The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1892-09-08
Tobacco Cutting and Curing.

Tobacco Cutting and Curing
The season for cutting and curing to-.
bacco having arrived, we give a brief
outline of that work. What we have to
say on this subject does not apply to the
new process of gathering the leaves as
they rlpen on the stalk, as those who
! have gone into the business on q large
enough scale to warrant erecting snow
barns and adopting this method usually
have In their employ experts who are
familiar with the work. Also. in these
reports this method has been fully
given.
CUTTING.
The proper time at which to do this
work is to be determined by the color,
when the leaves change from dark
green, to pale, yellowish green. This
usually takes place about six weeks after
the plants have been topped The cut
! ting is done by placing the knife on tor
| of the stalk and splitting it down about
half way without injuring OF removing
the leaves. The stalk is then cut off below
the bottom leaves and placed upon the
ground In such a way as to leave the
STAINS of the leaves exposed to the sun
| IN order that the plant may wilt and be
III proper condition for handling. As
soon as this takes place the plants are
| ready to be placed upon the sticks, which
are generally of pine riven three fourths
Of an inch by one-fourth, and four to
five feet long. The plants should not be
cut early in the morning when dew is on
| them, tor when placed upon the ground
they are likely to become dirty. Should
the weather be very warm the plants
| EhnT1lH ha 0ioSalxy
sun burning. and under such circum.
stances they should be placed on the
sticks as soon as they are in the proper
condition. Eight or ten plants can be
| placed on each stick, which should be
stuck up in such way as to keep the
| leaves off the ground In case the
! weather is favorable it would be we'll to
| place the sticks on scatfolds in the field.
that curing may be commenced by the
sun, for by reducing the sap in this way
the curing process in the barn will be
materially aided. Should the weather
be damp or windy the tobacco should be
removed Immediately to the barn.
CURING
In October of last year will be found
description of the snow barn, and in
subsequent report description of the
log barn, which furnish the two meth.
DDS of curing by artici6cial heat. On
the proper curing more than any other
one thing in the management of q TO-
bacco crop depends the price which it
will bring in the market The follow.
ing from the bulletin of the Alabama
experiment station gives a concise state
ment of the process of curing English
shipping ana bright yellow tobacco un.
der old methods:
For dark English shipping, when the
tobacco barn has been filled with TO-
bacco and the wood prepared, and it is
best to have mixture of green and
seasoned wood, start the fires and COM
mence with moderate fire and increase
gradually, and in three or four days the
tobacco will be sufficiently cured as to
require only occasional firing during
damp days, or rainy days, or in the
morning for few hours.
When the fire is started, it should be
kept up day and night, until the process
of curing is finished. Dark, heavy ship.
ping tobnCco is now much cured with
tlues, as with the fues you get the heat
without the smoka, and get rid of the
objection raised againt the smoke taste
of the tobacco, and run less risk in cur
! ing than with the open fires.
FOR CURING BRIGHT TOBACCO.
AS soon ais possible after the tobaccois
cut place it in the house, and afeer warm
ing the leaves two or three hours to q
temperature of about ninety de.
grees, increase the heat up to one hun
dred and twenty-five degrees, as high
as it will bear without scalding the TO-
| bacco, letting the heat remain at one
hundred and twenty-five degrees only
! few minutes, and then by drawing the
fires and turning the hampers, cut off
the heat and let the temperature of the
| house descend to ninety degrees.
| sUN-CURED TOBACCO.
| If the crop is too thick and of coarse
texture, and not strictly suitable for
bright yellow, it will be wise to cure it
| sweet.
For this purpose erect scaffolds at or
close by the barn, and place the tobacco
on 1t as soon as it is cut and hauled
from the field. This is important from
the fact that after the tobacco is cut it
! should not be caught in the rain during
| the process of sun-curing. If rain is
expected put 1t in the barn, letting it
remain there until all danger of getting
| wet is past, and then replace it on the
4 scaffold until it is well cured by the sun
and then place it in the barn and regu
! late it on the tier poles. Tobacco cured
| by this method usually sells we'll il
properly managed, and. is highly valued
by manufacturers for making fine ar
! ticle Of. chewing tobacco.
+ In the next report the work to be
done on. tobacco during the winter
months will be given.