leaf. It is then time for harvesting. The plant is cut an 

 inch or two above the ground and allowed to lie on the 

 ground for a few hours until the leaves have wilted to 

 avoid breakage. After being speared onto sticks, the 

 leaves are taken into barns and hung on tiers about nine 

 to twelve inches apart to permit air circulation around 

 them. 



Maryland tobacco is air-cured as distinguished from 

 other types that are treated with heat or different curing 

 methods. During the curing stage the leaf loses mois- 

 ture and goes through a chemical changing process. 

 Good tobacco curing will result in an 85 percent water 

 loss within the leaf. To achieve the proper water loss, 

 a temperature of 80 to 90 degrees and a 75 to 80 percent 

 humidity are optimally required. 



The "stripping," sorting and grading processes take 

 up about half of the labor requirement needed for the 

 entire crop. When the leaves are stripped from their 

 stems, they are tied in "hands" or bundles of about 30 

 leaves each, with one leaf used as a tie leaf. Both the 

 farmer and the government grade the tobacco, although 

 the United States Department of Agriculture's 64-grade 

 system is more complicated than that of the farmer. 

 Maryland leaf is harvested on the stalk, unlike other 

 major American types. The size of the leaf, quality and 

 color are all controlled by their positions on the stalk 

 and are graded accordingly. 



K 



rom barn to buyer 



Once the tobacco has been stripped and graded, it is 

 ready for market. Before 1939, most Maryland tobacco 



