The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-07-24
PRIMING AND TOPPING.

small and inferior leaves of the plant
near the ground is called priming,"
which operation is done along with the
"topping," If done at all. There are
advantages for and against priming,
but all resort to topping-plucklng out
the seed bud and adjacent small leaves
with the thumb and finger. Some
contend that pulling off the lower
leaves saps the plants and retards
growth, if the weather is dry. That
permitting the lower leaves to remain
on the stalk protects the upper ones
from sand and grit, makes them
cleaner and therefore more salable.
Sand and grit are the terror of the to-
bacco buyer. On the other hand, it
is contended by some that by pulling
off the lower leaves, which are gener-
ally useless, the remaining leaves re.
ceive more nutriment and contain
more wax, oil and gum, and that the
lower leaves harbor worms and make
the worming process more tedious.
1t is best to wait until considerable
number of plants begin to button for
seed before commencing to top. Top
poing should be the work of expert
enced and trusty hands-men who
can top, leaving any required number
of leaves on plant without counting.
The secret of this-no longer a secret
to the initiated-is, that the topper
soon learns to know that counting the
bottom leaf and the leaf that hangs
over it in the third tier going upward,
make nine leaves, including both top
and bottom leaves. Fixing this in his
mind, the topper has only to add to or
deduct from this index leaf marking
nine, to leave any desired number OF
IeaOes on each plant with certainty
and without counting. Young man,
if you don't know how, get some old
negro to show you. Topping, you
will find, is a slow business if you have
to count the leaves on all the plants
topped. If the plants are not "prim-
ed," then the "bottom' leaf must be
fixed by the eye, looking upward for
the leaf in the third tier, which hangs
over it, to catch the cue as before. If
printing is done don't err in pulling
off too many leaves. No regular rule
can be given, SO the planter must
judge for himself. The reason given
for waiting until many plants are
ready to be topped is mainly that
more plants may ripen together and
be ready for the knife at the same
time. This is an advantage that ap-
plies with strong force to all tobacco
intended for flue curing.
The number of leaves to be left Oh,
each plant varies according to the time
the work is done, early or late, the APP
pearance and prospective development
of the plant, the season, whether pro-
pitious or unfavorable, strength of the
soil and amount of fertilizing material
applied. On medium soils, in ordi-
nary seasons, the first topping should
be from ten to thirteen leaves-rarely
more-for brights. For sweet filters
from nine to ten, and for dark, rich
shipping, from eight to nine leaves are
enough. AS the season advances re-
duce the number Of leaves accordingly;
remembering that quality more than
quantity regulates returns.
wORMING AND SUCKERING.
Many devices have been resorted to
in order to lessen the number and
mitigate the ravages of the horn worm,
but the lack Of general and continued
efforts from year to year has brought
only partial relief. Some years they
come in great numbers, and despite
the best efforts OF the planter, seriously
damage his crop. Perhaps the next
year they are few, and give him no
trouble. 1t is the nature of this insect
to raise at least two broods during the
year. The hawk-moth or tobacco fly
usually makes its appearance in Vir-
gina in the month of May. The eggs
deposited by the first moths hatch out
in from five to seven days Larvae Of
worms. The worm sheds Its outer
skin twice before 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 gor-
ges itself 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 its
crawling into the ground the pupa
sends forth moth to lay more eggs
and hatch out more worms. Each
moth is capable of laying on an av-
erage two hundred eggs. So that for
every moth in May we may reasonably
expect at least one hundred worms Of
the first 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 second brood sometime ap-
pears in such countless numbers as to
defy all efforts to destroy them before
they have ruined the crop. Every
! moth ought to be destroyed as they
! appear and this may be done to great
extent by injecting few drops oi
sweetened Cobalt (Which is poison,
into the flowers of the Petunia, Honey.
suckel or Jamestown Oimson) weed,
which will give them their final quietus.
But this hunt for the moth is not gen
! eral, and if it were some would escape