The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-08-15
TO TOBACCO
GROWERS.
WHY NOT TRY DARK TOBACCO?
A Hint to the Farmers of Upper South
Carolina.

Mr.. J. r. Hamilton, of Chester, S.
c., writes very interesting letter to
the Charleston News and Courier on
this subject. He says:
The tobacco crop in this State shows
in one or two counties large, but ap-
parently safe increase. The cultlva-
ton so far is confined to the produc-
ton of the bright or yellow varieties.
The other tobaccos of commerce, with
out reference to leaf for cigars, are the
heavy dark grades of Virginia, Ken
lucky and Tennessee, mostly for for
eign export, and the hurley of Ken
lucky for home consumption. 1t is
to these T would direct the attention
of our farmers whose lands are not
suited to the yellow sorts.
The rich bottom and bench lands
along our creeks and rivers, above
tide water, should produce fine manu-
featuring stock and leaf for export to
the Continent of Europe. while. the
uplands similar to those of this county
would bring suitable dark "stem-
ming" leaf for the English market. In
one year previous to 1776 the port of
Charleston exported to Bristol, Eng
land, $4,000 hogsheads Of tobacco.
These shipments must have competed
favorably with similar tobacco from
Virgins, and in market where that
colony held the trade. For years after
the cultivation of tobacco was aban-
doned for that of cotton the cold To
bacco Inspection" remained a land
mark in Charleston, and just after the
colonial period similar 'slnspection''
was established at Hamburg, on the
Savannah River, doubtless to avail of
water carriage to the coast. In I7S9
the Legislature passed laws regulating
the inspection and expectation of to-
bacco-an of which was probably of
the dark variety grown from seed sim
liar to that of Virginia. The object Of
the inspection was to keep up the
quality of the tobacco as represented
by the samples, to preventive exporta-
ton of unsound and unmerchantable
leaf, and to protect seller and shipper
alike from unjust reclamations, and
the buyer from careless or fraudulent
packing by holding the inspector re-
sponsible for the integrity of the sam
piles. A somewhat similar inspection
-f-y- uIaT T1Earued III ufrumvnu, Vs.. at
the present day.
In growing dark tobacco it must, OF
course, be from seed that produces
that variety and which has been found
most suitable to similar soils in Vlr-
ginia, for the type of tobacco depends
upon the soil producing it and differs
with the soil under precisely similar
climatic influences. The richer the
soil the richer will be the tobacco IN
gum and body and the darker ana
richer in color. the smooth olack
leaf grown on tie bottom lands of the
Roanoke in virginia, I believe, usu'
allv brings che highest price for dark
varieties IN the Richmond market, and
nayt IN value is the tobacco of the
Farayi]le district. The dark leaf is
csred over open fires to drive out
quickly tho wster and sap. When this
IS accomplished air completes the dry
ins, Sometimes fues are used in place
IF open fires, as safer and leaving the
tobacco with more natural and
smokeless favor. The drying is done
by either system at comparatively a
low, but uniform temperature from
start to finish, the fires being chiefly
attended to in the morning and at
nightfall. This method of hue curing
is being substituted in portions of Vir-
ginia for sun curing, which latter is
done by hanging the tobacco in the
sun on scaffclds at the barns until it
yellows, when is housed and hung
until it cures out a rich, reddish color,
with fine favor and bouquet and elias
ticity of leaf. The finest sun-cured
in Virginia is produced in the coun-
ties of Caroline and Louisa, while
Henry county ranks next with its sun
and fue-cured manufacturing stock.
Hreen county in East Tennessee, where
tne cultivation of tobacco is of COM
paratively recent date, is producing
equally as good, of brighter and
richer dappled variety.
In this portion of this State tobacco
will ripen from month to six weeks
earlier than in Virginia, and would
probably in average years be cut and
housed in August, and if not crowded
in hanging should cure out to ''safe
shipping order without the risk and
expense of fires or hues. If this should
be the case there will be correspond,
ing reduction in the expense of curing.
The making of plant beds, setting
ont and subsequent cultivation is the
same in all varities OF tobacco. In the
dark and suu-cured yarities I would
not advise the cropping off the leaves
from the plant, as is done sometimes
with the yellow varieties, in which
bright color is tho chief desideratum,
while in the darker kinds body and
gum, with size and smoothness,is is what
is wanted. There is deal of gum
runs ont Of the stalks into the leaf in
the process OF the final drying out. 1t
is said our South Carolina brights lack
gum aud body. This may be due to
the prevailing method of cutting, to-
,gether with the rapid and early tobacco
in the barn and the fixing of the color
is more or less an artificial and scien-
tifc application of heat by methods
available on the farm, and requires
care and frequently dearly bought ex-
perience. In fact, yellow tobacco is
far more often ruined in the curing
than in the cultivation. Where uni
form color is the chief aim, when this
color is not present that variety be-
comes almost worthless. It is just