76 



TOBACCO. 



clear or cloudy but not rainy day. The mature plants 

 (those not ripe are left longer on the field if not too late 

 in the season) are cut off near the ground, two of them 

 tied together by the butt-ends and hung up in the field on 

 riders, which, rest on two forks fastened in the ground, 

 and they are left there until evening to wilt ; then they 

 are brought to the drying-house and hung up. The 

 tobacco is hung up on the upper sticks first, and the work 

 continued downward ; care is taken that the sticks are 

 6-8 inches apart, also that the plants are not too near 

 together on the sticks, because the air should have free 

 passage among the plants, and when they touch or rub 

 against each other, unsightly spots are produced. The 

 sticks must be pretty wide, so that the two plants which 

 are tied together, and one of which hangs on each side, 

 are held well apart. Later, when the tobacco has dried 

 off somewhat, the sticks and plants may be moved a little 

 nearer to each other ; but the plants on the upper sticks 

 must not touch those on the lower ; they should be so 

 arranged that one lower stick is just in the middle of the 

 space between two upper ones." 



Another method of harvesting is recommended by 

 Schneider for those "who cultivate tobacco on a small 

 scale, or who have hands and time enough. As all the 

 leaves on the plant do not ripen at the same time, but the 

 under leaves are always a little earlier than the upper 

 ones, they may gather the crop in the leaf, that is, taking 

 only the matured leaves from the stalk; this must be 

 done daily, and so long as there are leaves on the stalk. 

 In this way the crop will be harvested slower, and it will 

 cost more, but the tobacco will be of more even quality 



