424 TOBACCO LEAF. 



to 32 feet long. Crosspieces, 3J feet apart, and strongly 

 braced, extend well over the sides. Upon these the lath 

 full of plants is placed, the rack being just high enough 

 to allow this to be done without stretching, and still 

 have the plants clear the ground. Low, wide wheels 

 are better than common wagon wheels, hence the pop- 

 ularity of the wagon shown in Fig. 91. 



Hanging Cigar Leaf. There are two ways of hang- 

 ing, with twine and with lath, and each has its 

 advocates. The latter way is the cheaper and requires 

 the least help, but many still think hanging by twine is, 

 on the whole, the fastest and best way. But if the barn 

 is very high, it is cheaper to hang the upper tiers with 

 lath, because it would need so much help to hang with 

 twine. The difference in different years, and with dif- 

 ferent crops, accounts largely for the difference in 

 opinion in regard to the methods of hanging. Don't 

 hang it too thick, 30 to 34 Havana plants on a 12-foot 

 pole is about right for twine. Be careful not to have 

 the poles too close together. Ten poles in 15 feet is 

 close enough, and there will be less danger of pole sweat 

 than if thicker. Don't hang tobacco while wet, because 

 it will pole sweat more readily, and besides, more dirt 

 sticks to it. ' A wet leaf won't cure off quite so nice, 

 smooth and pliable as when hung dry. 



The new way, which is in use in the Connecticut 

 valley, is to hang on laths, about twice the thickness of 

 ordinary laths such as are used for plastering. The 

 laths are four feet long, to carry four to six plants, as to 

 their size. Some put a spear head on end of lath, run 

 it through butt of plant, about six inches from the end, 

 and then slide plant onto lath. For this purpose, the 

 lath is held in a hurdle, as shown in Fig. 120. A better 

 plan because quicker, and requiring less handling and 

 less injury, or danger, to plants is to attach hooks to 

 the lath, on which to hang the plants. For this pur- 



