Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-02-12

~ ACAS Nh 4 ~ ACD0 l.
the time the grass makes its appear
ance the second time, the tobacco il
large enough TO admit the plow. A
narrow shovel-plow does the neates
work run three burrows to the row
not close enough to fracture the to
bacco, then work it over thorough,
with the hoe, putting small mellow
hill TO each plant.
WORMS.
: BY this time you will observe tn,
work of the green tobacco orms
They must be looked after at leas
once week. There are two different
species of this worm-the red-horneC
aud the blue-horned, each eQuall,
destructive. One of these worms
will soon destroy plant. When i,
has finished its work, it enters the
ground to come up next spring, in
the form of fly. This fly lays her
leggs on the tobacco. which hatch out
young worms. The egg is hardly as
large as a mustard seed, and of a
yellowish color. Many of these flies
may be caught on Jamestown weeds
and destroyed. They may be seen OF
evenings sucking the Jamestown
blooms. Keep ali destroying insects
OIL of the tobacco while it stands in
the field. The bud-worm was very
destructive in the years 1862; it
| works in the bud of the plant, max
ing great havoc with the youIg g
leaves.
When the tobacco is about a foot
and q half high, it should get its last
plowing aud hoeing. and should hav e
a large fiat hill put around it.
PRIMING AND TOPPING.
When the buds that contain the
blooms make their appearance, it
should be primed and topped. Prim-
ing is done by pulling off the bottom
leaves, SO that those remaining will
not reach the ground then pluck out
the buds, leaving twelve or fourteen
leaves on a stalk.
We generally 60 over the field three
or four times, topping and priming.
First, topping that which is large
enough, and letting the smaller re-
main till the next week, and 90 on
till it is time that all should be top
ped, to escape the frost. We gener-
ally finish topping by the twentieth
of August.
1t the transplanting is finished by
the twenty-fifth of June, which 1t
should be, the tobacco will be amply
large enough to top by the twentieth
Of August which will give it time to
ripen by the twentieth OF September.
Some seasons tobacco may be plant
ed later, but it is unsafe in this 10.
cality, for the frost may come and Law
waste summers labor.
SEED-PLANTs.
The earliest plants should be left
for seed do not top them, but trim
the leaves of at the top, to about ten
to plant.
Four fiourishing plants will yield
one half-pint Of good seed. The bud
worm should be kept from the seed
plants, as they will enter the pods
and eat the seed-plants, as they will
enter the pods and eat the seed. [
have caught as many as twenty bud
worms OH one neglected seed-plant.
-n.e--. sUCKERlNG.
After the tobacco has been topped
about a week, there will be little
sprouts or suckers put forth on the
stalk, at the bud Of every leaf. If
they are neglected, they will grow
up and go te seed, and take ali the
nourishmeDt from the stalk, giving
the plant haggard appearance, and
literally running the tobacco. These
suckers must be strictly attended to (:
they should be pulled off as soon as
they have grown long enough to be
taken mold of by the
fingers.
There are generally three sets of
suckers, sometimes four. After one
set is pulled of, in week or 80 there
will be another set put forth, in the
same place, and so on until the tobac-
CO is ripe.
The better the worms and suckers
are kept of, the better the tobacco
will be.
HARVESTING AND CURING.
When the tobacco is ripe it has
yellow faded color, and becomes
brittle; the surface of the leaf is
rough and ridged; by bending the
eat short between the fingers it will |
break before it will double.
The sticks to hang it on should he |
N readiness. The best mode of hang
hg, or strlnging, is with V-shaped
spear, made OF iron or steel. The
'pear has socket, large enough to
ADMIT the end of the stick. The stick
'houid be sharpened at one end, to tit
he socket; should be four feet six inch
's III length, two inches wide, and one
nch thick. A stick of these dimeu-
lions will hold eight plants.
Inc tobacco should be cut of lust
below the bottom leaf, then turn the
'lant upside down, and let 1t remain
% until the sun willis it. When it is
Vliteu 1T can be handled without
'reaklhg; then 1t should be taken up
ma iald IN piles of eight stalks each,
.iacing the butts of the stalks towards
he sun. to prevent it from sun-burn-
ng. When 1t is sun-burnt it turns
lack, aud it can not be cured any
ther color than black, which ruins
Is sale.
Ihe sticks should be strewed along,
ne stick to a pile; place the spear on
he end OF the stick, and set the stick
pright; then take up the tobacco,
ne stalk at time, and thrust it on
ne stick, letting the spear pass
through the stalk, about six inches
rom the bud end then take the
pear on and take up the stick, and
make the tobacco out straight, and
ct the stick up with the butts toward
he sun.
Some tobacco. growers prefer split
ing Tie stalks from the top down 10
1lthln about six inches of the LuI
hen hang it Oh the sticks. But [ can
OF agree with them, for it is more
imcuit to handle, and is apt to slip
the stick, when moving it; be- :
ldes, the tobacco cured in this man
er Is not so heavy as. if it was
peared. II dries out quicker bv be- :
lg split, but the substance eyapo.
ates instead Of remaining In the Leaf.
am not certain that it Injuries the )
aste of the tobacco, but am certain
lat split tobacco is lighter than that :
hich is speared.
Some prefer hanging the tobacco !
d scafolds III the field until it is
lady to be put i'll the barn and cured i.
y ire. But it is the safest to housp
as soon as tits strung Oh the sticks
Scaffolding is done by placing poIcs c
forks, about four feet apart. and ,.
'ur or five feet from the yround :
len hang the tobacco between the y
'les, letting the ends of the sticks II
st on the poles. This procedure is d d
isafe, for the rain may come and !.