Palladium Of Virginia And The Pacific Monitor

YELLOW TOBACCO.

Mode of curing Yellow Tobacco.

The following article is from the 'American Farmer,' printed in Baltimore, Md.

From the remarks made in one of your letters respecting tobacco, you perhaps have mistaken my meaning on this matter, I will therefore very briefly state to you a part of our management of tobacco, promising at the same time that I will hereafter enlarge these remarks and enter more into details, should you request it for publication.

Our tobacco is so large and heavy, that curing it by fire is indispensable to enable it to go through a sweat with safety. As a proof of this the large western country tobacco, (made in Kentucky and Tennessee) is complained loudly of in Europe: in going through a sweat in hogsheads, for the plain reason that they do not fire it. We have houses for curing in and larger barns to carry it to after it is cured. Our houses for firing are made very close to confine the heat after the tobacco is made yellow enough after curing, which is done by warming the houses by small bark fires it is then cured in about 48 hours, by log fires which are constantly kept up and attended to.

In stripping, only six leaves are tied in a bundle invariably. At this time it is assorted into three qualities, the two first qualities are tied in bundles, the third and lowest quality, which is termed ground leaves is stemmed.

After stripping, the tobacco is then shook out and cleaned of grit which is done in the following manner; a man takes as many bundles as one hand, and as many in the other, and whips them against each other, which loosens and disengages the dirt, he then gives each hand a violent shake. After stripping, it is then bulked for giving set, viz. to make the bundle straight close and nice. In bulking, only one bundle is put down at the time and the bundles pass the whole length through the hands of the laborers, at which moment; they are squeezed to compress them in a small compass. After bulking nicely, the tobacco is weighted to give it the desired set. After remaining in bulk a while (it must not remain too long particularly in warm weather, as it might heat, because the tobacco is this time quite soft,) it is then hung up for the purpose of getting it in the right order for prizing, when is the most difficult part of the business to watch it, as I said before, because one hour might get it wrong. The order in which we strike down for prizing is this the stem must be so hard as to break free two thirds of its length, beginning at the bigger end while the leaf at the same time is so soft as to bear stretching open to its full breadth; this is the order which will enable it to go through a sweat and to make it show to the best advantage in the market, and to be best handled by the consumer, or manufacturer.

We always take the tobacco as it comes in order, and not as it goes out. When it is struck down for prizing it is bulked in the same careful and neat manner as before described, and well weighed. I ought now to remain in bulk at least four weeks, but the longer the better as it will when managed in this way, daily improve in smell and appearance. When taken up for prizing it has a smell more fragrant and delightful than any heard in the world. It is truly 'sweet scented,' an epithet always attached in Europe to good tobacco.

In prizing we use the same particularity—only one bundle is put in at a time and that by a certain rule. This is to make it break nice and look well when uncased -all the heads of the bundles are pointing outwards, and just against the staves of the hogshead.

We never top, our tobacco to more than ten leaves. the ends of the top leaves frequently hang over the others and touch the ground.

From the Lynchburg Virginian.