The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-09-22
TOBACCO CULTURE.
An Industry That Has Made Many a Poor
Farmer Rich.
TsrScial Correspondence

Sometimes tho light colored wrapper is
the most popular, then again the dark
wrapper is the one most used. Justnow
the light colored wrapper made from the
Connecticut leaf is having its day, and it
T. bringing high price IL the market.
The Connecticut valley is one of the
Oldest tobacco growing districts in the
United States, and the quality Of the to-
bacco there grown ranks with the best in
the world. The industry has made many
poor men wealthy, and from Hartford
north to the state line the country is
dotted with magnificent homes built, as
it were, on o foundation of straight
tens"
So great an outlay Of money is neces-
sary to the growth of tobacco in this To-
cality that man Of moderate means is
barred out Of it, 1t is way Of investing
thousands Of dollars so that they will
draw large rate of interest.
To produce fine grade of tobacco the
Connecticut valley land must be richly
fortified, and for that purpose hundreds
of tons of stable offal are shipped an
nually from New York city at an i'm
mense outlay of money. Some growers
think that there is more virtue in cotton
seed meal and Indian meal and plaster
their land with them, often bringing the
cost Of fertilization up to $50 an acre,
and as the average tobacco farm con-
tains 50 acres it will be seen that ferti-
lizing it costs each year round sum Of
money.
The growth Of tho tobacco plant is
slow and attended with much labor. The
most Of the tobacco grown in Connecti-
cut is from Cuba seed that is sown in
hot beds as early as the Goth of March.
The plants are set out from the 1st to the
18th of June about 81 feet apart. If it is
a hot, dry season, the young plants are
protected by green grass that is spread
over them during the day and removed
at night. The plants are carefully nursed
until they are five or six inches high.
Then hoeing begins and is kept up until
the last of August, when harvest COM
mences.
The tobacco worm, if left to itself,
plays sad havoc with tho plant. It is
voracious creature and destroys with
great rapidly. 1t gets upon tho under
side of the leaf and eats small round
hole through it rendering it useless as a
wrapper and sending the leaf down to
the third grade, Each plant in tobacco
field must be carefully inspected each
day and these worms destroyed. An
other menace to the plant and one against
which there is 10 protection is called the
August hail" 1t is ghailstorm peculiar
to the valley from the LIST to the Goth of
August. 1t cuts the leaves badly, and in
few minutes will damage many thou
sand dollars worth of property.
If left to itself, the tobacco plant
grows tall and blossoms at the top like
the mullen. In order that the leaves
may grow large. the main stalk is cut
off several inches from the top. This is
called topping, and it takes placeabout
the middle of August. The stalk, at the
point where it is cut, sends forth q res
nous substance that covers the wound
and in a few hours hardens. From this
time the leaves grow very rapidly.
The time at which the cutting begins
depends upon the growth of the plant.
Ordinarily the work commences Sept. 1.
The stalk is cut close to the ground and
allowed to lie several hours in the sun
until it is wilted. The leaves are then
tough. When first cut, they are brittle
and in handling are apt to break. When
they have been exposed to the sun long
enough, the stalks are removed to the
tobacco barns.
The tobacco barns are long buildings,
so made that the sides and ends may be
opened on hinges. There are ventilators
in the roof and small doors in the sides
at the bottom and top-so arranged
that the ventilation may be regulated to
suit the weather. Running across these
barns from wall to wall are two tiers of
Stats or wires, and upon these the to-
bacco stalks are hung, top down, by
means of nail that is driven slanting-
wise through the bottom of the stalk.
The curing process continues several
weeks, much depending on the weather,
and during that time the greatest eau
ton is observed to see that the ventila-
ton is favorable to perfectly coloring
the leaves, as it is upon this that their
value depends. The change of color in
curing tobacco is largely due to process
of fermentation which takes place in the
hanging leaves and for which q certain
amount of moisture in the leaf is abso-
lutely necessary. 1t is necessary that
the air should circulate freely around
each leaf. If the leaves are dried too
rapidly, the veins show white and shin
ing and are rendered low in grade.
When the proper or desired color in the
leaf is reached, the tobacco is given
greater ventilation and rapidly dried
out. This is called fixing the color"
The crop is menaced until it is sold.
In the curing houses it is threatened with
"pale burn" and "stem rot" disease
that is caused by the plant being cut too
green or by too damp atmosphere. 1t
makes its appearance in the stem of the
plant and rapidly spreads to the tips of
the leaves. When cured, the leaves are
stripped from the stalks and sorted. The
leaves growing in the middle of the stalk
are called prime wrappers or first quail
ity. There are two lower grades. The
leaves are packed fiat and closely pressed
together in half pound packages, in
which form they are sold. Sometimes a