The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-08-27
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES
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. NOTE BOOk SKETCHES =
One Of the surprising things one wit
nesses in a trip through the tobacco
growing sections these days is the un-
evenness of the fields which seems to
be getting more pronounced as the crop
nears the harvest. The reasons why
some portions of almost every field
have not made the customary growth
are ascribed to various causes, such as
too much wet weather, root rot, work
of wire worms and grubs, any one of
which is a sufficient answer for the
condition. An estimate made by one
who has travelled the growing districts
extensively of late is that about 25 per
cent of the crop looks we'll and bids
fair to reach the sheds in normal con-
dition; another so per cent of the crop
is likely to grade as fair binder leaf it
the season is prolonged couple Of
weeks or such a matter beyond the
usual frost time, while the remaining
25 per cent should be classed as doubt
full in any event. If this view is cor
rect statement of the situation, a late
fall must surely come if the present
tobacco crop maintains it's usual repu-
tation as binder leaf. The harvest
has been started in the earlier fields,
and considerable topping is under way
now, but we shall have to borrow some
mighty fine weather in September to
mature good portion of the crop, for
the oldest growers can scarcely recall
season when the weather conditions
were such serious handicap to matur
ing both tobacco and corn. 1t has be-
come common expression that this is
a year without summer.
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The tobacco harvest period is unde
way and the territory on which this
crop is grown is so varied the curing
process will not have been completed
everywhere until we'll into the winter.
The curing does not simply mean the
drying out of the leaf There is a
biological change in the structure of
the leaf during the process. The leaf
is not dead until the curing is about fin
ished. Roughly, the curing process is
one of starvation. The whole plant or
the leaf is hung up, and the principal
changes take place during the time that
the moisture left in the plant or leaf is
being exhausted Two important
changes which the leaf undergoes after
being hung up in the shed are chemical
in their nature The constituent of
starch, the presence of which gives the
leaf it's brittle quality, is broken up
during the starvation period and the
other constituent, popularity known as
"gum," is CORRESPONDENCE increased
in amount. The changes in color are
we'll known When the yellow color
har been reached, it indicates that the
leaf is dead, and the changes in chemi-
cal composition must have been brought
about before this stage. The impor-
tance of not drying out the leaves as
rapidly as possible is therefore appar-
ent
Growers must provide as far as pos
sible the most favorable conditions for
curing. AS explained by DR.. w. w.
Garner, the first change in the leaf is
whiting when the water supply from
roots is cut off. This hastens the cur
ing process, but too rapid drying will
kill the leaf before there is time for the
chemical changes to take place. Grad
ual and not rapid drying is one of the
conditions that must be provided. Tenn
perature is also mighty important as
the moisture is evaporated from the to-
bacco more rapidly during cold weather
than during warm weather. Printing
costs more, but there is material diff
ference between the finished product
under that method and under the plan
of curing on the stalk. Leaves cured
by picking have been shown by
recent experiment to weigh from 10 to
Is per cent more than when cured on
the stalk. These experiments have
shown that picking gives better results
with a wet weather crop than one
grown during the dry season. The leaf
produced under shade is naturally thin
and the priming process helps to give
it the necessary body. Tobacco grown
in the open in dry year, if picked
will probably be too heavy when cured.
Adiusters were here last week, set
tling with tobacco growers who were
fortunate enough to have hail storm in
surance upon their crops. The settle |
ments were very satisfactory in every
particular, and for the first time grow
ers have experienced a measure of re-
lief from the heavy losses caused by |!
the ever present danger OF hail. Mr.. |
Henry Johnson of Edgerton, state