The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-01-30

Log barns are better than framed ones,
as they hold heat better. After have
filed my barn I build fire in each
fue sufficient to make the tobs eco
supple alike all through the barn. This
do at night, and by morning the fires
will have burned down. then want
a regular heat If the weather is warm,
IS or 80 degrees will not hurt, but if
the weather is cool this amount of heat
will begin to dry the leaves. If the
weather is cool 70 degrees will be heat
enough. I always regulate the heat
by the condition of the weather.
When my tobacco is yellow enough
to commence the curing of the Leaf I
open my barn door to give iE air. This
is the most critical point io the whole
crop, for If you start the heat before
your tobacco gets yellow it will cure
up green, or probably have yellow and
green streaks. through the caves, and
It you let y our tobacco get very yellow
before star ting the fires to cure it will
often cure red Or, as some call it,
pumpkin yellow), and will have thick
sluggish appearance; therefore, be sure
tna5 you have just the proper shade Of
| yellow before you begin the curing
| process. l never let my tobacco get
thoroughly yellow before starting up
the heat. like to have little green.
ish appe treDce on the leaves near the
stalks; this will all leave when the heat
strikes it
The very best judgment should be
use d when the heat is s arted to cure,
for if the heat is too fast the tobacco
may scaId or get into a sveaF, which,
il allowed to continue, will give the
Leaf a dingy, dull appearance. In
starting the heat to cure our tobacco
you may ruin it by a slow as well as a
! fast heat, for slow heat will cause g
sweat as soon as a {, st heat. If the
swea is produced Dy fast fires knock
out the chinkiDg juet under the tobac-
CO, open the Dor wide, give plenty Of
air until the leaves dry eff; then start
up the heat. II the sweat comes from
q slow heat incrt ase the fires until the
tobacco is dry.
Wher you begin to raise the heat,
go up &c 1O5 degrees and hold at Jh at
| tor b lrt while This will GOug1en
che Leaf; then gradually increas= the
heat to, say, 11O degrees, when the
face OF your bacco resembles the
grain of upper leather You may con
tiaue raising the heat, and II J GU reach
100 degrees without injury you are
safe, for this heat will cure the leaf ;
but always push my fires as fast as
the tobacco Will all)w. This will give
the leaf cleer =, :, while slow heat
gives a dirty appearance. | Usually
run the heat up to 200 degrees, and
keep iE there until my tobacco is thCr
oughly cured. II you have fine white
TOBACCO dOn'G let the heat get over $50
degrees. If you want to give your to
bacco a good scorch you may raise the
heat to 22O degrees.
When you have finished curing, arc
your tobacco comes IN damp order, If
it Is white yellow it will sometimes
cnaugs by getting too damp. To pre-
vent this change In color the tobacco
should, while Ia proper order, be closed
up tIgh5 IN the barns.
When your tobacco has thoroughly
seasoned, open it out, 80 that iJ may
come IN supple order. Taen strip 1t
OUT while in this condition. usually
make from 50 grades OF tobacco in
each barn. Ii DO not want 90 mar
K my tobscco as I strip, rehapg in
barn, placing GO 10 small bundles to
each stick, leaving space between the
sticks, so it viii cry cut. Ii you can
get the leaves N bundle all the same
leng5n it wlll lock Licer. II I nave
fine tob4cco ually Elu up each plant
in a bundle o. or z leaves. Handle
your tobacco carefully, as it always
LOOKS better when 60 handled, and
when you place it on the market it
will bring more tnan it would if rough
ly handled.
II do not market my tobacco be
fore spring or summer, l take it down
when a warm season comes, leE the
leaf be soft and the stems brittle, put
it down in bulk, and when the bulk is
finished, put on some heavy weight to
press the tobacco together, so that
dampness cannot penetr ate. II you
get the order right the tobacco will
keep all summer. The bulk should De
kept covered to prevent dampness and
mold forming on the heads Of the TO
bacco Before taking your tobacco to
market be sure a; have the tobacco
or, n11tsida Of hui hs In 1nIianE nE6eE and