OTHER FARM CROPS 603 



little sunshine the barn should be kept closed, and if there are indi- 

 cations of pole-burn or pole-sweat, small fires, at least two in every 

 bent in the shed, should be started. In order to dry out the tobacco 

 in as short a time as possible, these fires should be distributed 

 throughout the shed and the tobacco above the fires protected by 

 hoods. The best material for making these fires is probably char- 

 coal or coke, but if these two materials can not be used soft pine 

 wood may be found to be satisfactory. In no case should hard wood 

 be used, as certain odors are given off which it is impossible to get 

 out of the tobacco, and these injure the quality and the sale of me 

 crop. To get the best results, the tobacco during the curing process 

 should be kept fairly moist and fairly dried out once in every 24 

 hours. 



After the curing process has been finished the tobacco is usually 

 sorted according to grade and color as laid down by the tobacco 

 trade. The tobacco is then arranged in hands and packed in cases, 

 where it is allowed to go through natural fermentation, or it is 

 placed in a room which can be heated and is there put through a 

 forced sweat. If the natural fermentation takes place it usually does 

 not begin until the warm weather of the succeeding summer. Great 

 care must be used in the fermenting processes that the tobacco is not 

 damaged by the spread of fungous diseases, mold, or other causes 

 of injury to tobacco in cases. The cases are usually arranged to 

 hold about 350 pounds of tobacco. 



Connecticut Broadleaf Tobacco. The methods of sowing the 

 seed, preparation of the seed beds, and treatment of the beds are 

 practically the same for the Connecticut Broadleaf as in the case of 

 the Connecticut Havana variety. Many of the growers in the Con- 

 necticut Valley prefer the tent cover for the seed beds for this va- 

 riety. The advantage in the cheese-cloth or light-muslin cover for 

 the seed bed lies in the fact that plants grown under such condi- 

 tions are as a rule more hardy than plants raised under glass. As 

 the Broadleaf plants make a very rapid growth in the seed bed and 

 field, hotbeds for the production of early seedlings are not as essen- 

 tial as with other slower growing varieties. To sow the seed mix 

 one tablespoon ful for every hundred square yards of seed bed with 

 2 quarts of ashes or meal in order to get an even sowing, and lightly 

 rake the surface of the bed so as to barely cover the seed. If the 

 seed is covered too deep, it will not germinate. 



The seed bed should be kept moist, but not too wet, as too much 

 water not only injures the seed, but favors the development of 

 fungous diseases. In about two weeks after sowing, the young plants 

 will appear, but at this time they make a very slow growth, as the 

 plant food in the seed has been exhausted and the plants must meet 

 new conditions. At this stage, if the surface of the bed dries out, 

 the young plants will be killed, so that it is absolutely necessary to 

 use the greatest possible care in watering the beds. After the young 

 plants have developed root systems and become established for inde- 

 pendent growth they make a very rapid growth, and it is usually de- 

 sirable to apply liquid manure. If the seedlings begin to turn 



