The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-18
HOW TO CULTIVATE THE WEED.

HOW TO CULTIVATE THE WEED.
Lessons In the Tobacco Farm. Out
lines of the Process.
South Carolina tobacco, as rule, has been
best adapted for high grade wrappers and
For smoking tobacco. These require the best
grades naturally, and the curing also has
had much to do with the high prices that
have been paid fer South Carolina tobacco.
Tobacco can be cured in two ways, by cut
ting the leaves and curing on wires as the
leaves ripen, and also by cutting down the
stalk, leaves and all. and curing differently
somewhat from the wire or steel process. 1t
has been the rule in Darlington and Florence
counties to cure on the sticks and wires, but
this may perhaps be changed, as the large
manufacturers are now urging that tobacco
shall be stalk cured. This mode Of curing
is deemed Sc much more desirable by the
manufacturers that some Of them have in
structed their local buyers TO adhere, as
strictly as possible, to purchasing stalked
cured tobacco for them. The buyers OF
wrappers have been particularly Instructed
to purchase stalk-cured tobacco, and the
manufacturers say that test OF this Will
clearly convince all of the superiority OF this
to the wire=cured tobacco; and they prophesy
the early abandonment of the curing by
wire.
Ifit is desired to cure on the wires the
leaves are taken from the plant as they ripen.
care being taken not to gather green leaves.
These are placed in baskets and conveyed to
the curing barns and there strung on the
wires, four to six inches apart, on each point
according tc size of leaf. Extra care must
again be taken to avoid bruising or other
wise damaging the leaves. The sticks are
then hung in the barns on tier poles, about
twelve inches apart. beginning at the top OF
the barn and filing it. When the barn Is
filed. which must be done on the day the
wood is consumed, close the ventilators,
start slow fire in the furnace and gradually
raise the temperature to 900 or $50 Fab
renheit. Hold the temperature at this heat
for twelve hours, which will tcughen the
leaf. then advance the heat % an hour un-
til one hundred is reached. Again hold the
temperature stationary for tw.lve hours,
then open ventilators and let the heat remain
at 1O0o for six hours, when the sweat will
be sufficiently dried off and the tobacco will
be sufficiently colored to again advance the
heat. Then advance the heat 40 per hour
until 1902 is reached in sixteen-foot barn,
and 1900 is reached in twenty-fo0t barn.
Hold at this temperature until the leaf Is
killed or cured. which will usually be in
about twelve hours.
Close ventilators now and advance at 80
to So per hour until 100 is reached, then
hold the ten p ,rature until the stems or stalks
are cured, winch will be about in eighty hours
from the time the barn was filled. Then open
the doors and the ventilators and let the barn
cool. When the tobacco becomes soft enough
to fold the leaf so as not to break the small
flbres in the leaf, then take the wires down,
strip off the leaves and carry them to the
pack house and bulk it down, turning the
tips of the leaves in and the butts out. Care
must here be taken not to have the tobacco
in too high cease" when tits taken down and
bulked, and that causes it to reGden and
mold. which distracts materially from the
value of the tobacco.
The same process of curing can be success
fully followed in stalk curing. As stated
before, some of the large manufacturers
prefer stalk cured tobacco. but there is no
reason why careful attention should not pro
duce equally satisfactory results by curing
with the wire process. Careful reflection
and talks with Darlington and Florence
county planters indicate decidedly that th's
is the case. When tobacco is properly cured
one of these ways as it is in the other. and
the highest prices have been paid for wire
cured tobacco during the past two seasons.
Stalk curing can only be successfully done
when all the leaves ripen at the same time,
and this may or may not be the case. Fer
some reason, the large manufacturers, some
Of them, at least, prefer the stalk cured to-
bacco, and when planter can do so it would
be we'll for him to make the experiment for
himself and tss++she comparative value OF the
two processes Let him remember, In either
case, that he cannot be too careful when ne
cSXImences curing his tobacco.
After the tobacco has been cured and pack
ed away or "bulked down" in the pack barn
it should remain in this condition until it is
decided to sell it. When the planter decides
TO carry his tobacco to the warehouse for
sale he should have everything carefully pre-
pared beforehand. While the tobacco is in
the pack barn it should be carefully graded,
and this is not hard to learn. This is done
bv carefully asserting the leaves OF uniform
size. color and texture in separate piles:
Then the leaves must be tied up in 'hands
of from six to twelve leaves In each hand.
In arranging or asserting these different
grades it is important that each grade be Kept
separate and distinct. The different grades
NAV be hung on the stick OK may be bulked
as the planter may prefer. It is not a diff
cult process to grade tobacco properly, as
the leaves that most resemble each other are
not hard to get together. The colored hands
take to tobacco culture naturally, and seem
to like it very much. In several instances
among the planters of Darlington and Flor
ence counties colored men do the grading
entirely after having had some experience In
curing snd bulkin2 the tobacco.
Tobacco not sold as is any other agricul-
tural product in South Carolina. Alter the
farmer has graded it he carries it to the
nearest and best warehouse. The proprietor
meets him and his tobacco, along with any
other that NAV have been carried to tbs ware
house that day, is placed IL piles al ever the
hoor, each pile belonging to different own
er, whose name is placed on 1t. When every
thing is ready the auctioneer commences
work, the buyers gather around, and thellv
liest kind of bidding is seen. The name OF the
highest bidder and the number Of pounds OF
tobacco in each pile he buys is attached to
card, and the sellers mayaccept or reject any
bid that is made. The auctioneer continues
until every lot has been sold, and after this
has been done the buyers and sellers get to-
gether for settlement.
It has been thoroughly and practically
demonstrated that tobacco culture in South
Carolina is a success. The planters OF Dar-
lington and Florence counties have estao-
lished this fact, and they have had Difficult
ties in doing so. At no time has the work
been easy. and at many stages it was most
discouraging. There is no doubt
that great care must be taken in almost
every detail Of tobacco culture, but, on the
other hand, there is no doubt but that great
rewards are in store for those who make the
effort It is, beyond question, the moneyea
crop for South Carolina, and the TACT tnat IL
requires great care and attention should only
be an incentive to ambitious planters. 1t well
repays every effort bestowed upon it, and for
these very reasons it can never be common
crop. Small crops of Ave acres that wero
carefully attended to and properly cultivated
have In several cases yielded much hand
somer results than fifty acres planted in cot.
ton. Let what was said in the first one OF
these letters be repeated here, and TINS VIII
explain. it is hoped, once more why it is best
- ho 40 rof,l nNoyy common sense is worth