweat. The tobacco after
being cut should not be allowed to
wilt, and care should he taken not to
bruise it in hauling. The plants must
be neatly regulated Oh the sticks and
the sticks on the tier-poles. When
this is done, it is time to commence
the fires. In fve-room barn it
would be well to build four fires in d
row under each room. Old stumps
or green wood cut in small pieces
give a regular heat and are best to
use in steaning aud yellowing. The
tobacco should generally be steamed
from thirty to forty hours, at S5 to
80 deg. Fab. when the weather is cool,
at 80 to 95 deg. when warm, in order
get it sufficiently yellow. The steam
lug should be regulated according to
the quantity of sap in the tobacco.
1t should not be allowed 10 get too
yellow as it is liable to run red when
higher heats are applied 10 it. When
the best leaves of the plant are yell
low enough, the wood fires must be
substituted by charcoal fires, COM
mencing at same heat. The next step
TO be taken is to set the color, which
is done by advancing the heat grad
ually, say 5 deg. every two hours, OBJ
serving great care always TO let the
mercury begin to descend before tho
fires are renewed; the coal should be
put OH by the hand rather than pour
ed from basket, so as to secure a
gradual revival of the fire that will
not carry the mercury above the
point aimed al. Should the heat 90
too high in renewing the fires, the
door must be opened, and if that is
not sufficient some of the fires should
he smothered with dirt or dust, COW
ertng them at intervals throughout