The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1885-10-07

sweep,) following fth hand hoes,
drawing dirt to t1plaat each time.
found the cultivaiian very easy; rap
idly done, and we'll suited to negro
labor. Up to the 20th July had no
trouble with tic horn worm, but about
that time they appeared i'll vast and
increasing quantities, and before L
could get my raw negro hands ''cdu-
Gated" up to the point of catching all
of them, big and little as they went,
the ones left behind. and growing rap
idly 10 enormous size, had done me
great injury. As soon rs the worms
appeard also took measures to reduce
their numbers by poisoning the moth,
whose egg laid oil the under side OF
the tobacco leaf, produces the worm.
To this end, in the cultivation OF the
crop, had instructed my hoe hands
to spare all plants OF The JimpSon
(JumcAon7D weed found growing III
the tobacco hills. the seed going to the
field with the compost, | suppose, aud
the consequence was that in each lot
| had few very touri>hing stalks Of
.Iimpson just coming into bloom.
Within these blooms, which arc the
favoriie food of the "hawk moth," and
which arc open at night and closed in
daylight, or, at least, sunlight, each
evening injected few drops of sweet
encd water, pretty we'll celored with
cobalt, using small machine oil can
with spring bottom rs an injector. |
soon began to lind the dead moths,
and i'm less than 4 weeks time had the
satisfaction 10 note, first decrease in
The eggs and Young worms, and in
two weeks time total disappearance
of all except til. old worms neglected
in previous worming; nor have been
bothered with them since, except once,
when my Jimpson weeds being nearly
killed by the continued doses of cobalt
discontinued the use Of ii few days,
when l found the worms again ap-
pcaring and Young moths growing uu-
merous in the fields. a few, two or
three, does week has kept them under
ever since; and right here | will say
that | believe if had commenced the
use of the cobalt as soon as the first
Jimpson bloom appeared | should
have escaped the worms almost alto
gether.
Ny tobacco showing seed-buds first
about 18th July-thc first planting-l
topbed enough for one barn about
july 20. This tobacco was cut and
put in barn August %; cured out
August 20, and the specimens | send
you arc from it.
After the rain, 29th August, it all
grew rapidly, and for the first time
gave me some trouble with the suck
ers, which have been or should be re-
moved each week until ready for the
knife. l find the additional difficulty,
resulting from the rain Of that date,
that all my bottom leaves on the older
tobacco arc ripe and all the tips or top
leaves are green and growing. AS,
however, l must get through by frost,
curing two barns 4 week, and having
barely time to do that, l am compelled
to cut, and the result is that while |
have fair show Of bright tobacco,
suitable for wrappers, | have very
unreasonable amount OF green tips
which no skill and care will make any
thing else of. For this the season is
RESPONSIBLE. If we had had rains,
even an average amount of it in the
spring and summer, all the tobacco
would have been ripe to the top and
ready for the knife by this time.
! built me two curing barns OF most
approved style: fitted them with dou-
bic return flues, costing barns COM
pietc, about $95 each, and find them
to act perfectly. have already cut
and cured eight barns of from 400 to
500 pounds weight of cured leaf, and
expect to cure six or, perhaps, seven
more. I have also built most sub
stantial packing house, 40 by 20, two
floors, giving me capacity for storing
about 35 boxes, besides room for strip
ping and handling. I will llprepare my
tobacco for market during the warm
wet spcIfs in the winter months; will
pack it in hogsheads and ship to some
market in North Carolina or Virginia,
and when get returns will tell you
more about it as q money crop. Thus
far | have demonstrated to my own
satisfaction:
1st. That our soil and climate are
best adapted to the production of fine
yellow tobacco,
I'd. That the kind and abundance of
labor we have is (with good manage
mcnt, good stock of patience, due al
lowance for ignorance and consequent
inefficiency, until taught,) peculiarly
favorable to its production as an auxil-
iary crop.
Sd. That shall enlarge my facilities
for curing and storing, and next year
shall extend the production on my own
place by Inducements held out to my
tenants to plant two to four acres to
the family, to be worked by them, Gin
which operation women and children
can be most profitably employed dur
ing the idle season Of August and to
18th September,) and afterwards, when
rcad7~to cure, to be sold on hill or
cured on SharsesSs as agreed upon:
4th. That YOU have not heard the
last Of tobacco growing as an industry
in this section.
| send you a few hands "bright," :"
running from first grade leaf to bright
"lug," which YOU can place with other
South Carolina products in Agricul-
tural Hall, remembering that bright
yellow tobacco will stand neither
handling nor light, (excessive) and
that it should not be subjected to the
extremes Of wet and dry. These spec
imcns have never yet been bulkcd, and
are not at their best, but may at least
rank as curioSities, coming, us they do