The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-08-13

esI %A Improved methods
EEUv of cultivation, Of
z9% managing the crop,
whatever its nature, and of prepa ring
it to best advantage for market, should
be matters of serious and careful consid-
Grafton with them. So the question
before tobacco planters as to which is
the better method of curing the leaf,on
the stalk the old way, or by pluckimg
them off as they ripen and curing
separately, is one that demands atten-
ton. The following article written
by Capt W. H. Snow, the inventor of
the Modern Barn and apostle of the
last named method, will be read with
interest:
HIGH POINT, n. c., Aug. l, '91.
EDITOR GOLD LEAF:-Under the
head of 'Advice to North Carolina
Planters,'' you give some good advice.
Cutters will grow in all crops of
tobacco. They come from the early
matured leaves at the bottom Of all
plants. No method of cultivation known
to planters prevents the lower leaves
ripening before the top leaves. No
tobacco plant in any field has ever
been seen that had all the leaves on it
equally ripe. 1t is generally the case
that when leaf gets ripe it assumes a
yellowish color on the stalk. This is
not always the case. In wet seasons,
like the present and last season, many
leaves are ripe when they show dark
green color. This tobacco is hard to
cure. To make it yellow in the curing
barn is a job not often accomplished
and should never be tried. The curing
process should be started in the curing
barn and finished in the bulk. If in
telligently done ripe rich mahogany
is the result every time it is tried and
no failure.
The ripe leaves should be removed
from the stalk to prevent the drainage
Of oil of tobacco from the leaves which
equals in large tobacco Is per cent.
This oil is needed in the leaf to make
it rich and is the element that forms
the polka dots in rich piebald leaves.
This very desirable grade of tobacco is
made from rich ripe leaves and can be
made from no other When the leaf
is fully ripe it should be plucked from
the stalk and carefully carried to the
curing barn and cured in such a man.
ner that the vegetable properties OF
the leaf are as perfect when cured as
when growing in the field.
The vegetable albumen should not
be ruined or hardened by excessive
heat. The natural oils of the lea
should remain in their cells capped
over, not cooked out and left adherins
to the outside, giving the leaf a gummy
feeling. A rich leaf of tobacco rightly
cured is always dry to the touch
When it feels sticky to the finger the
curing process has cooked the oil ou
of it by excessive heat, which shoult
never be over l35 degrees. This oil
of tobacco should be the earnest solic-
itude of every curer. 1t is the virtue
of tobacco, yet 4 more barbarous,
wasteful method than the one now ir
practice could not we'll be devised
Each leaf. ripe or green. rich or poor
is drained of its essential oils while
curing on the stalk. The greater draw:
from the lesser, says Botany; the body
draws from the extremities at the time
of dissolution, says Nature. In tobacco
leaves the scales sap Is per cent. il
large leaves and in small leaves 10 pei
cent. Then the 200 degrees of hea
while killing out the stalk does tht
business for what oil the stalk leaves
in it. The result is the plug manu-
facturer goes to the soup kettle for {
substitute for the oil that the curer de
stroyed while innocently thinking he
was doing the leaf great service by
curing it on the stalk.
The stalk cure is wasteful i'll many
ways.
| 'sWill my tobacco gain more at the
top than it will lose at the bottom if
let it stand another week. is the grea
question at curing time. This is hare
| to determine. while to settle the poln
on each individual leaf is very easy ant
no loss is sustained. Cooking th'
leaves and stalks together is like cook
ing the heads and stumps Of cabbage
together il, the same pot. The stump
would be uI no benefit to the flavor o
! the leaves That men will cure theil
tobacco leaves on the stalk innocent,
thinking they are thereby gaining il
weight when it is so easy to determine
the opposite, IS one of the strang'
things in the system Of our tobacco cult
ure. one thing the tobacco planter
should lose no time in learning. Tha
a man may know how to run a ware
house and buy and sell tobacco, AM
yet knows nothing about growing o
curing it. such men are not safe ad
visers; and they are to be found on al
markets.
| We are likely to have large AM
Ieafy crop of tobacco, not rich in oils
The abundant rains preclude this. L
twill be likely to cure bright as it
growth has been continuous and neve
checked from its start. Frenching an
! frog-eye are appearing in many sec
tons. If the crop could be Intelligent
cured on the wire it would add so pc
tcent. to the crop of '9l. The stall