The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-09-09
HARVESTING LATE TOBACCO TO
SECURE GOOD LEAF.
Timely Cautions on Caring for Tobacco
Crop in Unfavorable Seasons. Sug-
gestiOns on Preventing Loses
in the Shed.

Crop in UnfavOrable Seasons. Sug-
gestiOns on Preventing Loses
in the Shed.
The grower of tobacco this year has
met with many difficulties such as rare
ly occur in Wisconsin. The problem Of
putting late crops into the sheds IN
proper condition for curing still re-
mains and offers serious problems. A
large acreage of tobacco in Wisconsin
is exceptionally late due to the early
spring drouth. The recent heavy rains
have caused these late crops to make
most Of their growth during the last
week in August and it will continue to
grow far into September. The harvest
period, which is usually from August
Is to September Is, will be shifted al
most entirely into September this year.
Tobacco on heavy soils will mature late
and the immature plants will stand be-
tween the knife of the grower and the
menace Of Jack Frost.
The Horticultural Department of the
Wisconsin College of Agriculture offers
some timely suggestions on methods of
handling late crops. ''The crop should
not be harvested in green condition,
writes the tobacco expert at the Ex
pertinent Station at Madison, except
as a last resort to save it from heavy
frost. Even then it is doubtful wheth-
er the practice is advisable in many
cases. Green tobacco cures out much
more slowly than the ripe leaf. 1t
also takes on dark color together
with rough and coarse texture, states
this authority, which cannot command
a high price. The green cut leaves
frequently do not cure at all, maintain
ing their green color and soggy condi-
ticn throughout the curing season. To-
bacco not fully mature may be cured
out well, SO far as the eye can see, but
the leaves develop poor quality in the
sweat. Diseases also affect tobacco
cut too green, while we'll matured
leaves resist them. Unripe tobacco is
also in danger of damaging in the shed.
Due to the heightened curing process and
the tender, immature leaves they are
subject to ''pole-burn' and 'stem-rot,"
two diseases most feared by growers.
Tobacco does not ripen evenly, some
of the plants ripening early and even
the leaves of some of the plants ripen-
ing at different times. The general
plan to follow is to let the crop stand
until majority of the leaves are ripe.
When ripe, light yellowish green spots
apnear upon the leaves and when a
fields well ripened, this yellowish tinge
is quite apparent to the eye on the field
as a whole. The time to cut tobacco
is when this ripening color has extend
ed well above the middle leaves of the
plant. This is usually three or four
weeks after topping. Another lndlca-
tion of ripeness is that the leaf be-
comes brittle so that it snaps when
folded between the fingers. If tobacco
is allowed to become too ripe it loses
quality, due to the leaf becoming
"strawy.'' By proper handling late
fields may be considerably improved in
marketable quality. The value Of the
crop depends largely upon the weather
but the following suggestions will ma
terially benefit many growers, II care
fully followed:
Stop cultivation early. Stirring of
the soil will lengthen the life OF the
plant and under no condition should 1T
be cultivated after it tops out. This
may start second growth which will
injure the quality Of the entire crop.
Top early and low. AS soon as buds
appear, which may be pinched between
the thumb and fore finger, take them
off. This is especially necessary with
late crops, and low topping does not
materially decrease the yield. Sucker
the plants twice. When the suckers
near the top are three or four inches
long they should be broken off, then a
couple Of days before harvest sucker
the plants again down to the bottom
leaves, if necessary. Allow the plants
to wilt down thoroughly before handl-
ing the crop in the shed. This is an
important point in securing the proper
care of late crop. Do not hang the
laths as close for a late crop as for an
early crop. Give the plants plenty of
ventilation so that the curing may be
rapid. Use all possible means to make
the crop cure rapidly in the first stages.
Give good ventilation on warm, dry
days the first three weeks, closing the
shed tightly on moist days. On wet
days it may be necessary and desirable
to add circulation of the air by artltl-
cial heat in the she'd.
Tobacco should not be harvested soon
after heavy rains, in the opinion of the
Experiment Station authorities, since
most of the gums on the surface of the
leaf, which give it .1eaf and charac-
ter" have been washed off. Wait four
or five days after heavy rains when it
is possible to do So Do not cut when
plants are wet from it or light sprinkles
of rain. Begin cutting as soon as the
plants are dry in the morning, but do
not cut at midday when there is dam
ger of sunburn. Do not cut later than
8 o'clock in the afternoon, as good wilt
ing cannot be secured at this time.
Haul the crop into the shed as soon as
it can be handled without breaking the
leaves. Tobacco leaves allowed to be-
come "over-wilted cling to the. stock