The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-01-23

| its growth does it no harm, but is ben
efcial rather in keeping the lower
leaves from being sanded. But to the
eye of the genuine farmer it is un-
slightly, and is disadvantageous if a
wheat crop is to follow-it had better
be kept down to the last.
TOPPING.
In topping tobacco the end aimed at
is to secure the greatest weight con-
sistent with the desired texture, color
and body of the leaf, which last means
its toughness, oiliness and sweet flavor.
With the experienced planter the rule
is to top according to the constitution
of the plant, but such rule is too gen.
eral to be of much use to the beginner,
instead of which let him accept the fol-
lowing directions
So soon and as fast as the buttons
or seed heads Of the plant show them
selves-beginning usually about the
10th of July-they should be topped.
It is better to wait until the seed head
appears, because the space between the
leaves on stalk will then have widen
ed enough to admit the sunlight be-
tween them it should, however, never
be suffered to bloom.
At the first topping done in a field
such plants as are ready should be first
primed-that is to say, have their
lower leaves broken of as high as 4
or 6 inches from the ground, and then
topped at ten, and only ten, leaves
unless the form of the plant is very
gross, in which case twelve leaves are
not Objectionable. At the second
topping such other plants as are ready
should be topped at nine, and so on
down to eight and seven leaves at each
succeeding topping, which is usually at
an interval of one week. The reason
for lessening the number Of leaves at
each successive topping, is to cause all
the plants which were planted at the
same time to ripen together, this be-
ing a great convenience in cutting. To
facilitate the counting of the leaves,
the ninth leaf is the guide, the forma-
ton of the plant being such that after
it is palmed, the ninth leaf points al
ways over the bottom one. 1t is i'm
portant to take notice of this.
| And it is important to bear in mind
that to secure the desired qualities of
the Leaf, nothing Is more necessary,
and to the beginner more generally
misunderstood, than the proper top
ping of the plant. To ignorance in
this matter is attributable the greater
part of the sleazy, weeded stuff which
yearly gluts the market, and which is
almost worthless for any purpose. For
if the season is generous one the lux
uriant growth Of the plant tempts
many to multiply the number ofleaves.
To all such let me say, that while ev-
erything is lost in body, nothing is
gained in weight by high topping, it
being a maxim among the growers of
shipping tobacco, with whom weight
is the prime object, that eight is the
maximum number of leaves for that
purpose-that is to say, that the plant,
if topped at eight leaves, will weigh as
much as if topped at any greater num-
Der. Nor is anything to be gained by
high topping in either texture or color,
which if the topping be such as I have
directed will be all that is desired.
| WORMS.
There are three varieties of the
worm which prey upon tobacco plants
the cut-worm, the bud-worm and the
[ horn-worm. Of these the first selects
as the point Of its attack the stalk of
the young plant, and is but the ordi-
nary earth-worm of our gardens, and is
best gotten rid of by early working.
/ l - SA%v y
its appearance about the time the plant
is coming into top, and feeds upon the
bud, cutting it into minute holes which
enlarge with the growing leaf. It is
found in greatest numbers upon new
ground tobacco showing that the woods
are the habitat of the parent fly. It is
easily found and taken, except that
in doing so care must be had not to
injure the tender leaves. The third
is the same as that found upon tomato
and Irish potato plants.
am unable to scientifically classify
these three worthless, nor is it neces-
sary to do so farther than to say, that
by common consent precedence be-
longs to the horn-wOrm, which is en-
phatically the worm, and is our arch
enemy. For it no efectual vermifuge
has yet been discovered.
| This greatest pest OF the planter first
shows itself as early as May or June,
but not in great numbers, and does
them little or no harm, but should not
be suffered to escape, for if so, and as
soon as it attains its growth, it de-
scends into the earth, enters the chrys-
ais, and comes out again fullhedged
in August. The fly thus generated is
a large night-hying moth, which is ex-
ceedingly prolific, and deposits its
eggs in greatest quantity during the
moonlight nights Of August and Sep
tcmber.
| Against the ravages Of the horn
worm there is no remedy short of exter-
mination. A partial preventive is to
destroy the fly by distilling solution of
Paris green or Of cobalt into the flow
ers of the Jamestown weed.
| Another device is to place in the
tobacco field, at night, lanterns set in
pans filed with some viscid matter,
such as coal-tar or molasses. have
found that to throw the crop as much
as possible into a single field is some
safeguard, and better one still is to
plant it forward as rapidly as possible,
for the reason that in August when the
fly is doing most mischief, it selects
only young and tender plants, and
will even choose other vegetation
rather than ripe or ripening tobacco
upon which the newly hatched worm
will not thrive and can hardly exist.
At every stage of the crop muir
derous outlook should be kept upon
the horn worm, but after the first OF
August the entire crop must be wormed
over once a week, using whatever