The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1891-03-18
BURLEY TOBACCO.
Its Culture, Curing, and Handling.
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF
AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE
AND STATISTICS,

| FRANKFORT, NY, 1871
have many inquiries from those not
familiar with the Burley Tobacco, seek
ing information as to the best manner of
culture, curing and handling, and ] give
some suggestions approved by the most
successful growers of Burley Tobacco.
Much depends upon beginning right
in raising a crop of tobacco. Secure
plenty of plants and have them early.
Burn your beds sufficient to kill all the
seed of weeds or grass; then dig up the
bed, rake and pulverize every clod, re-
moving all distractions that may be
found in the bed. The bed should be
made compact by rolling or tramping
with the feet.
Burley seed ought to be sown as early
in the season as possible, and the plants
protected from the fly by canvasing the
bed with cheap cotton. Burnley plants
are more preyed upon by insects than
other varieties. A dessert-spoonful of
seed will SOW ten feet square.
Plant early (by Goth of May, il posi-
ble), as it requires about one hundred
days to mature after planting. Lay the
rows three feet six to nine inches, and
! set in the rows eighteen to twenty-four
inches. Begin blowing and hoeing soon
after planting, and the more you work
your tobacco, the better body it will
have. If cultivation with the pillow is
neglected, the ground gets hard, and
the lower leaves OF the plant burn after
topping.
The plant should not be allowed to
flower out ; top as soon as the button APP
pears. There are several opinions
among growers about topping. Some
top as high as twenty leaves, but we are
satisfied that fourteen to sixteen leaves
| lin ordinary soil with a usual season.
will make as many pounds and better
quality of tobacco. Keep all suckers off,
that the strength OF the plant may be
concentrated in the leaves. The search
| for worms should not cease from the
time they make their appearance until
the crop is housed.
1t is generally very difficult for begin
ners to determine when Burley Tobacco
is ripe, and consequently fine crop is
often injured by being cut green. If
there is no danger of frost it should
stand until the second crop of suckers
has been taken of; hence the necessity
of early planting.
Some planters prefer housing as soon
as cut, while others leave it on the scat
fold week or ten days before housing.
Necer use fire IN curing BurLey Tobacco, as
it renders it useless for manufacturers.
CURING.
Land good, and season favorable, Bur-
ley grows very large, and requires more
house room than heavier varieties form
erly raised. The tiers in the barn should
be at least three feet, one above the other,
so that it may not lap much, for there is
the danger of house burning. Hang
the sticks in the tiers about eight inches
apart.
ASSERTING AND HANDLING.
1t is matter of Importance that care
should be taken in stripping and assert
ing a crop, as its market value depends
much upon this. Every crop should be
assorted into four classes; and if the
crop is large, five is better First, take
off the trash, or leaves nearest the
ground, generally chaffy and light. Sec
ond, the Tugs, which are next above the
trash. Third, the bright leaf on the
middle OF the stock, which is generally
the most salable tobacco OF the crop.
Fourth, the red leaf, which is the next
best if the top or bud leaves (which are
smaller and darker) are kept out of this
class, and it is best TO keep them sep
arate, il the crop is sufficiently large.
Here you have either the four or five
grades, as the size of the crop may war
rant. In brief, the crop is to be assorted
with regard to length and color. Torn,
worm-eaten, or damaged leaves should
be kept out of the best grades.
Some small or imperfect stalks may
not embrace all the grades described
but il can be easily decided into which
grade the yield belongs by comparison
of length and color,
If several hands are engaged in strip
ping tobocco, it is preferable that each
stripper should only take off one grade
of tobacco, beginning with the trash and
pass the stalk to the next party. In thii
way each stripper is only looking for one
grade, and is not apt to be confused IN
its selection; and if he fails TO pluck al
the leaves of his grade it will be detect
ed by the next stripper. Do not make
the hands too small fifteen leaves will
not be too large. The leaf hogshead
should be made to weigh about on'
thousand pounds net, or twelve hundred
II the hogsheads are very large. Thu
common grades should weigh from
twelve to thirteen hundred pounds net
Burley tobacco must not be priced hard
In case it is necessary to prize two o
more grades in the same hogshead, it i
best to pack in all of one grade befor'
beginning with the other.
For early shipments the question o
9 order is not so important; the tobacc'
must not be dry enough to break o
I damage by handling. neither must IL b