Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-04-02
FROM SEED PATCH TO SMOKE.

gaitivating and Curing Tobacco Means
Season Of Constant Work.
Few persons know the trouble in rails
ing tobacco and that work never ceases
from the time its seed is sown until the
smoker or chewer dispcses OF the leaf
The seed Is about the size Of that OF mus
tard and Is raised in what is known as a
plant patch. To prepare this a small
piece Of wet land in q piece Of woods is
selected and cleared up and huge piles of
wood and brush are placed thereon and
burned in the early spring. This is to
kill the grass roots and loosen up the
soil The ground is then carefully raked
and prepared for the seed, which when
sowed is covered with brush to protect
the loose, dry soil and light seed from
blowing away and from birds, etc. A
seed patch Of half an acre will plant
any ordinary planters crop for the year.
The ground is next prepared IN the
field for transplanting the plant, and
when the season arrives hills about three
feet apart are made, and the planter
then awaits rain to set out his plants
As soon as he finishes the last Of his
field the little plant has begun to suffer
from that pest of tobacco growers. the
worm. Then he begins to hoe and pillow
and worm" all at the same time, and
as fast as he gets through his field ut
one end he goes back where he started
and has to go row by row and turn up
each leaf and pick of the worm. which
will in a nights time cat the leaves
sometimes of the entire plant.
Some of the old planters in Virginia
used to raise large fiocks of turkeys, which
would he taken into the field a. soon as
half to two-thirds grown and driven
through 1t to eat the worms. After q
few days they would as soon rs put into
q field of tobacco seem 10 know Just
what was wanted, and scatter out, TAX
ing row for row. and quietly walk under
large plant, look up. and as carefully
take the worms off as a trained hand
could. This worm usually hangs on the
under side Of leaf.
The turkeys. sfter eating the small
worms. kill the LARGE ones, dropping
them into the rows, and viii Go SO for
an hour or so at q time, both morning
and evening. They are taken out of the
field when found tagging or tired and
kept penned in the shade until the cool
OF the afternoon, when they are again
allowed 10 walk back through a differ
ent portion of the field, thus greatly as
sisting in one of the most tiresome and
tedious parts Of raising this valuable
crop.
When the tobacco plant is ripe. that
fact il settled by pressing the leaves To-
gether. II they snap and the leaves split
IL Is ready 20 cut. A field seldom all
ripens nj one time and it has TO be cut
In sections. As fast ~ q plant ripens
the ssld has to be gone over and the
rive plants cut From the very moment
plant becomes ripe it begins to lose its
weight.
When cut ID IL carried 10 Q barn and
fred couple 81 DAYS 80 cure Il. Then
II Pas 70 be taken down. packed in bzIk
and stripped ~ its large stalks. then
bundled and handled. The oftener
hsadled-~ith little grease used ca
the hands a. leaves are passed through
them the better the eolor. Fr1u this
point y Is packed in horshesis and ship
r--d ~ the commission rnerchsns. who
ssAls 10 manufacturer. sod swessed.