Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-01
TOBACCO CULTUREINTENNESSEE.
by J. Ii. Killebrew, Commissioner of
Agriculture, Etc.

TOPPING, WORRYING, AND sUCKERING.
We come now to that part of tebac-
co culture which requires great atten-
ton and watchfulness. The opera
tions to be described in this chapter
constitute by far the greatest portion
of the work in the field, and the crop
itself is limited by the ability to keep
the worms and suckers down.
Topping is the pinching out of the
seed but from the plant. This opera
ton should be performed just as soon
aS ten leaves can be left on the stalk
after printing up six inches from the
ground. 1t takes about seven weeks
from the time of setting for the plant
To be large enough TO top. The plant
should never be permitted to bios
som. The sooner it is topped the
greater the saving in its vitality. To
top to ten leaves without counting,
pull off the lower leaves as high up as
six inches above the ground, and OBJ
serve how the first leaves are disposed
on the stalk; the ninth and tenth leaves
will have the same disposition, or in
other words, will grow out in the same
direction from the stalk of the plant.
Pinch Out the bud above these leaves,
aud there will remain on the plant the
required number Care should be
taken in pinching out the bud not to
iniure the leaves Immediately below
Many farmers top to twelve. fourteen,
and even sixteen leaves. There is a
great loss of weight in topping this
high. The leaves are thin, aud are not
uniform in size, nor will they ripen
uniformly. The bottom leaves will
ripcn and begin to waste before the
upper leaves begin to mature. As u
general rule higher number than ten
leaves is never left on plant by our
best tobacco growers. As the season
advances the number of leaves must
be lessened. Some of the most OBJ
servant and intelligent believe that a
greater number of pounds and of
better quality can be made by leaving
only eight leaves to the stalk than any
other number. In other words, that
the maximum in quality and quantity
Is reached at eight leaves. They grow
longer, ripen at the same time, are of
uniform size, and much heavier and
richer. And the writer, after expert
menting on this subject, is disposed
To agree with the latter class. Here is
one experiment made in 1867: A piece
of land containing five acres, which we
will designate as No. |, lying in a basin
that had been cleared for half a century
or more, was, after being highly ma
uured with stable dung, planted in to-
baeco. 1t grew rapidly. and was top
ped to eight leaves, very much against
the judgment of some of the best to-
baeco growers in the neighborhood.
Another piece of laad containing the
same number of acres, which we will
call No. :, was also well MANFRED, and
the tobacco topped to ten and twelve
leaves. The tobacco on No. ripened
first, but was allowed to stand fully two
weeks after It was apparently ready for
the knife. Both pieces were cut the
same week, aud treated precisely in the
same manner. The tobacco grown
upon No. was a long, black, rich.
dark wrapper, fully thirty inches in
length, aud very heavy. That grown
on No. 2 was of brighter color, but
poorer, and without the length of that
from lot No. /. A prominent New
York dealer called at the barn when
the tobacco had been taken down pre-
Daratory TO pricing. and he offered sew
enteen cents for the tobacco grown
mon No. l, and only twelve for that
grown upon No. 2. But this vas not
siI. the lot No. 1 yielded /, 200 ponds
70 the acre. while Dot No. z only made
900 mounds. The tobacco grown upon
Ma. i had fever leaves. and therefore
fewer kers to pull Of. La the strip
ming oft one-ffth the time was saved,
rs compared with that grown upon NO.