The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-01-26

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The planter should select and prepare
land suited TO the type he proposes te
raise. and then SOW seeds OF varieties
recommended herein for the types speci-
fed, in good time, on beds thorough,
prepared aud fertilized-warm southern
and southeastcrn slopes preferred-and
cover the beds with thin canvas.
In January and February select a suita.
BILE place, rake off all leaves and trash
leaving the, ground hare, then cover will
sufficient wood to burn The ground so Us
to kill all wild seed that may le III It
then pulverize the ground by digging
with hoe. Sow ut tire rate Of one ounce
of seed to 100 square yards. After SOW
ing, pack tile ground by running light
roller over il, or frendins with the feet
Wien the plants arc up cover. the bed
with thin canvass. 4 bed twenty feet
square will produce plants enough to plant
several acres.
rREraRlSG THE LAND.
Plow we'll and lay off in rows, three fee!
apart, then run Gross, lows r9Ys,sso as to make
'eKac II, atilin the cross phil up the best
,of the soil into little hill. If the soil is
poor drop little fertilizer, prepared for
the tobacco crop, into the cross and max
the hill over it.
TRASsrEASTiSG.
ANY fine from first Of May to first Of
July, after tie plants are large enough
pull out of bed md plant in the kills, after
rain, as you would cnbbage plants. Plant
as much rs possible at once, sd..It will
mature at the same time.
CULTIVATION.
Soon as the plants have taken sufficient
root, say in ten or fifteen days after plant
ing, begin to cultivate Nofxed rule can
be successfully followed, as different soils
require different cultivation. The planter
will know when the ground needs stirring
PRUNING AND TOPPING.
So soon as the plants shall have attain
ed sufficient size and the sccd-button is
discernable prunc off til, small lower
leaves of the dark export type to six
inches up from the ground and pinch out
the sced-bud, leaving eight or ten leaves
on the plant, the number left varying ac-
cording to the fertility Of the soil. An
average of nine leaves to the plant makes
the richest and most salcablc product.
For the yellow and other manufacturing
types it is best not to prune, but TO gather
the lower leaves as they ripen and cure
them for smokers. White Burnley and
cigar tobacco way be topped, leaving ten
to fifteen leaves to the plant.
MORNING AND sucKERING.
The tobacco worm will get in the bud
and on the leaves and destroy the crop il
not kept picked off and killed. Suckers
will sprout at the axis of leaf and stalk
after the plants are topped, and these
must be pulled of as fast as they attaiH
The length Of two and three inches. Il
permitted to grow lorger they sap the
juices of the plant and detract from The
size and richness Of the leaves.
CUTTING AND HOUSING.
Ripe tobacco OF the commercial leaf type
is known by the granting and thIcken'ns
of the leaf and change of color-the leaf
assuming yclowish and sometimes mot
teled yellow and green appcarance-and
when the undcrsurfacc Of the leaf Will
crack open on pressure between the thumb
and finger when folded over. White Bur-
lev and cigar tobacco are harvested not
so ripe as indicated for the leaf types.
In cutting to house split the stalk and
straddlc over a stick, made for the pnr-
pose.
MODES OF CURING.
The dark export type is still mainly
cured in long barns, dried over open fires.
But it is only question of time when the
flue, so indispensable for curing 'thc yell
low type, will be used for curing this type
also. Crrosotc imparts no desirable quail
ties to any type, and the taste grows every
wear more and more in favor of unsmOked
tobacco.
The sweet filler is partially dried by sun
and air and afterward cured by tiues.
The yellow wrapper and cutter type is
cured entirely by the use of Aucs.
The cigar type and White Burnley are
cured mainly by air-dryins
To specify every detail of the several
modes of curing the different types would
extend this article greatly beyond the
limits assigned, and we therefore reserve
fora future publication information cover
ing the latest and best practice for all the
types.
The tobacco planter should bear in
mind that no crop is more exactins than
tobacco; that small crops receive timely
and better attention and are more profta-
bic than large ones. No crop grown in
the United States will pay more handsome
returns than tobacco when properly grown
and managed.
uAxpLiSG rnonucr AFTER CURING.
Many fine crops arc ruined after being
cured lly rough and careless handling in