The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-08-13
THE CURING OF TOBACCO.

and fro; and knowledge shall be in
creased" This is pre- eminently 81, in
all that pertains to the curing and
caring for tobacco; any person at this
day with even a moderate degree of
| observation, with the information con-
tanned in the many tobacco journals
and circulars on curing, scattered
broadcast over the land, may obtain as
much information within one year as
one could formerly by a number Of
years of actual trial and experience.
Twenty five years ago, in this section,
a successful curer could get without
difficulty from S. to $40 per barn for
curing during the season; but now the
country is full of men, old and young,
who profess to know all about it. At
the outset will say am not writing
for that clGs5, but for those who are
conscious that they do not know all
about tobacco, and believe like myself,
that there is still a great deal yet to be
learned about tobacco, and that it will
be many years ere one man will know
it all. The curing of tobacco, though
it be particular job of work, and one
that requires patience and close obser-
vation, is not a laborioUs task. In fact,
with all proper and right conditions,
the task is easy and the results need
not be doubted but with poor tobacco,
bad wood, bad fluee, a bad barn and
bad weather, the result is always
| doubtful, and all that the nest skllful
curer can do, under the circumstances,
is to do the best he can, with the re-
suits doubtful. In fact, much time,
labor and money have been lost in try
ing to cure toba eco yellow that is fitted
only for a poor dark grade, and that of
very inferior quality. While good
tobacco by unsklllful curing may be
metamorphosed into a low grade OF to-
bacco, good tobacco is always first
raised or grown on the hill, and tobaC co
of high grade must be properly treated
in every step and stage from the hill to
the market, and any false step may
spoil and ruin ALL To begin, first have
a properly constructed barn, perfectly
tight, made so that at will the curer
may ventilate it at the bottom and top
of the roof, with five or six curing tiers
below the roof, with the lowest curing
tier not nearer the dues than that a
tall man may touch the tips on the
| lower tiers or poles.
The best fue for a steady heat
is brick aUe, built full length across
the ends and the back eide of the barn
and two feet from the wall. The end
f1ues should be two bricks thick, the
back fue need be only one brick thick,
two return pipes from eight to ten
inches in die mater, with crook or
knee at the outside and enough piping
to carry the smoke well above the door.
Then follow the maxim cut none but
ripe tobacco, but right here is a ques
tion that re equires some experience and
skill to solve. How shall one know
when tobacco is ripe Tobacco is some
times yellow when unripe and some
times green in color when ripe. In
fact much depends upon the soil, sea
son and manner of cultivation with
reference to C DIOR. I would say to the
inexperienced, notice that in the early
growth of the plant fine downy
growth, like the budding mustache of
a sandy haired boy, along the stem of
the plant; in ripening this, in good
measure, disappears, and on fine to
bacco, such as may be cured white or
yellow, the stem withers little, and
the tips and cut edges of the leaves be-
gin to yellow, the yellow color daily
spreading towards the stem. The best
results in DIOR are obtained by cutting
before the plant gets very yellow, for
then in many instances the plant is
over-ripe. Tobacco ripened with pale
pea green is the most easily cured
bright. The rich pumpkin and ma
hogany colored tobacco is obtained
from a rich, heavy growth in the field
Ihls grade most commonly ripens dap
, pled or spotted in the field. The down
or tuz disappears from the leaf and
. the leaf grains and becomes gummv.
The dard red and shipping tobacco
rlpens with slick, thick green leaf
: lncllnlnng to puff or bull face as it nears
, maturity. - --0e'A .
We will now come to the cutting and
curing of barn of fiae tobacco If
possible choose a day when the sun is
not too hot. Have a stout boy, girl or
man for stick holder, one that will
{ hold the tobacco clear of the ground
4 and not trail it on the ground, and
q when thu ntiofr in f,nII nnnne,,IIrr L.. =