64: TOBACCO. 



will be apt to top the plants too high. The object is 

 to ripen and develop as many leaves as the plant can 

 support ; if topped too high, the top leaves are small, and 

 when cured are nearly worthless, and the other leaves 

 are not as large or heavy, whereas, if topped too low, then 

 3'^ou lose one, two, or three leaves, which the plant might 

 have supported. As a general rule, a plant just in 

 blossom should be topped down to where the leaves are 

 full 7 inches wide, leaving on the stalk from 15 to 18 

 leaves. This will leave the stalks about 2^ feet high in 

 good tobacco. Later in the season, top the plants sooner 

 and lower. Let as many of the earliest plants as will be 

 wanted remain for seed. One plant will furnish seed 

 enough to put out 5 acres, at least. These should be 

 wormed and suckered like the rest, only leaving the 

 suckers above where you would ordinarily break it off, 

 were you to top it. The piece should now be looked over 

 every other day, to break off the suckers and catch the 

 worms. This should be done as soon as the dew is off in 

 the morning, and towards night, as the worms are eating 

 then, and can be found more readily, while in the heat of 

 the day they remain hid. Great care should be taken not 

 to break off the leaves while going through it, as they are 

 nearly all wasted before the crop is ripe. As soon as the 

 top is broken off, the sap is thrown into the leaves, causing 

 them to expand rapidly. In the meantime suckers will 

 start out just above where each leaf joins the stalk; these 

 must be broken off, or the growth of the leaf will be 

 checked, as the sap will be thrown into these young 

 sprouts. Those nearest the top will start soonest, and 



