To BAcCO CULTURE IF THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6821, 27 September 1883, Page 3

To BAcCO CULTURE IF THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

Epontinned from !ast weslt.] BY J. H. GAIISF.K, EPSOM. Cultivation.—After warm weather sets in, the growth of the phnts is astonishing'. Keep the hoe goins, and alwavs be on the look out for caterpiibrs. This'scourge eats the leaves in holes, and greatly depreciates the value of the crop. By planting early, you will, in a greac measure, escape the ravages of this pest. Examine the"under side of the suspected leaf, or you will not see it. Two or three k-.nds of caterpillar attack the plants, but the most numerous is a green oae. Flocks of turkey 3at this are very useful in cleansing the leaves, and do little or uo damage among the plants.

TOPPIKG AND SCCKPX.ISG. —As COOK as the flower buds are well developed, begin to j "top. ,. This is done by pinching off the ' top of the plant, leaving from twelve to eighteen or twenty inches on each, according to its growth. I nave found the best method is to delay the " topping" until the first flower expands. The crop ripens more evenly, and the leaves are les3 liable to be bruised or broken durrrg the operation. The number to remain also is more essily determined upon. In a few days after topping "suakericg" must be commenced. This process consists of removing every sucker or shoot which springs from the side of the stalk at the base of each leaf, and must be continued constantly until the crop s ripe. Every few daja the plants ought to be gone over, and a never-ceasing look out kept for caterpillars. Cutting the Leaf, &c.—Towards the end of January, if the season has been favourable, Bigns of ripening will be apparent. Some of the leaves will assume a beautiful mottled appearance, but all plants are not alike in this respect, and do not change colour perceptibly. Their ripeness may be known by the veins in the leaves becoming swollen, and the whole surface having a kind of crmpled look, and turning very brittle ; but, after all, experience is required to know the exact time to out, and which plants onght to be left standing for a few days. If possible, a dry, cloudy day ought to be chosen for cutting, for, if done on. a hot., sunny one, the leaves will be scorched : very soon and the colour of the uppermost i spoiled. In two hours I have seen portions 'of many leaves irretrievably damaged. Commence as soon as the dew is off, cut close to the ground, holding the plant with one hand, and gently pulling it towards you, while cutting with the other. By so doing nearly all the stems will snap short off where: nicked. I have found large, wellhooked pruning knives the best article to use. Be very careful not to break the leaves or tear them;' Lay-the plants gently on their;; side, aad 1 . see that no leaves are doubled up underneath. ,If the sun is very ■hot, some of the hands ought to commence turning them .in. an hour or so after being cut,-:at the same ...time holding the'plant off the ground, and gently shaking it, in order to separate the leaves. Other hands shouldnow follow up the turned rows with strips 6£ flax leaves, firmly tying a piece round each butt end, at the same time forming a loop by which to haug them on the tobacco sticks in the sheda. Tnese loops must be tied ao that the stalk. haugs an inch or two clear of the stick, and the;tobocco must be hung so' as the lcaree do not touoh each other. When sufficiently wilted .to bear handling, the crop must be carted to the sheds. In our bush, where timber iB abundant and palm trees plentiful, any farmer can erect suitable buildings for hanging his tobacco crop. . " v: i; The Drying Sued.—An acre of good plants will require a fatiuctarc about thirty by twenty-four feer, with fifteen feet posts. Fix a beam thp entire leDgth of the building, resting on the middle of the wall plate at each end, and supported by one, or two posts, if necessary. Two other beams must be placed, each five feet low er than the top one, or that distance apart from each other, so that the stalks will have a space of five feet in which to hang, and that the tips of the hanging leaves are clear of the next row. Then place numerous cross sticks from the walls to the centre beams, about four feet apait, on which to place the ends of the 'small sticks on which the tobacco plants are hung, The rafters may, of course)"have beaiM plated across them, so that all space may be utilised.' Where the nikau palm is plentiful, and money not too abundant, the roof and sides of the buildiDg-can be covered with the leaves or fronds, ami, if waterproof, answers quite aa well as sawn timber and shingles though, of course, not so lasting. The plants should be placed on the cart in ti.'rs, so that they may bo takeu-off and strung on the tobacco sticks without any tearing of the leaf. These bticka ought to be four and a half feet in length. Then each full stick should bo placed on a long slender sapling, having a small double fork'oh"'the end, and handed up to the man who is placing the sticks in position near the roof. If a pole with, only one folk at the end is übed, there is great danger of the stick over-: balancing, and all the tobacco hung thereon coming to the ground, thereby tearing and spoilng the leaf., A door should be formed at each end of the building, and the same at each bide, in order to ensure a free current of air in fine, dry weather, the same to be closed in time if rain or a" damp, muggy atmosphere. The doors may be tormed of palings or sacks nailed on a frame to, suit the size of the openings. In stormy weather tho doors on tho exposed portion-of , the building must bo closed or the plants will [be blown against each other, which-must not be allowed. " ■..!;&

Stripping. and Sorting , .—After hanging for se.veral weeks, until the leaf stalks aie dry enough to suap'on being doubled up, andthe leaves of a nice uniform colour, it may, be atripped from .the steins'. Choose a damp day after rain, wheu , the leaves are in "case," that is, when- they are quite pliant and feel soft, so tliat. th< y can be. handled without any. danger of.breaking or crumbling, '.On no accouut touch it if the ends of the leaves snap off or 'crumble on being rubbed or'squeezed -in the hand. The tobacco must now be taken from the sticks, first covering 'the- floor- with , boufds or palings, and placed in convenient heaps.for stripping and sorting; Tha-first man pulls off the torn.and injured leaves;,.and passes the plant on .to the'next, who takes'off'the finest and ; most perfect ones, then a-third hand removes the remainder. Take care when .Stripping, to keep the stalk end of the leaves' very even,- and-when you have .enough, to make a "hand"— that is, as many as,you. can grasp with your middle finger and thumb—wrap a leaf round the"handful, close ,up to the stalk end,- and draw the tip end of the leaf, with which- you wrap, : .t!irtugK the middle of the bunch, press the, butt end'in ■your hand, arid-your "hand"'of tobacco is finished. ." For making cigar's, the ■ first leaves stripped go for fillers j the second for outside wrappers ; and the laat for" bunch , ' or " biint" wrappers. Of course,; if cake or plug tobacco is wanted, the sorting. need only consist ■ of two qualities -instead .of ■ three. ■. ' -, ~ : ■.''•.'" " ■

Sweating.- — Sweating your crop , must cow be commtneed, and in this process lies thb principal secret 'of .turning out a first- : class article, either for. cigar-making or cake tubacco..' '-Supposing the Soor to be boarded, form tho"bottom of your heap, four/ or even five feet wid?,.arid 'ofr'any convenient length, according.to" your quantity of leaf. Commence by laying t,!iu " hjiuds" closely and evenly on the fluor, with the stalk ends next 'the.outside, on both sides and ends of, your heap. Then fill .in , *tho, inside, nice and evenly, taking c&re that none of the lcavis are doubled-up ;in fact, build it.in the Eahie way as you would a flat-topped wheat stack, suppos.ng the. "hauda"' oi tobacco .were sheaves. The three'classes must be kept separate iu forming your heap:', The butside,' or finest wrappers, -should- form the centre purt, and . tlio tillers and bunch wrappers at each end. Make it about four feet high, and cover it closely with sacks, oid blankets, 'taip:uiliu, or .anything of that kind/' place some boards on the top, or palings, .and,,if available, cover ..the, whole lot with'sheaves of straw or hay. In.a few days—say,-two or three —examine the heap, and, if .very hot inside, open it cut, and rebuild, placing the outside 'parts.of the heap in. tho .centre, so that all will, heat 6venly. ; Examine again in a few days., and, if very hot still, open,. and repack; but, if moderately warm only, don't disturb it. . After all, the sweatiug process requires experii ence, and a. beginner would do batter either to , employ a competent teacher or sell bis 'crop after,..stripping, .",without sweating, which manufacturers generally prefer, as they re-eort it and "stove" it, &c, themeelves. After sweating properly, the heap may be left for any length of time convenient without injury, if kept perfectly dry. It is now ready either for cigars, twist, cake, or any other of the forms in which the " weed" appears. .

Quality of the Lasd, &<&— l Safe endeavoured fo-'bo'tte' explicit in description a3 possible, and trust this article may p>o7B nseful to intending growers. I have proved that tobacco of the finest; quality can bo grown in this province, and there is no cause, except the extreme apathy of t&e people, that Auckland should not become the chief tobacco-producing colony of the Southern Hemisphere. After the plant once makes a good start to grow no drought ever experienced here will injure it; in fact, 16 thrives all the better, and ripens more quickly, being also of finer quality. In conclusion, I may remark that the land for this crop cinnot be too rich, and, if not so naturally, must be made so by an abundant application of manure. Shelter is alao equally essential, and it is impossible to grow this beautiful crop •without it. The large, tender, succulent leaves Me so efcsily torn and broken off that those who, attempt ita culture in an exposed situation must expect failure and disappointment. I have grown Connecticut leaves in Epsoin here thirty-nine inches in length, and twenty-twa inches in width. On rich land, in a properly sheltered position, and cultivated as I have endeavoured to describe, the yield ought to be about two thousand pounds of .cured leaf to the acre, worth from ninepenca to a shilling per pound, accotdmg to quality. In four months from the time of plantinjr the crop should be all off the ground, and I don't believe it is one whit more ezhauat* ing than maize. The stems ought to be placed in a he3p and well rotted for next season's crop, as no better manure can be used. I have grown Connecticut leaf eqnal to Latakia or Kankster, and of such a tran* quilising tendency that every husband troubled with an irascible spouse ought to keep a supply of these cigars on hand, so that when he discerns a feminine tornado gathering on the domestic horizon he caa present oue to his stormy goddess, with a, request to "puff, and be soothed, darling." Thus will the storm-fiend be laid, and the tempest be averted, simply by placing our Iwst Auckland-grown leaf, instead of oil, upon the troubled waters.