The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-02-11
TEN YEARS WITH TOBACCO.
Results of the experience of a Practical
Planter.

tOUaCCo CuEIUS PioCeoo "'Luih 1no Poo
FIVE years and changes along this line ars
still being made. The old system of cur
ing was to 90 into the field when about
half the leaves on the stalk were ripe
cut down the entire plant and hurry il
off to the curing barn. Here the planter
had hard time trying to cure the stalk
after the leaves were cured, which usual.
ly require so much heat that the oil cells
in the leaf burst and the oil escaped in
the highly heated atmosphere of the
barn. This system of curing is still in
vogue in many of the older tobacco sec
tions of Virginia and North Carolina,
but wherever tobacco growing finds a
foothold in the new sections the new
system ia usually adopted and with ex-
cellent results. This has been the case
with the people around Florence, who
are now growing tobacco and making
more money ont of it than is made in any
of the old tobacco sections of other
States.
The modern system briefly told is this
As soon as the bottom leaves on your to-
bacco begins to yellow, which is likely to
occur in June, your hands are put in The
field with open flat baskets and gather
off the ripe leaves one by one, and lay
them carefully in the baskets. Under the
old way these bottom leaves were taken
off and thrown away. AS soon as you have
gone over the entire field the leaves are
strung on patented sticks, having wires
attached upon which the leaves are
strung. When these sticks are filled
with leaves they are taken to the curing
barn and placed in the racks. This pro-
cess of gathering the leaves goes on until
you have the barn we'll. filled, when the
curer begins his work. In weeks time
more leaves will be ripe and second
picking is necessary, and 80 on through
the entire season of ripening.
The first leaves gathered will be small,
getting larger as you approach the mid
die of the stalk. After that they get
smaller until the tips or tops are reached.
This system of plucking the leaves as
they ripen has many advantages over
that of cutting the stalk and curing the
leaves thereon. As the lower leaves are
taken off those remaining ripen much
faster, thus lessening the danger Of frost.
Under the old system the cutting of the
stalk always insured lot of green tobac'
70, which. is generally worthless. All
the leaves on tobacco plant rarely ripen
at the same time and hence it is impossi.
BILE, under the old way, to save all the
leaves.
When the barn is filled with tobacco
the curer begins his work. The fires are
started up, which are to be kept going
until every leaf is thoroughly cured. No
definite rule can be laid down as to the
time required, as different classes of to.
bacco require longer or shorter periods.
The curer must size up the size and quail.
ity of the leaf, and regulate the heat ac-
cordingly.
AS general rule the following formu.
la can be taken as guide, but frequent
ly it will require modification:
First. The yellowiDg process. Let ther-
mometer stand at 9Uo from twenty to
thirty hours.
Second. Fixing the color. Make the
following changes: 1902 four hours 1902
to 11O0, two hours; 110o to 1902, four to
eight hours.
Third. Curing the lesf-12O0 to l250, ,
six to eight hours.
The curing process is the most particu
lar of all the work about tobacco crop.
It requires time for one to master the art,
and even then the closest watchfulness is
required while the process goes on. Let
ting the heat go a few degre ; too high
will often destroy the entire barn, or let
ting it remain at certain figure will Of
ten cause heavy loss. For this reason
new planters should not attempt curing
themselves until they have gotten an in
sight of the work and mastered some of
its details, at least. In the old tobacco
Counties of North Carolina and Virginia
good curers can be had in the fall at
moderate prices.
Along this line, however, a word of
caution is in order. The increase in to-
bacco culture southwark has recently
created quite demand for tobacco cul-
ture in South Carolina and Georgia and
many worthless fellows have entered the
business. The planter should be careful
to got only such men as come with Gre
dentials which can be verified and trust
ed. In many of the older sections good
tobacco croppers can be had at ressona.
Bile wages, and quite a number of planters
in the Florence section have found it an
advantage to secure this experienced Ia
Dor for their first crop of tobacco. Many
North Carolina tenants have thus become
permanent residents of the northern part
of South Carolina.
H. E. HARMAN.
Winston, N. c.
Result OF The Hard Times.