Turkey s are often allowed to roam the fields for this purpose in 

 Yirgina and Maryland. 



About three months after planting the tobacco will begin to 

 tlower, when the flower bud appears the heart should be broken off 

 or pinched out, and at the same time the lower or bottom leaves of the 

 plant are to be removed. The pinching of the llower buds sends the 

 sap needed in the formation of the flowers to nourish the leaves, and 

 the bottom leaves being small, dirty, and of an inferior quality would, 

 if harvested with the crop, only depreciate the whole. There seems 

 to be no fixed rule regarding the number of leaves allowed to be 

 matured on each plant, but from an analysis of the usage of 

 different countries the minimum may be stated as six, and the 

 maximum as twenty-two, but this is a point that can only be 

 decided by individual experience, based on the locality and vigor 

 of the plant. Shortly after the plants are topped, suckers will 

 appear at the axils of the leaves, and these must be broken off as 

 soon as possible, or the size of the leaves will be interfered with. 

 Another operation which is, however, only practised in some parts of 

 America and Cuba, is called " priming," and means that shortly 

 before harvesting, the large bottom leaves, which are now probably 

 lying on the ground, are broken off ; but this is not a universal 

 custom, one grower may practise it while his neighbor may not, 

 but, when cutting the crop, will separate these leaves, and sell them 

 as " lugs," at about half the price of the good leaves. A caution 

 may, however, be of use ; when the tobacco is not " primed " it 

 must be " topped " lower, or a risk is run that the upper leaves will 

 not mature. 



In the above directions the expression " broken " is applied to 

 the removal of the flower-buds and leaves ; it is to be remembered 

 that these are not to be cut off, else the sap will run to waste, 

 which should go to strengthen and mature the leaves. 



Tobacco commences to ripen about three months after plant- 

 ing, and is indicated by the leaves assuming a darker green color, 

 succeeded by a marbled appearance, yellowish blotches becoming 

 visible, the leaves will also be found to have a sticky or gummy 

 feel, and the tips bend downwards. The crop having reached this 

 stage is fit for harvesting and curing. 



There are two methods of harvesting, i.e., cutting down the 

 whole plant, or gathering the leaves singly. On no account must 

 either be attempted on a damp day, or until the dew is off the 

 plants. Both these plans of gathering have their advantages. 

 The first is the easiest, and permits of quicker handling, but the 

 leaves have to be sorted afterwards, while the latter, though 

 permitting the sorting of the leaves in the first operation as well as 

 the development of a greater number of mature leaves, is the most 

 expensive and laborious, and in hot climates the single leaf is apt 

 to dry too quickly. In the wanner districts the plant should be cut 

 entire, while in the cooler parts the other method may be followed 



