Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-07-15
TOBACCO IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Some Notes on Curing the Crop.
&c. A. g." in Country Gentleman.
There is probably no process in the
growing or manipulation of tobacco that
is generally SD little understood as the
curing. Farmers who have cultivated
tobacco for years with good success, usually
express conflicting opinions upon the
. principal points of the subject, and from
all that have been able to learn from ex-
perience aud observation on the subject, l
must admit that am unable to defiEe the
laws which govern the process of curing
tobacco. Therefore l ask to be excused
for giving more theory in this article than
practice. 1t is well known among grow
ers Of tobacco that in some seasons tObac.
co in certain sections will cure with gen.
ally good colOrs and desirable qualities,
and at other seasons the reverse is the
case, and qualities throughout some sec
tions are poor and the tobacco undesirable.
At the same time there is always some
variance i'm different crops, owing, doubt
less, to the various soils and their cOndi-
ton as regards fertility aud tiltb, and to
cured.
The cause Of these variations in quality
from very good to poor, in different years,
has not been satisfactorily explained. The
subject is an important one, and deserves
more consideration than it has received,
for in a great measure the quality of to-
bacco depends upon the manner in which
it is cured. Color is an important element
in the quality of tobacco, aud it is only by
proper curing that good cclOrs can be
produced, and yet with the majority of
the producers of seed-leaf tobacco, light or
dark colOrs are only obtained by acciden-
tai circumstances. Fashion at the present
time demands rich, dark colored wrappers
for covering cigars, hence the importance
of knowing how to produce them.
It is pretty certain that tho weather has
much to do with the curing of tobacco. 1t is
we'll known that in some seasons the tobacco
in a certain section will rule light in color,
while in another year dark cOlors will
prevail and at other times heavy losses
result from pole burning. These varia-
tions Of quality probably result from the
general character of tho weather during
the process of curing, and serve to indicate
laws which rarely fail. These are that
rapid curing tends to produce light
colors, and slow curing dark colors. With
the light colors there is likely to be other
undesirable qualities, such as rust, white
veins, poor texture, sc. 1t is generally
believed that very rapid drying tends to
produce undesirable qualities in the cured
leaf, and therefore, the curing barn
should be SO arrangrd as to prevent the
rapid curing in dry weather. In damp,
murky weather there is always danger
from pole-burn a" while the tobacco is
green, and care must be exercised to pre-
vent this.
Right here is a point where difference
- I g, e.
keep the ventilating doors of the curing
er, SO as to encourage q circulation of air
among tho plants. There are good growers
who follow the reverse course and keep all
doors tightly closed during periods of
damp weather, whether the temerature is
warm or COOL their argument being that
by keeping the building tight tho hot,
damp air is excluded. Which of these
opinions is correct lido not know. but it is
pretty certain that certain degree of
heat and dampness will affect tobacco
seriously whether the doors are opened
or closed. aud for this reason few or
no growers are exempt, from dam
age to their tobacco from pole sweat.
The BEST advice that can give on this
subject is to keep the curing barn closed
tightly during periods of dry, windy
weather, and to encourage free circula-
tion of air during damp weather. 1t is
during ''muggy" weather, when there is
little air stirring, that pole-sweat is most
likely to occur, and it is then that ventila-
tion is needed.
It is probable that an artificial means for
ventilating tobacco sheds could be made
most usfeul, and if it could be discovered
at what degree of temperature and stage
Of the barometer pole-rot begins, growers
could prevent danger to their crops with
only small outlay. The loss that occurs
in some tobacco growing sections during
come seasons when pole. sweat prevails,
amounts to many thousands OF dollars.
These losses could be prevented by sup
plying artificial ventilation to the plants
when the condition Of the vaafl,er ia cucl,