Agriculture

All tobaccos grown in Turkey are of the same genus-Nicotiana Tabacum. One exception is Hasankeyf Tobacco, which belongs to the Nicotiana Rustica genus, and is grown in small quantities in the Gaziantep district.

Turkish grown tobaccos can be classified into two different groups according to their physical make-up : plants with petiole leaves on the one hand and those with sessile leaves on the other. Tobacco with a sessile leaf is referred to as "kulaklı, yaşmaklı or basma," whereas the plants producing medium-size, broad winged leaves in this group are called "kabakulak" The petiole leaf is commonly referred to as "başıbağlı". There are however another types in the same group with a naked petiole which are called "yaşmaksız".

The botanical characteristics of the two groups of Turkish tobaccos are very similar. The Italian tobaccos scientist Gomez claims that those Turkish tobaccos which have petioles show predominant characteristics of the variety called N.Fruticosa, whereas the sessile leaf tobaccos have the characteristics of N. Macrophylla. Both varieties are obtained through cross-breeding with other N.Tabacum plants. According to another Italian scientist, Anastasia, these tobaccos were produced through cross breeding of N.Havenensis, N.Brasilliansis and N.Purpurea varieties.

Turkish grown tobaccos are phenotypes of individual characteristics obtained over many years by natural selection. Mutation under ecological conditions and partly natural cross-breeding.

Climatic and Soil Conditions

As Turkish tobaccos grows in regions under somewhat varying climatic conditions the best results are usually obtained in moderate and fairly dry conditions, especially after transplanting.

Tobacco requires a considerable amount of sunshine during the growing stage of the plant and the curing of the leaves. It is therefore essential to have an excessive amount of sun shine. The average temperature Per year is over 13° C, and during the growing stage the marginal limits of the temperature are between 20 and 28° C. The relative humidity on the other hand is not below 50%.

Tobacco is planted in altitudes of 150 to 200 meters above sea level. High quality tobaccos are grown on slightly sloping and sloping fields. The scils are of loamy-sands or sandy-loam's type ; not so deep and with a medium feeding power. Soils which contain a large quantity of lime are not suitable. The best and most sought-after sail is red and is shallow well drained, granular and friable, generally with a low acid reaction (pH between 6-7).

Fertilization

The most important factor in tobacco production is the protection of quality.

Excessive amounts of nitrogen in the soil may increase the yield but at the same time it may also reduce the quality. The rate of nitrogen must therefore be kept at a level that will not affect the quality. The aroma and colour peculiar to Turkish tobaccos can be obtained in the sails with a low nitrogen and high potash content and adequate phosphates.

Turkish tobacco, being a relatively short bodied plant, generally grows in soils with medium fertility level and does not require much fertilization. To protect the quality of the tobacco, fertilization must be carried out with utmost care and best results are obtained if small quantities of fertilizer are applied when necessary.

Rotation

Rotation is not necessary provided fertilization is correctly carried out. Where there is enough land, however, or in cases of epidemic disease or harmful insect, rotation is recommended for a two or three year period. Legumes should not planted as rotation crops for they increase the nitrogen content of the soil. Aromatic Turkish tobaccos are obtained particularly from these soils which are under constant tobacco cultivation.

Soil Preparation

The site should be ploughed as deep as 15 to 20 cm. at the beginning of autumn when there are heavy rainfalls. This allows the penetration of the winter rainfalls, improves the physical qualities of the loamy soils under the influence of snow and frost and helps weed control. Deep re-ploughing follows later on in a down-ward direction of the slope to ensure god drainage and to eliminate any water-logging. Spring ploughing is done at least twice, depending on circumstances, but should not be as deep as Autumn ploughing, i.e. not than 10-15 The site must be ploughed again prior to transplanting either with a plough or a cultivator. The soil is then made ready for planting by harrowing or by levelling it off even more if necessary. During tillage, care should be taken that adequate moisture of the soil is maintained.

Each ploughing is done in a transverse direction to the previous one.

Seedbeds

Seedbeds should be protected from prevailing winds and should receive a considerable amount of sunshine. They should be situated away from vegetable gardens, water-logged and shady areas and the actual tobacco fields.

Normally the site of the seedbeds is at least five meters away from any of the aforementioned and in cases of disease and insect infested areas the seedbeds should be even further away.

The soil used in the seedbeds should not originate from vegetable gardens or tobacco fields. It should be obtained from heathery or virgin sites, and when digging up the soil, care should be taken not to penetrate deeper than 30 cm.

Both soil and aged manure are sifted through a sieve with holes of 1 cm., prior to using it on the seedbeds.

The combination is usually 3:1, soil: manure and should be thoroughly mixed by being overturned several times and kept in a heap. Some of the sifted manure is kept for use as top dressing.

The site chosen for a seedbed has to be dug with a spade first and cleared of all weeds and then levelled out. The fronts of the seedbeds have a protective wooden or brushwood fence, 20 to 30 cm. in height. The prepared site is then covered with a 8-1/ cm. mixture of soil and manure and smoothed over with a rake. The surface of the seedbed should always be raised approx. 15 cm. above the level of the pathways.

The site has to be watered several days prior to sowing and left to rest.

The optimum date for sowing is 2 to 2.5 months prior to the date of transplanting. Sowing should take place on a mild day. A maximum of 1 gr. Of seeds Per sq.m. should be sown. Best results are obtained by mixing the required quantity of seeds with wood ashes. Germinated seeds should not be used and care should be taken that the sowing is completed in one single operation. After the seeds have been sown, the seedbeds are covered with a top dressing of 1 cm, lightly pressed down and then watered.

The top of the soil must be kept moist until germination has been completed. There is no need to use artificial fertiliser in the seedbeds prepared in accordance with the above mentioned conditions. In cases where the growth of the seedlings is too slow, artificial fertilisers can be used moderately.

Once the seedbeds have been sown and watered, they are covered with duraglass, ordinary glass, plastic or rush mats. These are lifted during the sunny and hat hours of the day.

To prevent the young seedlings from becoming too tall, the beds are ventilated, being taken not to cool the air too much.

15-20 days prior to transplanting, the seedbeds entirely uncovered during day and night, unless frost or hailstorms are likely. In this way seedlings become accustomed to external weather conditions, and by gradually reducing the water quantity they get used to drought. Weeding is done as needed. If necessary the stalk of the plant up to the leaves is covered with top dressing and watered to obtain well-rooted seedlings.

Each mature seedling is considered ready for transplanting when up rooted and wound around a finger without breaking. The mature seedlings are carefully selected and the taller plants called "guides" are discarded a few days prior to transplanting Each seedling has to be pulled out individually without harming its roots. The seedbeds are adequately watered in the early hours of the day when transplanting takes place. Each seedling is carefully extracted and the holes are filled with top dressing to protect the uncovered roots of the neighbouring plants which are not yet ready for transplanting. All seedlings have to be transplanted the day they have been removed from he seedbeds, and care should be taken that they are kept in a cool shady location until transplanting takes place. The seedlings are removed from the seedbed in three sessions to take care of the plants that are not yet ready for transplanting. Once all seed lings have been uprooted and transplanted the seedbeds are broken up.

Transplanting

Furrows into which the seedlings are transplanted, have to be made either with the plough or the hoe depending on the soil and weather conditions as well as the characteristics of the tobacco type. The direction of the furrows should be such that best exposure to the sun is obtained and erosion of the soil is prevented. Air currents due to prevailing wends also have to be considered. To avoid any loss of moisture of the soil. Furrows should only be opened up on the same day the seedlings are ready for transplanting. The space between the furrows and the plants on the same furrow differs according to the tobacco types. The following table gives a rough idea of the measurements :

The transplanting dates are determined by taking into consideration the duration of growth, priming and curing. The approx. Starting dates for transplanting in the various regions are as follows :

Planting can last from 30 to 45 days according to circumstance To. Obtain a high quality crop early dates are recommended for transplanting. Dibbles are generally used for transplanting. In some regions water is poured onto the newly planted seedling whereas in some parts of the Izmir region seedlings are dry planted. In the region of Eastern Anatolia the seedlings are planted into pre-watered furrows. The priming process is facilitated if the planting is done at intervals. Between the planting and priming dates tobacco fields have to be cultivated two or three times. The first cultivation takes place 10 or 15 days after planting and is usually shallow. The second and third cultivations follow after the rainfalls to prevent the surface of the soil from hardening and to cover the lower parts of stalk with soil.

Generally topping is not required on Turkish tobaccos. This is done only on types such as Trabzon, Edirne and Bitlis.

Harvesting

There is a very close relation between good quality of tobacco and the picking of the leaf at the correct stage of maturity. In assessing ripeness of the leaf, the colour change from to yellow between the veins, at the edges and the tip is the most significant factor. Moreover, yellowish swellings appear on the face of the leaf and the edges as well as the tips turn downwards. The leaf takes a more horizontal position in relation to the main stalk. These characteristics however change slightly from one tobacco variety to the other.

2 to 3 months after planting, ripening commences and reaping will have to start immediately. The leaves are picked in successive primings, starting at the bottom of the plant and steadily progressing upwards in accordance with their maturity. Each group o leaves picked at the same priming is called "hand" Leaves gathered in the same hand should show the same degree of maturity, be of similar size and form.

The various hands are set out below in their consecutive order of priming.

The sand leaves are not mixed into the crop. They have to be primed however and then burned.

The principal part of the crop consists of the middle leaves, however the best quality Turkish Tobaccos are obtained from the top and lower top leaves provided that they are primed at the right time and cured in the right conditions.

The most suitable time for priming is the early morning hours i.e. between dawn and 11:00 a.m. Priming can also be carried out however after 4:00 p.m. if need be.

After harvesting the stalks of the plant should be up-rooted and discarded as prescribed by law.

Stringing

All leaves which have been primed should be kept in a shady place and the stringing operation should be carried out immediately in order to avoid over-heating.

A flat needle 35-40 cm. long. And 0,5-0,8 cm. wide, is for stringing. When the needle is full of leaves, the latter are pushed on to a string attached to the needle and thus garlands are formed. The length of the garlands is 120-140 cm and each garland contains 500 to 1500 leaves depending on the types.

Tobacco leaves have to be primed and strung en the same day.

In the Eastern region of Turkey two or three leaves are tied together by their petioles with a type of rush are braided like a tress. This operation is called "şeran".

Curing

Prior to the actual curing the garlands of tobacco are allowed to wilt in a shady place for 24 hours. This wilting process is either done by piling the garlands into a heap or by hanging them up. On the first day, after the leaves have wilted, they are exposed to the sun only until noon ; on the second day from noon till evening and from then on for the whole day.

The curing period may vary from 7 to 15 days depending on the weather conditions. At the end of period the mid of the leaves have dried. Out.

Although other curing methods can also be used different tobacco types, Turkish tobacco is essentially sun cured. The garlands are strung during the curing operation either on racks, wagons, sheds depending on the circumstances in each region.

Curing on racks is only practised in the İzmir region. Racks are usually 60-80 cm. high, made out of wood with stay-and side-wires stabilizing them to ground and set apart according to the length of the garlands. On these vertical racks provision is made for the garlands to hang parallel by means of staples. The garlands, being tied to reed sticks, are placed on these staples. The space between the garlands should be adjusted in such a way that all the leaves are equally exposed to the leaves are equally exposed to the sun and that the air can circulate freely among them.

The garlands hang on these staples for 6-12 days and afterward they are spread on gravel or sandy ground. The sides of the garlands are alternatively exposed to the sun for a couple of days each. This process is called "sergi"

Immediately following this operation, approx. 100 to 200 garlands, tied to reads are piled one upon the other in early morning hours when the tobacco leaves are moist. This is commonly known as temporary heaping.

10 or 15 days later, the temporary heaps are unpiled, the garlands united from the reeds and put into heaps 1-1,5 m. High. This operation is called the main heaping. Tobaccos are left in these heaps until they are baled.

Since the curing period coincides with the rainy season in the Marmara, Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions, the curing is done by the wagon system. These wagons are part of the permanent installations and since they can be moved quickly under sheds when it rains, the tobacco is prevented from getting wet. This installation consists of sheds, wagons and rails. Sheds :buildings with three walls and a tiled roof. The open side faces South. Wagon : wooden frames the measurements of which are 3-3.5 m. İn width and 1-1.5 m. İn length. The wagons are placed on rails to facilitate the movements outside of the shed. These rails are set parallel in accordance with the width of the wagons and at a height of 50 to 60 cm. from the ground.

They are horizontally outside the shed and have special tilting facilities inside to enable the wagons to stand upright. This is a space saving device.

The garlands are fastened and stretched onto the hocks or staples on both sides of the wagons and then only are the wagons placed onto the rails.

In the Black Sea region another wagon system is being used by which the racks stand upright on the rails. This method is commonly referred to as "salaş".

This method especially used in the Black Sea region. Tobacco cured this way is then made into bunches. Both ends of the garlands are tied together (usually 2-5 at once) according to their lengths and size of leaves. These bunches are then hung in wind-sheltered and sunny places, at 2-2.5 m. Above the ground. After having been exposed to the sun for 8-10 days the bunches are hung close to each other under the roof of the shed until they are baled.

Baling

The cured tobacco leaves after classification into "mahsul" (upper grades), "görmez" (lower grades) and useless leaves, which are either gathered into bundles or are cut into small garlands for baling.

The tobacco leaves will have to be handled at a moisture of 18-20 % humidity. If the relative humidity of the air complies with these requirements, the leaves will automatically absorb the moisture from the air. In the negative case, the tobacco leaves will have to be conditioned according to the humidity requirements. This can be done in various ways .

The bales made by the farmers are called unprocessed or farmers' bales. These bales can be made in four different ways : "kalıp", "dizi" İskenderiye", and "Rumeli" methods.

"Kalıp" method is the baling process used in the Izmir region. The garlands are taken from the heap, unsuitable leaves separated from them, and then cut into equal lengths according to the dimensions of the sizes of the tobacco leaves, are laid parallel to each other in one layer into the wooden cases called kalıp. The butts of the leaves on each side of the case should face outwards. During stacking of the leaves into the case, they are pressed down 3-5 times. The weight of each bale should be kin the region of 60 kgs.

"Dizi" method is used in the Samsun or Bafra districts. The garlands of tobacco leaves are selected and cut into the required lengths according to the size of the cases. Two garlands only are placed in one layer, the tips slightly overlapping the in the centre-the width of the bale being in accordance with the size of the leaves. Pressure is applied 2-3 times when stacking. The weight of each bale should be approx. 20 kgs.

The Rumeli or Iskenderiye methods necessitate that the leaves should be in bundles (pastals) when stacked inside the bale. Tobacco separated for this purpose has been roughly classified and then bundled (15-20 leaves) together with the butts pointing into the same direction.

Tobacco baled according to the Iskenderiye and Rumeli methods are identical to the commercial form of bales mentioned in the "Processing and Aging" chapter of this book.

While baling the farmers have to separate the useless leaves (ihraklık) which are being burned by the Turkish State Monopolies.