EXPERIENCE OP PRACTICAL GROWEP.S. 



17 



or two, by setting stanchions with holes mortised in 

 them to hold rests for your poles about four and a half 

 feet apart. Set such ones on either side with a very 

 stout rail, one end in either post. Set these as often 

 as you may need them, depending on the length of 

 your poles. No poles should be so long as to sag very 

 much when filled with plants. But for another reason 

 I would build a house expressly for hanging and storing 

 tobacco. Make it of good, liberal dimensions, thirty 

 feet wide, by forty or more in length ; posts, fourteen 

 feet, with two tier of girts for poles to rest on ; one tier 

 can hang on the beams, and another above on the pur- 

 lin plates, thus hanging four tiers under the same 

 roof. Ventilate by a ventilator in the roof, also by 

 hanging every other board of the siding on hinges. 

 For such a building, I would have a tight floor to the 

 whole, and underneath a good walled cellar lighted 

 with suitable windows, and chimney in one corner, 

 with a stove, to keep fire in in very cold weather, to 

 work by when stripping the tobacco. For poles to 

 hang on, I would get, if possible, straight, slim, white 

 pine staddles about four or five inches in diameter ; 

 shave the bark off smooth, and we have poles that will 

 last and remain straight a lifetime, if kept housed. 

 Hanging. — Having provided all required, even to the 

 strong cotton or hemp twine for tying up the tobacco, 

 have a good man to hand it to you. Commence by tying 

 the end of your twine around the but of a plant, about 

 two inches from the end, in a slip or loose knot ; place 

 this plant at one side of the pole near the end, your 

 hand carrying the twine over the pole ; on the opposite 

 side of the pole, about six inches along, place an- 

 other plant, and with a single turn of the twine around 

 it from before, round back, and by drawing it close, 

 the plant is secure. Proceed thus till you have filled 

 your pole ; then with a knife, cut a notch in the pole 

 and draw your twine through, and it is fast. You can 

 now cut it off and commence another pole. Place the 

 poles far enough apart to prevent the tobacco crowd- 

 ing ; about a foot will do. In this manner you will 

 have a row of plants hanging on each side of the pole 

 about a foot apart. The man, in handing up, should 

 take the plant by the but, carefully from the pile or 

 load, raise it up and gently shake it sideways, to shake 

 off dirt and loosen the leaves when stuck together, 

 and also adhering to the stalk ; with the other hand, 

 take hold about midways of the stalk and pass to the 

 one tying up, enabling him to receive the plant in such 

 a way as to not need to shift it in his hand, but to 

 place it immediately into its position beside the pole. 

 All leaves which are accidentally or otherwise broken 

 from the plants, should be gathered up each day, and 

 hung three or four in a bunch, the same way as the 

 plants, or string them on a string ; the latter is the 

 best way — with a large needle-thread, a suitable 

 cord, and on to this string the leaves one at a time, by 

 running the needle through near the end of the stem. 

 These can be hung by attaching the two ends to some 



suitable nail, and having it remain stretched. In this 

 way they will cure very well. 



Curing and Stripping. — Having housed the 

 whole of your crop, give it all the air you can, by 

 opening doors, shutters, etc. Let them remain open 

 during pleasant weather, remembering to close them 

 in wet, damp weather, as well as nights ; and also 

 shading the crop so far as may be from the direct 

 rays of the sun, to prevent blanching. When it has 

 nearly cured, shut it up and let it remain till perfectly 

 cured. This may be known by the stem of the leaves 

 being dried up, so that no green sap will show itself. 

 If you have hung in your stables and other places that 

 you wish to use, it will be necessary to take it down 

 and strip it at the first favorable opportunity, which is 

 described farther along. The separate building else- 

 where described is to be preferred, as it does not 

 necessitate any immediate hurry in getting it down. 

 In such it can be allowed to hang and freeze and thaw 

 two or three times, which improves the color and 

 weight, and will give more leisure in stripping, etc. 

 Watch a favorable time, when it rains and is damp, 

 to open your buildings, and let in the damp air till 

 the tobacco is damped, so that it can be handled 

 without any danger of breaking the leaves. It need 

 not get too damp, as in that case it is liable to injure 

 in the pile before you can get it stripped. It will 

 gain dampness from the stalk. You may now com- 

 mence where you hung the last plant on the pole, and 

 you can very readily unwind and take down the 

 whole. (It is best to save the twine, at present prices, 

 as it will answer to use again.) Having previously 

 prepared a place in the cellar under your building, by 

 laying down some boards to keep the tobacco from 

 the ground, have help enough to take it as fast as taken 

 from the poles, and carry it to the place prepared, 

 and pack it, by placing the buts out and the tips in, 

 and overlapping about one third the length ; thia 

 should be done evenly in layers, keeping the buta 

 just even, so that no leaves may hang out to get dry, 

 and thus be wasted. Having taken down and thus 

 packed a suitable quantity, the stripping may com- 

 mence. As much should be taken down as can be 

 stripped in from four to six days, as ordinarily it will 

 not lie longer in a pile without heating, and not as 

 long if the weather be mild or damp. It is best to do 

 only what can be well done with the help you can 

 command. Begin to assort the leaves ; it is best to 

 make three sorts ; first, for fillers, the poorest ; second, 

 the next imperfect ; and lastly, the perfect and best 

 leaves. In this way you get more in the aggregate 

 for the crop, than if only two sorts are made. Let 

 one take the plants and strip the very poorest, usually 

 the ground-leaves, holding them in his hand with the 

 stems even, till he gets a hand about two inches in 

 diameter, and then with a leaf, bind around, begin- 

 ning at the but as close as may be — the closer, the 

 better it will look — and wind it around, spreading it 



