Sugar-cane, Cotton, and Tobacco 



235 



The field is cultivated frequently during the growing season, 

 beginning soon after the plants are set and continuing until 

 they become too large for the cultivators to be pulled between 

 the rows. 



Topping the plants is a method practiced in tobacco 

 culture. This consists in removing the flower-buds and a 

 portion of the top. The nourishment that would be used to 

 develop these parts is sent into the leaves and causes a better 



FIG. 97. Field of tobacco. 



development of leaf, which is the valuable part of the plant. 

 After the plants have been topped, they send out suckers from 

 the axils of the leaves ; if these were allowed to grow they 

 would rob the leaves on the main stalk of fertility. To offset 

 this the suckers when about two inches long are removed 

 (Fig. 97). 



141. Harvesting and curing. Tobacco is harvested either 

 by cutting off the whole plant or by removing the leaves as 

 they ripen; not all ripen at the same time. In the former 

 method the stalks are cut off close to the ground as soon as 



