492 Transactions of the 



surface at its swales. In any case, the swales will be the "coldest" 

 spots on the field, owing to the moisture settling in them; the same cause 

 will there settle and compact the soil, so that during the later parts of 

 the season the moisture will rise in them less freely; and, finally, if 

 there be a gravelly subsoil which, at these points, is'overlain by the 

 thinnest covering of upper soil, all moisture will here first fail and the 

 ground "dry out." On such spots, therefore, plants will be slowest to 

 start, slowest to grow, and first to stop growing. The planter will 

 watch the development of all portions of his crop, and give to each the 

 special management that its own growth calls for. Plants may (and 

 will) grow less luxuriantly in some parts of a field than in others, and yet 

 not require different treatment. They may be going to grow all through 

 the season to its end, to mature their leaves at about the same time with 

 the others; they are only going to give a lighter yield. .But if, besides 

 being comparatively stunted, the leaves also begin to yellow, showing 

 bronzed patches when the rest of the general crop is still vivid green; 

 if several pairs of the topmost leaves be small — out of proportion to the 

 others — it may be known that the plant is beginning to fail. It should 

 be topped at once — the stalk being broken off down to the last pair of 

 leaves that are twelve inches long. In ten daj^s or a fortnight, suckers 

 will be started, and should all be taken out. After this a third set will 

 appear, but after these are taken the plant will hardly have the energy 

 to put out any more. 



when Ta CUT. 



The remarks above made as to the possible methods of growth of 

 plants in swales are applicable to plants under any circumstances. But 

 the California planter, who has selected a good soil and got his plants 

 started early, will find them growing vigorously up to the month of Au- 

 gust. Before the end of that month, however, the first change toward 

 maturing ought to be visible in the varieties that he may have designed 

 to cure up for bright colors. The lower three pairs of leaves at least 

 ought to exhibit a general bronzing of color, with patches of yellow, 

 and the higher this change may have proceeded on the plant, and the 

 broader the } T ellowing of the leaves, the better. If the month of Sep- 

 tember open before the crop begins to exhibit generally this process of 

 maturing, there is a poor prospect of securing bright colors that season. 

 It would often then be better to abandon all idea of it, and the choice is 

 presented between proceeding to cut the crop before the leaves have be- 

 come too heavy for use in cigar making, or topping so as to get heavy 

 leaves and weight of yield; the dark colors that have become inevitable 

 will now come in due accord with the cigar tobacco, or will be partly 

 compensated by heavy weight. But the Orinoco variety of tobacco is 

 not adapted to cigar making, while the Florida is equally suited for 

 cigars, plug, fine cut, or smoking, according to the condition in which it 

 be cured. For this reason, the planting of Florida seed was recom- 

 mended for upland in the first paper of this series. It offers the option 

 at this later stage of the season, of making a good cigar tobacco, should 

 it become apparent that a high class article (bright color) for other uses 

 is unattainable. One reason for preferring Connecticut seed leaf to 

 Florida for moist alluvions is, that on such lands dark colors only are 

 likely to be attainable, and when the product of each variety is at its 

 best, the first named ought to be quicker of sale at a better price; and 

 the Connecticut variety also is peculiarly susceptible to change of color 



