THIS TOBACCO PLANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 50, 11 January 1864, Page 3

THIS TOBACCO PLANT.

fC'oiui unci.] JJri/iur/, Siccati hi/, Cnrhii/, and Packunj. : Thi: next process is I lie drying the leaves, the : method of doing which is to hang up the stems to the lower end. ju.sl; elose enough to ouch other to touch, Inst lit the same time suliieiently apart to allow a current oi' air to pass through them ; when the leaves become brown, and the sap is dried up in them, take the stems down, and taking oil' the leaves;, put them in hands, or bundles- of some tvyelvc to t'ouH.eeii leaves, when they meiy be agein hunx up <i« before, bn>, may

I l>o more closely p l iiml , lul(1 in „ lis st . l((> thoy may remain till you have 11 considerable quantifv ready lor tlit* process of ..meatin- (which we will | hereafter (real of) fakes place." If you an* mi (extensive -rower, about, live hundred wej-ht is | it-lo enough to pack for lhis purpose; n square j box. ,„• ),„,. , V |„ V |, m ., m . ,; Mt . u . jtli ],].,„•.,.,.._ ;,. I lie most convenient : place v ., ur | uuuls . ,„. j bundles, n, sucl, a manner as' to -ct. them as I closely packed as possible .- to ellbel this, place ! one tier ol hands, sav with the ends near to the j side of the box. then another with the leaves : towards those of the lirst tier, and so on till the ground tier is laid; then place another tier. ; comuicncin- from (lie other side of lUc. box to ; that a-ainst which y„u placed the stems of the : hrst tier; when Idled to the top. cover with a j blanket, and put: on four or live <•«•(. of anv sort ! ol weight, lhat. will |nvss down ll,e .-over, "wliicli : must be placed on the blanket, and be of such i dimensions as to sink inside the box, as ihe i leaves -ive way to the pressure. Accordui- to I the heat, generally in four or live days it'"w ill I require takin- out and iv-packin- placing the i lop and bottom in the centre; you will judge •when it requires turning bv unpacking to near I the centre, which, if let remain too ion-, would ■ mildew and decay. Should von liml That this has coninienced taking place! it must he either hung up for a day or two. or hiid on the lloor - il boarded—in hands to dry a-ain before re-packing to sweat: hut if v'ou do not allow more than tour or five days to elapse before looking at your lohacco in the bin. there is little I fear of its requiring .invthin- more than tiirui mg. as above directed." When the whole has liadonesweat.it wiil probably be dark enough to dry oil', but where the process is required "to be repealed, it is as well to lei the whole become dry again ; there will he no occasion to hang it up i" the hands -cpai-ate. but il may be placed in small heaps on the lloor. Swealin'g not onlv gives the tob.-H a darker color, but improves the (lavour. but if done to too ureal an extent, it takes away from ihe strength; as a general rule, two sweatings will be found lo answer the purpose. on may now Mack it away in anv place you think proper, and in any ipianlitv"; however, should your stack be vcrv large, it'is desiralile to look at it now and then to ,-ee that it does uol heat ; two or three hundredweight— the amount which I would advi.-e being put in a stack—will require no in..re attention till Von are ready to pack lor market, if intended to' he sold in the leaf. To avoid pay in- Useless j freight, or carriage, strip the leaves."thai is. take j out the centre stem of each leaf, insert vour j thumb on one side. leaving sullieient of' the j stem adhering to enable vou to draw il oillo ihe : point of the leaf, ami the other side the same way. and the centre stem of the leaf will .-erve : for making a strong decoction of tobacco water for damping the tobacco you may manufacture. I or may be made available for dre.-'-ing sheep thai are infected with ihe scab. .Many -rowel's. however, merely use as much of the stems in this way as they require for making up with, and the remainder arc considered no! worth the trouble of boiling down. \Yc have given those who may feel disposed to enter into the remunerative branch of n-rieulliire afforded by the culture of tobacco, the method of growing and curing tin- plant ; it remains to show the way in which the leaf is converted into phi-, nc-rohead. or ca\ emlish. as also the wav of making cigars. In making it up lor plug take a square b...\ and commence l>\- placing a layer about an inch thick, .-prinl.lin-as you go on with a mixture, for which the receipt is nv'en at the end of this article, use vour best leaves for ihe hottom—give a strong swiiikling. then place | in your broken leaves and" piece-'in >he -amc j manner, and lastly another tuck of good leave-. Vour box must be lilted with a cover the same as that used for sweating, and two -iron- hands of iron, say two and a half inches wide, bv a i quarter of an inch thick, w hen placed under a screw or other prcs.- of about two tons pressure t'vr two or |hive day.-, il will come out compressed to about ihe third of an inch, which ought to be the thickness the plugs are usually j made. Hut should you liud that vour pre.-s is 1 not of sullieient .-ircu'gih to cited I'vducin- the pin-- to this size, reduce the dill'erent. lavers in : such propoation as to etl'ect the object desired. "When your cake is sullii-iently pr'es.-cd. cut it i into half-pounds, or tens, or twelves to the same j weight. The boxes in which you pack ihe to- ! bacco I'm- market may be of anv size You think I lit to contain ; is the general size used in ; America. Vou must have stron- bands to place i round your boxes, pack closely in. and sprinkle j each layer with Ihe decoction'before stated, but i it should contain a larger quantii v of m< la.-scs : i this is dune for the purpose of separating each . phi,-, as required with more facility from the mas.-. As the tobacco lias been already pressed 1 in I he large box. a few hours will sitlf'cc under ihe press for makin- the boxes lit the heading. \ when you can mark ibem with Ihe nctt weight, and your own particular brand or label ; should . you make a superior article the brand will he sou-lit after in the market. ■J. fig Tobacco. - I'lace your whole or be.-l leaves on your right hand, the refuse oil \oiir left. On the table which serves the p.irpusc of • makin- up on. eul I wo marks say eighteen : inches or more apart according !o the length of lig you wish to make- lay out one of your good leaves or f.vu if one is not lon- cmui-h—jducc on ; this your short stulf. sprinklin- every now and ■ then, till you have aboiil an iu.-h in thickness ■ laid down, place another -ood leaf' on the top of | them, commence robin- leaves round from left j no ri-ht so as to make il like ;i rope, double this i leuvinu one side four inches lon-c riliau the other. : when the short end reaches its terminal ion on the roll turn over the remainder ol'the lon- part I so as to -ive it the same appearance as the end : you commenced at ; this end must taper oll'aud ! be inserted in two or three of the twists formed j by the first part —dip in a mixture of the j molasses. &<■., and place in the casks you pur--1 pose pressin- in. These casks must also have stron- hoops to place round lliein when under ; the press in addition (o I hose, intended to be left • on when sent lo market. Fifty and one hundred I weights arc ihe usual contents, but. lifty wei-ht ; casks arc prefcrrabiy, bein- more easily handled : i mark your casks as before staled with your ! brand, and the wci-ht contained, as also the ' wei-ht of cask inclusive, write the licit wei-ht ! under the gross, with a line or stroke between j them. I :!. In makin- up ci-ars or cherols. roll up ! your tobacco as ti-hl as possible in -ood on I side i leaves, twist the endof Ihe leaf with yourliu-ers ! and thunil) if for ci-ars, it for chccrols cut. of | stpiare at. the ends'-one ~f which should be '. sprinkled with the plain decoction in makin- up smaller than the other to make the outside leaves ; adhere to the ci-ars. A solution of -um-arabic i is used and applied to ihe last or coverin- leaf. ■ Pack in 250 or 000 wei-ht, boxes ; .it is needless i lo say thai ci-ars require no pressing. jt will have been seen by the. above remarks | that, two sorts of liquor arc required, the one for I sprinkiin- licin- made of the centre stem which ; comes out of the leaves, and should not be too : stron-. That used in paekin- the plu-s or fi-s in casks or boxes for pressin- should have about | haif a part of molasses, the same quantity o\' , rum, and about an ounce of sweet nitre—lhe , latter is also put by many into (he sprinkling : liquor_for Ihe ci-ars. and to make them burn more freely, but il. is best nol. to use it. as it ot'ten causes them lo burn too freely; if exposed I lo the action of the air lor a few days, previous j to puckin-. they will be sulliciently drv. A screw press is profcir.ble to a'lever, but when the former cannot be obtained the alternative of the lever one must be resorted to. There, are i'cw farms in the.-e colonies where tree's are not to be found ; choose one about two feet in diameter, saw off about v'our feet, from the ground, through this make a slron- morlire lo receive one end of your lever, an iron pin i no or three inches in diamcier is passed throu-h ihe Ireo intovßcctinu th? middle of Vv. end of 'ho

ever- he mortice in the tree must bo so much ongcr linn the piece inserted as to allow it to '<• liois ed up anil a ,, wn . hu . lU foUp fcct iu length hy ourteon (~ hve lve in ,,| u ; s ju ( , „ w j„ answer well, at the end ofthe lever two ..prints are sunk deep m the ground, the levcris twisted «J> «"<l clojvi. between I hem l, v a windlass worked with handspikes and two blocks with v.MM's: <'iiPlustt.nsnt.tlio top between the uprights and the other ~(. ,] lt . bo;(om. that at; the '"Hoi" is fastened ,o (!l , willl ,| aS!( . {hc 'I'H-k I" "ork only requires a ~in in the upright .o belay it to. havmg merely the weight of 'tlie lever two men ~.,„ ,„ )is| ;, , hancl wi(|Kmt , •wiiullass being Used.