AGRICULTURE 



and start the tips of the leaves, already well yellowed, to 

 turn brown. In curing some kinds of tobacco, fires are 

 kept up for three days. Methods of curing the different 

 kinds of tobacco must be learned from those having ex- 

 perience in curing the desired type of tobacco. 



Stripping and assorting. After stripping the cured 



leaves from the stem 

 they should be as- 

 sorted into different 

 grades. Care should 

 be taken to see that 

 no inferior leaves are 

 thrown among the 

 better grades, for the 

 buyer pays according 

 to the lowest grade 

 of leaves found in 

 the pile. The leaves 

 should be tied in bun- 

 dles of uniform size. 



Marketing At pres- 

 ent, all the tobacco in 

 Virginia is sold as 

 loose tobacco ; that 

 is, it is hauled to 

 the market towns in 



FIG. 225. TOBACCO PLANT READY FOR 

 HARVEST. 



wagons or shipped by rail in hogsheads and sold at auction 

 in large piles on warehouse floors. 



Publications on tobacco. Bulletins of the Virginia Ex- 

 periment Station give detailed information as to planting, 

 fertilizing, and managing of tobacco crops. 



