HORTICULTURE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1, 20 January 1928, Page 64

HORTICULTURE.

HARVESTING THE TOBACCO CROP.

The earlier planted tobacco crops will now commence to mature their leaves. ■ This is indicated by a change in colour and texture from a dark green colour and pliable condition to a yellowish green and a more brittle leaf. Sometimes the yellow colouring develops in spots and patches. This change first takes place in the lower leaves, and gradually spreads to those higher up on the stalk. For this reason in countries where labour is abundant the priming method of harvesting is sometimes adopted. The individual leaves are gathered as they ripen and attached to the curing sticks which are hung in the barn to. cure, thus securing the greatest possible uniformity and a maximum of first-grade leaf. More usually it is the custom to harvest the leaves, and cure them on the stalk by splitting the stalk to within a few inches of the' ground and then cutting it off just above ground level. The plants are then left for a few hours to wilt; they are then threaded on the curing sticks and placed in the curing barn.

It is desirable to harvest the tobacco crop during the warmer weather,, as the leaves then carry the natural secretions which give them aroma and . other desirable qualities when cured, also the natural high temperatures facilitate the work of a successful cure. For some of. these reasons it is desirable to avoid cutting after heavy rains when the leaves are thin and in comparatively poor condition. Every consideration should be given to the operations of harvesting and curing,, as an excellent crop . may very • easily be spoiled by any mismanage ment. Leaf that is immature’ will retain a greenish colour when cured and have a bitter flavour, while overmaturity results in uneven colouring without the desirable elasticity in the cured leaf.. Great care is needed in all handling to avoid bruising the leaf, as such injuries will cause discoloration and lower the grade. All plants, should be free of dew and moisture before cutting and be placed under cover the same day as they are cut ; it is not desirable to leave any outside over night.

In the curing shed the sticks threaded with tobacco plants are placed with the ends resting on parallel scantlings, known as tier poles, in such a way that they will just hang clear and allow a current of air to pass through them. There are usually two or three such tiers 3 ft. to 4 ft. apart.

It is desirable, if possible, to keep the atmosphere a little close at first to further develop the yellow colour in the leaf, and later toinduce a drier atmosphere by opening the ventilators and so fixing the desirable colour. This air-curing is the natural method, and is

used chiefly for pipe and cigar tobaccos. In the case of cold, wet weather while this operation is taking place there is a danger of the leaf rotting, a condition known as “ pole-sweat ” ; or during a period of warm winds if the leaf is dried out too qiuckly it will retain a green colour with poor flavour. Under the former circumstances small fires of dry hardwood placed about the floors will improve the conditions. At this season, however, the weather is very suitable for carrying out the operation of curing with the least danger and difficulty. For curing the light-coloured leaf that is in such demand for cigarette tobaccos a heated flue kiln is required. This is usually 20 ft. square and nearly as high, with a large metal flue running round three sides at floor-level. Considerable experience is necessary to operate it successfully. The kiln .is fully charged by hanging the plants in tiers as mentioned above ; the kiln is then tightly closed and the fires lit. . The heat radiates from the flues, but the smoke passes through a smoke-stack into the open air. The general method is to start with small fires and raise the temperature gradually. Meanwhile in the humid warm conditions created the leaf gradually assumes the requisite yellow colour. By further increasing the temperature, and reducing humidity gradually by means of ventilation, the leaf is dried out and the colour maintained. To do this well the nicest judgment and adjustment are required' but under proper management high-grade leaf may be cured in a week, as compared with the six weeks or so required for air-curing, although the latter method requires less skill and attention and larger barns can be used.

TOMATOES.

The hard season has revealed very plainly the value of the advice often given to raise sturdy tomato plants of good strain in moderate heat, and thoroughly harden them off gradually. Such plants have stood the severe test of a cold season successfully. Other types are uneven in growth and attacked by disease. In this weakened state they have fallen easy victims, and any amount of spraying only results in a meagre crop some time after the usual date for the first picking. This condition is specially noticeable in the outside crop. The best preventive of disease is a vigorous plant of good constitution.

The season for the inside crop is about over, and the success of next year’s crop will very largely depend on the preparations that are commenced now. Instead of neglecting the glasshouses and allowing them to breed disease, the roots of the plants should be lifted and the plants left in the strings to dry out. They should then be gathered and put on the fire heap. This fire should be a well-thought-out installation. A sufficiently large cutting in a bank, with a few fire bars to keep the heap off the ground and prevent rotting and to facilitate kindling, is a good arrangement, and it makes a first-class incinerator. The ashes obtained make a good . contribution to the compost heap. Thoroughly clean down the house by spraying or fumigation, and sterilize .. the soil as may be required. Scarify -in a quick - growing cover-crop, and grow it with ventilators wide open. This is the most effective way of destroying insects and fungi before they get established and settle down into their winter quarters. It also supplies humus and nitrogen in a clean and suitable form.

Growers will now be busy marketing the outside crop of tomatoes. These, if suitably graded and packed, should be profitable if they are well distributed. There is often a tendency to ship automatically to the nearest big centre of population, and such markets are too often glutted while provincial demands are not supplied. The subject of distribution is never finalized, and demands the very alert attention of the producer at this season.

SMALL-FRUITS.

Most growers of raspberries and loganberries will now have completed their harvest, and the old canes should be cut, carried out, and burned. Remove also all small useless growth. The cropping canes may then be fed with suitable manures as required. Most plantations are attacked by scale or other insects and fungi; one or two applications of a suitable spray at the present time would be most effective in countering these attacks.

Where strawberries are to be planted the preparation of the land should now be completed. Where it is customary to crop the beds for three or four years it is of special importance that this preparation should be thorough, particularly as regards such bad weeds as couchgrass and sorrel. If the preparation in this respect has not been successful it is not advisable to plant strawberries. It is surprising to notice how often planting is done on such infested areas, where disappointment is inevitable. Complete the preparation by obtaining a firm bed with a fine even surface, and put out the plants as soon as they are obtainable—especially in southern districts. A similar preparation should now be made for small-fruits to be planted out in early winter. Sow seeds of Cape gooseberry and passion-fruit to produce plants for putting out in the spring.

VEGETABLE CROPS.

Harvest crops of onions, shallots, early potatoes, &c., as soon as they mature. There is considerable risk of second growth if the crops are allowed to remain in the ground and get the autumn rains after that stage is reached. If the onions are of a non-keeping kind, grade them as the market requires, and pass them into consumption ; keeping sorts should be thoroughly ripened and placed in a dry airy place. Large stocks require careful supervision. The potato crop for consumption is best kept in a dark cool shed of considerable humidity, in order to avoid greening and shrivelling and sprouting. The results of next season’s crop will be enhanced if the seed is chosen from the best plants of true type. These tubers are best ripened in the light, but care must be taken to avoid shrivelling and attacks of the potato moth, which is sometimes about. Among the newly sown and planted crops the weeds will quickly get ahead once the autumn rains really begin. To control them take advantage of fine weather to hoe the crops, and do it before the weeds attain much size.

Keep the celery and other winter crops moving. Water and feed crops of the gourd class. Sow spring cabbage and cauliflowers, also spinach, parsley, and lettuce.

- W. C. Hyde,

Horticulturist, Wellington.