CULTURE OF CIGAR LE^F. 427 



damper than thin, or papery, leaf. Early in the season, 

 it should not be taken down as damp as is required later 

 on. A good rule to determine when it is in proper con- 

 dition to take down, is to clasp the leaves near the tip 

 of the plant and squeeze tightly ; when the pressure is 

 removed and they expand in a few seconds and are 

 stained but very little, the crop is just right to take 

 down. It should be watched while dampening, to guard 

 against rain driving in at the doors. If the outside 

 plants get wet, or too damp, hang them up until dried 

 sufficiently. 



Make a floor of sawed poles, planks, or boards, laid 

 on the ground, edge to edge, and pile the plants, a small 

 armful at a time, about two feet high. The pile should 

 be made with the butts out and the tips in and over- 

 lapping about one-third the length. This should be 

 done evenly, in layers, so that no leaves may hang out 

 and get dry, and thus be wasted. If the stalks are 

 frozen, do not take down until the dripping stops, as 

 the juice will stain the leaf. The sooner it is stripped 

 after taking down, the better, as the leaves are liable to 

 stick to the stalk and get stained and be torn when 

 stripped. If warm weather prevails, the plants will 

 soon heat after taking down, and they should be exam- 

 ined frequently. On the first indication of heating, 

 carefully lay the pile over, making it about half as high 

 as before and let it lie as loose as possible. Removing 

 the plants from the lath is quite a task. 



A common way to take plants from the laths is for 

 one man to slip the plants to near one end of the lath 

 and hold them, butts up, while another pulls out the 

 lath. One man can strip lath alone by slipping the 

 plants to one end and placing one foot on them to pull 

 against. Some strip the upper tier of lath by placing 

 two poles two inches apart on the first tier, shoving the 

 lath through from above, while a man below pulls it out. 



