The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-04-08
(Continued from last ueek;.
MORNING AND SUCKERING.

year has brought only partial relief. Some
wears they come in great hunters. despite
the best efforts of the planter, seriously
damage his crop. Perhaps the next year,
there are few and give him no trouble. 1t
is the nat ure of this insect to raise at least
two broods during the year. The hawk
moth or tobacco fly usually makes its APP
pearance in Virginia in the month of May.
The eggs deposited by the first moths, hatch
out in from five to seven days, larvae or
worms. The worm sheds its outer skin be
fore it gets its growth. the growing stage
of the worm lasts from twenty-five to thirty
days, and after it has attained its growth,
it gorges itself a few days longer and then
crawls or burrows into the ground. where
it soon passes into the pupa state; and after
some twenty-three or twenty five days from
the time of it's crawling into the ground the
pupa sends forth a moth to lay more eggs
and hatch out more worms. Each moth IS
capable of laying an average two hundred
eggs. So that for every moth in May we
NAV reasonably expect at least one hun
dred worms of the arst brood and if none
of these are destroyed but all allowed to
change to moths and these latter to raise a
horde of worms, what wonder that the sec
ond brood sometimes appears In such count
less number as to defy all efforts to destroy
them before they have ruined the crop. Ev-
cry moth ought to be destroyed as they APP
pear; and this may be lone to great extent
by injecting a few drops OF sweetened Cob
alt into the flowers of the Petunia, Honey
Suck.e or Jamestown (Jimpson) weed,
which will give them their final ~quietus.
But this hunt for the moth is not general,
and if it were some would escape. But if
every planter would wage a war of EXTERN
ination on the first brood of W ,rms-unfort-
unately a thing rarely done-they would
never appear in such unconquerable hordes
later in the season.. The suckers should be
pulled off every week as they appear, and
ought never to be permitted to get over two
inches long; for if permitted to grow large
they abstract much that weuld otherwise 60
to perfect a rich, silky leaf. No planter
need expect a crop of fine grade who does
not pull off the uckers while small, and
prevent the horn worms from Kidding the
leaves.
CUTTING y HOUSING.
Do not be in a hurry to begin cutting
eour tobacco until 1t is ripe, and enough
fully and uniformly ripe to fill a barn. A
thin butcher or shoe knife, we'll sharpened,
and wrapt with a soft cloth around the
handle and extending an inch long the
blade, will do the work effectually and be
easy to the hand. Try it. Put knives
HIN IA dhN VI ~ I'LL
men who know ripe tobacco, and will Sc
lect plants uniform in color and texture. and
will cut no other. Have your sticks already
in the field, and placed in piles convenient
sticking a stick ~vertital in the ground
over each pile that they may be more easily
found when wanted. Pine sticks, rived
three fourths OF an inch by one and one
fourth inch, and four and one-half feet
long, drawn smooth, are best.
Start together two cutters and one stick
holder, the cutters carrying two rows each
and the stick holder walking between them.
The cutter takes hold of the plant with his
left hand at the top near where the knife
enters the stalk; with his right land he
splits down the centre observing to guide
the knife so as not to sever the leaves, to
within three inches of the point he intends
to sever the stalk from the hill; and as the
knife decends, his left hand follows the slit
or opening, and when the plant is severed
from the hill, by a dexterous movement of
the left hand the plant is straddled across
the stick in the hands Of the holder. When
the stick has received about six medium
plants, if intended for brights. it is ready
to 60 the barn, either carried by hand if
near, or hauled Oh a wagon if distant. If
it is necessary to use the wagon, prepare a
bed sixteen feet long to held three ceops or
piles, on which place the tobacco as cut,
and after placing twenty-five or thirty
sticks of cut tobacco on each coop, drive to
the barn to be unlOaded.
Tobacco suitable for brights is the best
handled in this way, as it is bruised less
than if handled by any other mode. Try it
planters: and know for yourselves. Very
heavy tobacco will break less if, after be-
ing cut by the above mode, the sticks are
placed gently ON the ground and the plants
allowed to wilt before being removed to the
barn. But tobacco of medium size bruises
less to handle it without willing. Cutting
and housing by this mode you never have
any sun burned tobacco. For brights, it
has been found best to commence curing at
once, as soon as the barn can be filed.
stsUN CURED"
Just here it may be we'll to give our prac-
tice in sun-curing. If the crop is too rich
and coarse for brights, then it may be good