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U. S.‘DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
i BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.

Congressional Seed Distribution.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SEED, AND
CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TOBACCO DISTRIBUTED.

For several years the Bureau of Plant Industry and the
Bureau of Soils have been cooperating in work looking toward

_ the improvement of tobacco in this country. Under the

direction of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils the tobacco seed
for the forthcoming Congressional seed distribution was
secured from carefully selected and matured plants, in accord-
ance with directions issued by the Department to individual
growers. The seed was obtained from the best localities for

- each variety, and a plan of distribution worked out whereby

the varieties suitable for certain districts will be sent there.

The following directions for the distribution and culture of
the different types of tobacco have been prepared in the office
of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils:

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SEED.

The Congressional districts in which tobacco seed will be
distributed and the varieties which it is believed are best
adapted to these districts are as follows:

ALABAMA:
First district: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Connecti-
cut Havana.

ARKANSAS:
Second, fifth, and sixth districts: Kentucky White Burley,
Virginia Oronoco, Virginia White Stem.

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9 C iv \) x
CALIFORNIA: )
Sixth and seventh districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida
Cuban, Connecticut Havana.
CONNECTICUT:
First district: Florida Sumatra, :
Second and fourth districts: Florida Sumatra, Connecti-
cut Havana.

FLORIDA:
First and second districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida
Cuban.
GEORGIA:
Second district: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban.
ILLINOIS:
Ninth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Ha-

vana.

Nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-second districts: Ten-
nessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco,
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy.

INDIANA:
First, third, and fourth districts: Tennessee Oronoco,
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky
White Burley.

KENTUCKY: :

First, second, and third districts: Tennessee Improved
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel-
low Pryor, Tennessee Clardy.

Fourth and fifth districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow
Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yellow Pryor,
Kentucky White Burley.

Sixth, seventh, and ninth districts: Kentucky White
Burley.

Eighth, tenth, and eleventh districts: Tennessee Oronoco,
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Kentucky White Burley.

LOUISIANA:

Second and third districts: Kentucky White Burley, Ten-
nessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Clardy,
Florida Cuban.

MARYLAND:

Second and Sixth districts: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Con-
necticut Havana:

Fifth district: Maryland Smoking.

MASSACHUSETTS:

First and second districts: Florida Sumatra, Connecticut

Havana.

MISSOURI:

First, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, thirteenth, four-
teenth, and fifteenth districts: Tennessee Improved
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel-
low Pryor, Kentucky White Burley.

NEw YORK:
Twenty-fourth, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and
twenty-ninth districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cu-
ban, Connecticut Havana, Ohio Zimmer Spanish.

NortTH CAROLINA:
Second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth districts:
Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar
Leaf Export, North Carolina Yellow.
OHIO:
First, third, fourth, and seventh districts: Ohio Zimmer
Spanish; Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban.
Sixth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Florida Cuban, Ken-
tucky White Burley.
Tenth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Ha-
vana, Kentucky White Burley.
Fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth districts: Maryland
Smoking, Ohio Zimmer Spanish.
Twentieth district: Maryland Smoking, Ohio Zimmer
Spanish,‘ Florida Cuban.

PENNSYLVANIA:
Sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, six-
teenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth districts: Ohio Zim-
mer Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban.

SouTH CAROLINA:

First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh dis-
tricts: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia White Stem, Virginia
Cigar Leaf Export, North Carolina Yellow.

TENNESSEE:

First, second, and third districts: Tennessee Improved
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel-
low Pryor, North Carolina Yellow.

Feurth district: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth,
‘Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky
White Burley.

Sixth district: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth,
Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky White
Burley.

Fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth districts: Tennes-
see Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco,
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy.

TEXAS:

First, second, ninth, and tenth districts: Florida Sumatra,

Florida Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish.
VIRGINIA :

First, third, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth districts:
Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar
Leaf Export, North Carolina Yellow.

Fourth, sixth, and tenth districts: Virginia White Stem,
Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar Leaf Export, North
Carolina Yellow.

WEST VIRGINIA:

Third district: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured,
North Carolina Yellow, Kentucky White Burley.

Fourth district: Virginia White Stem, Virginia Sun Cured,
North Carolina Yellow, Kentucky White Burley.

WISCONSIN:
First. second, and third districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida
Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana.

CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT
TYPES ‘OF, TOBACCG:

FLORIDA SUMATRA TOBACCO (NORTHERN DISTRICTS).

A very rich spot should be selected for the seed-bed of
Sumatra tobacco grown in the North. In the early fall this
plot should be plowed and divided into beds 6 feet wide and
any desirable length, surrounded by a wall made of boards 2
inches thick and 12 inches wide, set 2 or 38 inches in the
ground. These beds should be highly fertilized with cotton-
seed meal and stable manure, well spaded in to a depth of 6
or 8 inches, and the whole covered with leaves, manure, or
trash, to keep out the frost during the winter. About April
1 this top dressing should be taken off and the bed again
spaded and the soil well pulverized, after which another appli-
cation of cotton-seed meal or cotton-hull ash should be given.
This should be raked in and the surface made smooth and
loose, making the bed ready to receive the seed. About five
days before the time of sowing, the seed should be put to
sprout in apple-tree punk, made soft with warm water. This
should be put in a fruit jar and kept ina warm room. It will
be observed that the seed will be slower in sprouting than
domestic tobacco seed, and it will not sprout uniformly; that
is, all the seed will not sprout at the same time. It is best to
wait until nearly all the seed is sprouted before sowing. Mix
the seed with bran or cotton-seed meal and sow at the rate of

2 tablespoonfuls of the seed to 100 square yards, after which a
heavy roller should be drawn over the bed, thus packing the
seed well into the soil, making the surface smooth and prevent-
ing the rapid drying out of the soil which would otherwise take
place. If the ground is dry it should be watered immediately
after sowing the seed; and this should be continued from time
to time as the soil may require. In the absence of rain after
the plants are up, watering should still be practiced.

There are many enemies of the seed bed in the way of insects,
so a careful watch is necessary. As soon as there is any ap-
pearance of flea-beetles or horn worms, the bed should be
sprayed with paris green mixed with water at the rate of 1
tablespoonful to 2 gallons of water. In order to keep down
the insects, the bed should be sprayed at least three times a
week. It is safer to protect these early beds with canvas
stretched on frames made over and around the beds.

When the plants are drawn for transplanting, great care
should be taken to get as much root as possible. Each person
doing this work should be provided with a bucket of water,
and as soon as the plants are drawn the roots should be washed
to remove all soil that may have stuck to them. The plants
are then placed in a basket, roots down, and are immediately
set out. The washing of the roots is not generally practiced,
but it has been found that plants live and grow better when
the roots are clean. After each drawing of the plants from
the bed, the soil should be watered, in order to close up the
places from which the plants have been taken.

The soil selected for this tobacco should be a light gray
sandy loam or sand with a sand or clay subsoil, provided the
clay is not closer to the surface than 12 or 15inches. In order
to produce a light, thin wrapper, the sandy soil must be very
rich and a large quantity of fertilizer is necessary. The land
should be broken up in November or December, allgwing the
plow to cut from 4 to 6 inches deep, according to the nature
of the soil and the quantity of fertilizer used. If a large quan-
tity of fertilizer is used, such as cotton-seed meal and stable
or barn manure, it should be thrown broadcast over the field
and plowed in. This should be done about six weeks before
the time of setting out the plants. Often asecond application
of fertilizer will be needed in order to give a continuous, rapid
growth.

The distance between the rows should be 4 feet and between
the plants 12 inches. As it is always desirable to get a uni-
form growth, great care should be exercised to have each plant
live. If the ground is moist and showers frequent, watering
the plants is unnecessary; but if the ground is dry, they should
be watered immediately after setting and, if possible, each day

6

thereafter as long as the plants may require it. After setting
the plants they should not be disturbed for at least six days.
If the soil becomes packed and hard, a furrow should be run
on each side of the row, using a small, straight plow and let-
ting it well down. This should be followed immediately by
two sweep furrows, which will put the plants on a smooth
ridge. The hoe is then used, carefully stirring the soil about
the plants. Thereafter cultivation should be frequent and
shallow.

As the principal value of Sumatra is its wrapping leaves,
' great care should be exercised to preserve the soundness of the
leaf. In topping the Sumatra tobacco, only the bud should
be taken out and all the leaves allowed to grow. If the land
is exceedingly rich it is found best not to top at all, but to
allow the plant to go to bloom. It has been found by exper-
ience that Sumatra tobacco should be harvested at an early
stage of ripeness, as the leaf will cure riper and be more elas-
tic; that is, it will have more life. It is usual to take 4 or 6
leaves at each priming, thus going over the field four or five
times before the whole crop is harvested.

As soon as the first leaves at the bottom of the stalk begin
to ripen, harvesting is begun by plucking off, or priming, the
first four leaves at the bottom and transporting them to the
curing shed in baskets. There they are strung on strings
attached to laths, from 30 to 40 leaves being allowed to a lath.
The leaves are placed back to back and face to face, so as to
prevent cupping or folding over each other. The laths are
then hung in tiers in the barn, where they remain until the
leaves are cured.

When the tobacco is primed from the stalk, it should not
take more than two weeks to cure; when it is hung on the
stalks, three to four weeks are necessary. The manipulation
of the barn, or curing shed, is governed entirely by the con-
dition of the weather and the nature of the tobacco; so no
fixed rules can be given. However, in a general way, it can
be said that if a barn is filled with green tobacco and the
weather is hot and dry, the ventilators should be tightly
closed for about three days, by which time the tobacco should
be quite yellow. The barn should then be opened at night
and kept closed during the day. Thisis done to prevent rapid
curing, which destroys the life of the leaf and gives uneven
colors. If there are frequent showers and but little sunshine,
the barn should be kept closed and fires started in small char-
coal heaters distributed throughout the barn. These fires
should be continued as long as it is necessary to keep the
tobacco in proper condition. Where charcoal heaters are not
available, wood which has as little odor and as little smoke as

7

possible should be used. It is very important to dry out the
barn without giving the tobacco any foreign odors. To obtain
the best results, the tobacco should become fairly moist and
fairly dried out once in every twenty-four hours.

When the midribs are thoroughly cured the leaves are ready
to be taken to the packing house. To get the tobacco in con-
dition to handle, all the ventilators should be left open for one
night, opening them about 6 o’clock in the evening. The next
morning the tobacco should be in what is called ‘‘ good case;”
that is, it will have taken up sufficient moisture to become
soft and pliable. The barn is then tightly closed in order to
retain the moisture and the leaves are taken from the laths.
The bottom, middle, and top leaves should be kept separate in
the barn. After the tobacco has been taken down and packed
it should be taken at once to the warehouse for fermentation
and baling.

FLORIDA SUMATRA TOBACCO (SOUTHERN DISTRICTS).

The land for the seed bed should be preferably fresh, rich
hammock, having a light gray soil, moist but not wet. Dry,
thirsty land should be avoided. In selecting the seed bed it
is best to secure land sloping from north to south, protected
on the north by forests and open on the south to let in the
midday sun. The time for sowing the seed is from March 1
to April 15. Plants should be ready for transplanting about
sixty days after sowing.

One week before sowing the seed the bed should be
thoroughly cleaned and all straw and leaves carefully raked
off, after which the ground should be burned. This is done
to destroy all grass and weed seeds or roots which might
otherwise come up and choke the tobacco plants. The burn-
ing is done in the following manner:

After raking the surface well, skids are laid 4 feet apart,
running the full length of the plat to be sown. A pile of
wood is then laid across the skids, running the width of the
bed. The fire is started, and as fast as the ground is
thoroughly burned and covered with ashes the fire and wood
are drawn along the skids, wood being continuously added.
After the entire bed is burned the ground is again raked to
remove the coals, letting the ashes remain. The soil is then
spaded to a depth of 4 inches, all the roots and tufts being
carefully taken out. If the soil needs fertilizing after the
spading is completed (the seed bed should be very rich in
order to give thrifty, healthy plants), such quantity of fer-
tilizer as may be necessary is thrown broadcast over the sur-
face. Any complete guano may be used. The bed is again

8

raked with an iron-toothed rake to mix the fertilizer well
with the soil and to have the surface smooth and loose.

The bed should be divided into ‘‘lands”’ about 4 feet wide,
leaving narrow walks between. Each land should be meas-
ured to ascertain how many square feet it contains, and
enough seed should be mixed with ashes to sow one land at a
time, at the rate of 2 tablespoonfuls of the seeds to 100 square
yards. This is the usual allowance for 1 acre to be planted.
After the sowing is completed the bed should be rolled with
a heavy roller. If the ground is dry it should be watered
immediately after the sowing of the seed, and this should be
continued from time to time as the soil may require. In the
absence of rain, after the plants are up, watering should still
be practiced.

The manner of transplanting, the kind of soil to be
selected, the methods of field culture, and the manipulation
of harvesting and curing are the same in both northern and
southern districts.

FLORIDA CUBAN TOBACCO.

The seed bed for this variety of tobacco should be the same
as that for the Sumatra in the South, and should be cleared,
burned, and prepared in the same manner. The time for
sowing the seed is from January 15 to March 1, and some-
times as lateas April. January and February sowings should
give plants large enough for transplanting within sixty or
seventy days; those of March and April within forty to sixty
days. Transplanting is done in the same way as with the
Sumatra, except that the plants are set 14 inches apart. The
same rules as to watering and early cultivation apply.

When the plants begin to button, cultivation should stop.
Karly or low topping is not desirable, as it throws too much
growth into the leaves, making them largeand coarse. There
should be from 14 to 16 leaves to the stalk after the plant is
topped. At this point suckers will start at each leaf, but
these must:be broken off at least twice a week. The battle
with the worms, which was begun in the seed-bed, does not
end until the tobacco is harvested. A careful watch should
be maintained to keep all insects off the tobacco.

This variety should be harvested and hung in the curing
shed in the same manner as the Sumatra. If it gives promise
of being ‘‘ wrapper ”—that is, if it is light green, very sound
in leaf, and of desirable size—it should be primed at an early
Stage of ripeness. If, however, appearances prove that it will
be “filler” tobacco, it should be allowed to get thoroughly
ripe.

9

If the soil is rich and the season propitious, a second profit-
able crop can be produced from the suckers in southern local-
ities. As soon as the original crop is topped, suckers will
sprout from each leaf. These, of course, should be broken off
as soon as they appear, otherwise they will check the growth
of the leaf. When all the leaves have been primed from the
original stalk, except the four or six leaves at the top, two
suckers should be allowed to grow from the bottom of the
stalk. These two suckers will be well started by the time the
top leaves of the original stalk are ripe. The stalk should
then be cut just above where the suckers sprout and cultiva-
tion should begin at once, the soil being brought up around
the old stubble. The suckers should not be allowed to have
more than six leaves each. The growth of these will be rapid
and they will mature quickly. When ripe the leaves should
not be primed, but the stalk should be cut. It is often the
case, where the seasons are favorable, that the suckers will
make a very fine quality for filler purposes.

The same method of curing is used for both Cuban and
Sumatra tobacco.

CONNECTICUT HAVANA TOBACCO.

The seed-bed for this type should be prepared by plowing
it in the fall and sowing on a good supply of cotton-seed meal
or some other good fertilizer. In the spring, as soon as the
frost is out of the ground, the bed should be again plowed or
harrowed with a cutaway harrow and a small quantity of
phosphate thrown broadcast upon it. The bed should again
be harrowed and well raked. The seed should be sown about
the middle of April. Itis first sprouted by being put in apple-
tree punk or moist sand and kept in awarm room. Plants
should be ready for setting in the field within six or seven
weeks from sowing. The rows should be 3 feet 4 inches apart,
and the distance between the plants. from 16 to 18 inches.
The tobacco is topped so as to allow from 16 to 18 leaves to
the stalk. The average yield per acre is from 1,800 to 2,000
pounds.

The crop is harvested by cutting the stalks and letting them
remain in the field until they wilt. Then they are hauled to
the barn, where they are speared on laths, from 8 to 12 stalks
being allowed to a lath. These are hung up in the barn 8
inches apart.

This tobacco is cured as follows: While the leaves are green
the barn should be closed at night and during damp weather
and opened during the day; but when the tobacco is half
cured, the ventilation should be reversed and the barn closed

10

during the day and opened at night and in damp weather.
The tobacco should be fairly dried out and fairly moistened
once every twenty-four hours. The curing is completed when
the midribs of the leaves are thoroughly dry.

The soil best adapted to the Connecticut Havana variety is
a light sandy loam.

OHIO ZIMMER SPANISH TOBACCO,

The seed-bed for this type, which is prepared in essentially
the same way as that for the Connecticut Havana, should be
sown from March 1 to April 15, and the plants ought to be
ready for transplanting within eight or ten weeks. The rows
in the field should be 3 feet apart and the plants 22 inches
from each other in the drill. The tobacco should be topped
when the seed-bud appears, leaving about 16 leaves to the
plant. The average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre.

The Zimmer Spanish tobacco is harvested and cured in the
manner described for the Connecticut Havana leaf.

The soil best adapted to the Zimmer Spanish variety is
sugar-tree red uplands or ‘‘Miami clay loam” of the Soil
Survey.

NORTH CAROLINA YELLOW TOBACCO,

The seed-bed for this tobacco should, if possible, be selected
on a hillside sloping from west to east or from north to south,
so as to get all the morning sun and be sheltered from the
cold west and north winds. The soil of the seed bed should
be as rich alluvial virgin soil as can be had. The bed should
be well burned and all the grubs taken out. A little 2-inch
bull-tongue plow should be used to break up the soil in two
ways so as to tear out all the roots, which should be raked
out and the bed made smooth. To 100 square yards put on
100 pounds of high-grade fertilizer and 2 barrels of well-
rotted stable manure about 1 inch deep. Plow this in with
the same bull-tongue plow and rake the bed carefully until
the surface is level. After the sowing is completed a heavy
roller should be drawn over the bed.

The seed should be sown from the first to the middle of
January and not later than the first of February. This will
give plants ready for transplanting by April 5. Harvesting
should begin from sixty to seventy days after transplanting.
The rows should be 3} feet and the plants 24 feet apart. The
average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre.

Harvesting may be done by priming the leaves or by cut-
ting the entire stalk. In priming the tobacco the leaves are
stripped from the stalk in the field as they ripen, and are

11

strung on strings attached to laths, about 30 leaves being
allowed to each lath. These are then hung in the barn to
cure. If this method is practiced, from 14 to 16 leaves may
be matured oneach plant. If it is desired to cure the tobacco
on the stalk, the first four bottom leaves should be stripped
off and the tobacco topped, so as to leave from 10 to 12 leaves
on the stalk. In cutting the tobacco the stalk should be split
from the top down to within a few inches from the last set of
leaves, and then the stalk should be cut just below these
leaves. The plants are hung on the lath by opening the
split, 6 to 8 plants being allowed to each lath. These are
carried to the barn, where they are hung in tiers.

This tobacco is cured as follows: The barn should be heated
to 100° and allowed te remain at that temperature until the
tobacco colors well. The temperature should then be gradu-
ally raised to 110° and retained until the desired colors are
obtained. At 120° the tips of the leaves on the first tier
should show signs of drying, and at 125° all the leaves on
the first and second tiers should be dry. At this point the
barn should be gradually heated to 145°, a pause of several
hours being made at 140°.. By this time all the leaves in the
barn should be dry, but in order to kill the stem the tem-
perature should be raised 5 more degrees. Then a rapid rise
should be made until 175° is reached, at which temperature
the tobacco should be thoroughly cured.

The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a light-gray
sandy loam,

MARYLAND SMOKING TOBACCO.

Prepare the seed-bed for this variety as for Cuban tobacco,
sowing the seed from February 1 to March 20. The other
operations in the production of the two types are the same up
to transplanting. The Maryland smoking tobacco is trans-
planted from May 15 to June 1, in rows 3 feet apart, the
plants being given a distance of 20 to 24 inches from each
other in the drill. The plants should be topped so as to.
leave about 16 leaves to the stalk. The average yield is 1,000
pounds to the acre.

In harvesting this tobacco, the plants are cut and four rows
are thrown together. They are then speared on sticks, from 6:
to 8 plants being allowed to the stick. Care should be taken
that the plants are not crowded too closely on the sticks or in
the barn. The sticks are hung about 8 inches apart in the
barn, and after the tobacco is half cured they can be put closer
together if necessary, say about 4 inches apart. It generally
takes about two months to cure this tobacco sufficiently to.
strip.

12
e

TENNESSEE TYPES (YELLOW PRYOR, ORONOCO, CLARDY,
IMPROVED YELLOW MAMMOTH).

The soil best suited for the seed-bed of these types is rich,
friable, black virgin loam or sandy soil with a southern expo-
sure. The time for sowing the seed is from March 1 to April
15. The preparation and management of the seed-bed are the
same as for Cuban tobacco. The plants should be ready for
transplanting about May 10. The rows in the field should be
placed 3} feet apart each way. Ten days are necessary for
the plants to establish themselves in the soil, and at the end
of that time cultivation with the plow should begin; after-
wards the hoe should be used. The field should be worked
first one way and then the other.

About six or eight weeks after transplanting the plants
ought to be ready for topping. This is done by pinching off
the bud, leaving 8 or 10 leaves to the stalk, not including the
leaves at a distance of 6 inches from the ground. All suckers
should be kept off the plant.

The tobacco should be allowed to get thoroughly ripe before
harvesting, which is done in the folowing manner: Split the
stalk down from the top to within a few inches of the last set
of leaves. Cut tworows, laying the plants right and left. and
when wilted hang the plants on laths, from 8 to 12 stalks to
a lath. These should be laid in small piles at a sufficient dis-
tance apart to allow between them the passage of a wagon,
on which the laths are loaded and carried to the curing shed.
Care should be taken not to cut the plants aftef®a rain or in
the hot sun.

This tobacco is cured as follows: After it has been hanging
in the barn four or five days, slow fires should be kindled
under it, and at the expiration of twenty-four hours the heat
should be gradually increased until 150° is reached. The leafy
part and one half the stem should be cured in three days and
nights. After this the tobacco should be allowed to come in
‘‘order” (soft and pliable) and be dried out by fires. This
alternation of getting the tobacco moist and drying it out
should be kept up for three or four weeks. This tobacco is
cured by open wood fires, made by placing two logs side by
side and building a fire between them. Open-fire heat is pre-
ferred for all tobacco to be sent abroad.

The soil best adapted to these types is a strong, rich loam
with a deep reddish subsoil.

KENTUCKY WHITE BURLEY TOBACCO.

The seed-bed for this variety of tobacco is selected and pre-
pared as in the case of the Cuban type, the only variation

13

being in the time of seeding, which for the Burley is limited
to February.

As soon as the plants are well rooted, cultivation should
begin, and this should be continued during the growing sea-
son, so as not to allow the soil to become crusty and hard.
The plants should not be permitted to bloom, but should be
topped as soon as the button appears, leaving from 14 to 16
leaves to the stalk.

The tobacco should be allowed to become thoroughly ripe
before harvesting. It is harvested in much the same way as
the Yellow Pryor and other Tennessee types, but no fire is
used in its curing, which is accomplished by simply hanging
in the barn.

VIRGINIA TYPES (WHITE STEM OR ONE-SUCKER, ORONOCO,
SUN CURED, CIGAR LEAF EXPORT).

The situation and kind of soil best suited for the seed-bed,
and the methods of its preparation and management, are the
same for all these types as for the Cuban tobacco, but there
are some differences in the time of sowing the seed and in the
manner of cultivating, harvesting, and curing the different
varieties.

White Stem or One-Sucker Tobacco.—Seed should be planted
from January to March. Plants should be set in the field in
rows 4 feet apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill.
The plants should be topped, so as to allow from 8 to 12 leaves.
to the stalk. The average yield is 1,500 pounds per acre.

About fourteen weeks elapse between the time of transplant-
ing and of harvesting, as this tobacco should be thoroughly
ripe when cut. The crop is cut and harvested in the follow-
ing manner: The stalk is split from the top to the last set of
leaves, and severed about 2 inches below the split, or just
below the last set of leaves. Hang the stalks on laths by
opening the split, 7 or 8 plants being sufficient for one lath.

The curing is done as follows: Put the tobacco in the barn
as quickly as possible—before it begins to turn yellow. After
the barn is filled, build a fire of dry oak or other hard wood
and make it hot enough toscald the leaves. About five hours
of firing at a temperature of from 150° to 155° will usually
scald the leaf. Then diminish the heat and keep a slow fire
in the barn until the stalks are cured. Forty-eight hours are
required to perfect this cure.

The soil adapted to this type of tobacco is a sandy loam
with ared clay subsoil. Without such subsoil the tobacco
will have a dull, slaty color, while with it the tobacco will be
rich, glossy, and much tougher.

14

Oronoco Tobacco.—The time for sowing the seed is from
February 1 to April 15. Plants should be ready for trans-
planting sixty days after sowing, if the season is favorable.

In the field the distance between the rows should be 34 feet
and between the plants in the drill 3 feet. The plants should
be topped so as to leave from 8 to 10 leaves on the stalk.
Fifteen hundred pounds per acre is considered a good crop.

The tobacco is cut in the same way as the White Stem
variety. When the plants are wilted, one man walks between
the rows, holding the lath on which the plants are to be hung.
The hanging is done by two other men, who walk to the right
and left of the one carrying the lath. When the laths are
full they aré carefully laid on the ground, two or three to-
gether. They are then loaded on a wagon and carried to the
curing shed, where they are hung in tiers. From 6 to 8 stalks
are allowed to a lath.

This type of tobacco is usually cured with a small fire in
the barn. Slow fires should be started and kept burning until
the leaf is well yellowed; then the temperature should be
increased until the leaf is cured and the stalk is brown.
After this it is only necessary to have enough fire during the
early morning to dry out the leaf until the tobacco is thor-
oughly cured. From twenty to thirty days are required to
complete this curing.

A soil with a stiff clay subsoil is adapted to the growing of
this tobacco.

Sun Cured Tobacco.—The time of sowing the seed is from
February 1 to April 15. Plants should be ready for trans-
planting in about ninety days after sowing. The rows should
be 3 feet 3 inches apart and the plants in the drill 2 feet. The
plants are topped so as to leave 10 to 12 leaves to the stalk.
The average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre. The crop is cut
and harvested in the same manner as the Oronoco type.

Curing is effected as follows: When the tobacco is taken to
the curing shed it is crowded together and allowed to remain
until it is quite yellow. Then the barn should be opened or
the tobacco should be hung on racks in the sun until cured.
Sun and dew are preferred for curing sweet-flavored tobacco.
From five to eight weeks are required to effect this cure.

The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a medium,
sandy soil that is high enough to give good natura! drainage.

Cigar Leaf Export Tobacco.—Seed should be sown from
January 1 to March 15. Plants should be set in rows 34 feet
apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill. The plants
are topped so as to leave 8 or 10 leaves on the stalk. The
average yield is from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds per acre. The
method of harvesting is the same as for the previous types.

15

The tobacco is cured in the following manner: It is hung
in the barn until it yellows. uniformly; then a slow fire is
started and continued until the leaf is cured. From three to
five weeks are required for the curing of this type.

The soil best adapted to this tobacco is a gray loam with a
red clay subsoil.

COMMERCIAL USES OF THE DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF TOBACCO.

Florida Sumatra tobacco is used almost exclusively as a
wrapper for domestic cigars. In the southern districts the
thick or broken leaves may be cured for filler purposes.

Florida Cuban is essentially a filler tobacco for domestic
cigars, although much desirable wrapper is produced from
this type in the southern districts.

Connecticut Havana is grown entirely for wrapper and
binder purposes for domestic cigars.

Ohio Zimmer Spanish is used exclusively for filler for do-
mestic cigars.

North Carolina Yellow is used for pipe smoking, chewing,
and cigarettes. The most valuable leaves are those used for
wrappers for plug tobacco and for all-tobacco cigarettes.
This type was formerly grown almost wholly for the domestic
market, but now a considerable export trade is maintained
with England, Japan, and other countries.

Maryland Smoking tobacco was formerly used to a large
extent for domestic pipe smoking, but the principal market
is in two or three of the ‘‘ Regie” countries, France taking the
bulk of the crop.

The Tennessee types are principally exported.

The Virginia types are used to a very large extent in the
domestic markets for smoking and chewing tobaccos and
snuff. Considerable quantities, however, are exported, espe-
cially the heavier and cheaper grades.

Kentucky White Burley is used for pipe smoking, chewing,
and cigarettes. The bulk of the crop is consumed in our
domestic markets, but considerable quantities are exported.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT
ON TOBACCO.

The following publications are available for general distri-
bution:

Farmers’ Bulletin No. 60.—Methods of Curing Tobacco,

Farmers’ Bulletin No. 82.—Culture of Tobacco.

Farmers’ Bulletin No. 83.—Tobacco Soils.

oe)

JAN 17 19
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