The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-06-11
the Editor of the FL)RlD.AN:

To the Editor of the FL)RlD.AN:
Before entering into further details will say
word about the bal worm. Before you Will he
aware of it, if they are going to be bad The buds
OF your plants will be eaten and holed by small
green worm When YOU find it badly eaten the
only remedy is to pinch out the bull to sound
leaves and give chance for suckers to grow in
a week or 50 pinch out the suckers but one, the
thrifest one. l. YOU find that there is bud
worm in a plant bud, and it has not done much
damage buut and destroy it, leaving the plant to
grow. A few days after your plants commence
bultoning or Show signs Of fl ,veriny or going
to seed, you will top the plant, leaving from ten
to fifteen or more leaves on plant according TO
size of plant, sz of leaves and strength of soil.
From then on the plants will continue to pu, on;
suckers between the ain stalk and each leaf.
These have to be pinchcd out at least Olce a
week. until the plant is ripe, in order to m Ike
the strength o; the plant go into the leaf. Every
plant will not ready to top at the same time
50 you will top they get ready. They
will not ALI ripen at the same time and
e ,ch plant is harvested as it rpens In clay
Lands by hoe and pillow cultivation up to time Of
housing, providing the season is regular
and favorable, every leaf on stalk can
be made to ripcn all together, with no loss
even of bottom leaves Should there be too
much rain, SO as not to admit Of the pillow ami
hoe cultivation, the bottom or ground leaves
Will h we 70 be primcd rs they ripcn, that is
plucked off The stalk and srung on cotton Irvine
with Il needle and m lc 10 Stra IDLE "A sick or
h'h one leaf on one SIDE of Hath and one on The
n Al tt.lp TO-, no twin on
strung forming a wavy or Z'g-z.. line on the
stick or ah. Wu"n your plants are rip. YOU
will knox Them by the motllcd, wIinkle) vel
! wish appearance OF each leaf, and it breaking
very rea lily with snap or pop. When stalk
is perfectly ripe yol viii eat it near The ground
with a sharp knitc and spear il on a lllh or
stick ali ri 81 inches N length, putting from 6
u stalks or more on stick, ACCORDING
t. size nt >;a'ks These sticks or laths can be
placed o. rack 70 wilt, either in ;he sun or
SHADE, blt d. not allow the sun to shine on The
81 les rs they might y"l sc ,ldcd by HE sun and
never cure crop rly. Some lay the plan, on the
ground and allow ii 10 will for ten or more
m:nues Aut would net recommend such treat
m Mt, rs The plant viii take up a unusual sup
ply 0: sand You Will fad that each plant has
more sand than necessary, naturally without
being placed on the ground. The best way is
to have boys and girls carry them direct from
til" cutler to the spearcr, they carrying
two or three plants in each hand brng
careful not TO brcaF or hru' the leaves. In or
d r to spear The stalks you mu have horse
~ tde as follDwS: t Ike piece of SC lntling
a )oul Al feet long by 4x3, nail pieces of board
a. ut five feet long each side about fuot from
e ii, 50 aS 10 m Ike them srrcad ab)lt feet az
the other end, Ike a carpenters horse. Then
m ,rse hole, that vii! take the cnl Of your
18th, in end o. IN ling, ~ ,lt inches deep.
Tne horse will stand then about an angle of 30
dcyre with hIrZ,n the ah is put into the
m Drtse and the spear upon the 18th and the tc-
b lcco stalk put upon the spear about inches
fro n the end ground end) and pushed over the
spear and on to the lath. The cutting Of the to-
baccO ought to be done in the afternoon when
the tobacco is perfectly dry and eummy, l.
ought never to be cut with the dew on within
"a hours after rain as the rain washes the gum
from it. Neither ought rain to fall upon it after
ii is cut After willing on the laths YOU can put
it upon racks in your curing house. These
racks are made of poles or scantlings feet apart
and feet between tiers. Most of you probably
have only make shifts, that is, houses already on
the 'ace built for other purposes and these you
will lay off in racks with poles and scantlings so
as 10 hang no your aths or sticks. They ought
t. DC put on the racks 50 as 10 leave little space
between each larh OF tobacco.
QCINCY, June 1lh, 1889. HECTOR BRUCE