EXPERIENCE OF PBACTICAL GEOWEES. 



21 



that will be from thirty to thirty-two on each pole of 

 twelve feet ; place the poles from fifteen to eighteen 

 inches apart. Another method of hanging, much prac- 

 ticed and approved by many, is to hang on slats or 

 sticks sawed out four feet long, one and quarter 

 inches wide and five eighths of an inch thick. Chest- 

 nut timber is generally used here. The common lath 

 answers very well for this purpose. An iron made 

 something like a chisel is used to slip on to one end 

 of the sticks, which are sharpened a little at one end 

 to receive it. It is made about eight inches long, 

 wedge-shaped at the small end, and a socket one half 

 by one inch to slip on to the sticks. When 

 ready for use have a place fixed near where you 

 unload, to hold one of these sticks out at right 

 angles from a post and about four feet from the 

 ground. Let the plants be handed you from the load 

 and slip them on the stick, piercing the stalk about 

 six inches from the but ; put six or seven plants of 

 medium size on each stick, thicker if smaller; when 

 hung it will appear as in the cut. As each stick is 

 filled, it may be carried to its place in the barn. In 

 getting them to the top of the barn they may be hand- 

 ed up with a pitchfork, lifting them by the middle of 

 the sticks. These sticks should be about eight inches 

 apart. I think a greater amount can be put into a 

 given space by this method without danger of sweat- 

 ing, as it is more evenly distributed. The loose leaves 

 that have been broken off while handling, may be 

 cured by placing four or five together and securing to 

 a small pole, in the same way as plants are hung with 

 twine. 



Saving Seed. — Strip the leaves off from the seed- 

 stalks and tie up the stalks to a stake driven into the 

 ground by them, else they may be blown over. The 

 seed should be gathered before hard frosts destroy their 

 vitality ; when fully ripe the pods or seed-vessels may 

 be picked off and dried, then crush or roll them be- 

 tween the hands until the seeds are all out, the seeds 

 may then be separated from the chaff by passing it 

 through a fine sieve. 



Curing. — After the crop is all housed the building 

 should be well ventilated by opening the doors and 

 boards on hinges, to secure a free circulation of air 

 throughout the building. On rainy, damp, or very 

 windy days the building should be shut up as tightly 

 as possible, and opened again on return of fair weath- 

 er. After hanging several weeks, until the leaves are 

 mostly dried, the building should be closed to prevent 

 the dry leaves from being broken by winds. It usu- 

 ally requires about twelve weeks to cure the plants 

 thoroughly, that is, so that there is no more juice in 

 the leaves or leaf-stems ; it matters not if the main 

 etalk is not dry, you need not expect it, and there 

 will be green leaves that will not cure but freeze while 

 green and are worthless. It will then be ready for 



Strippikg. — This must be done only after a damp, 

 rainy spell has softened the leaves, so that they may 



be handled without breaking ; it may then be taken 

 from the poles and stripped as fast as taken down, or 

 it may be carried into a cellar and be piled in heaps to 

 be stripped at leisure ; care must be taken, however, 

 not to let it remain too long in this condition, as the 

 green stalks would soon heat and injure it. To strip 

 a plant, hold it in the left hand by the but, and with 

 the other pull off all the bottom leaves and drop them 

 on the ground or floor in a pile for "fillers," or the 

 poorest quality ; next, take off three or four more, or 

 until you come to the best leaves, these put in another 

 heap for the " seconds ;" now strip off the remainder 

 for wrappers, except such as are badly worm-eaten or 

 otherwise injured — such go into a poorer quality : 

 throw the stalk away and put the handful of wrappers 

 under the left arm to hold while stripping another 

 plant in like manner, put the two handfuls of wrap- 

 pers together, taking pains to keep the buts even, and 

 bind them by firmly winding a leaf around them at 

 the but, Commencing within a half or three quarters 

 of an inch from the end, and winding down smoothly 

 about two inches, part the hand and put the end 

 of the band between the parts, then close it 

 again, thus securing the end and holding it tight. 

 If the plants are very large, the leaves from each may 

 be tied up separately instead of putting two together. 

 Hands that will weigh half a pound are about large 

 enough. The seconds and fillers are afterward picked 

 up and tied in the same manner. Much of the value 

 of tobacco in miwket depends upon the manner in 

 which it is assorted and done up, as a few poor leaves 

 in a hand would make a difference of several cents per 

 pound in the price ; none but good sound leaves, free 

 from rust, pole-sweat, frost, or large holes should go 

 into the best quality. Small plants rarely contain any 

 first quality, but should go into the seconds and fillers. 

 A little practice will enable any one to sort it proper- 

 ly, better than any rules that can be laid down on pa- 

 per. There is much difference in the color and fine- 

 ness of the leaf, a darkish red or cinnamon color is 

 preferred to that of a darker shade ; the veins should 

 be small and far apart and dark as the leaf, as " white 

 stems " are objectionable by reason of their growing 

 lighter still when going through the sweat after it is 

 cased. After it is stripped it should be packed down 

 in a cool dry place. Lay some boards fiat on the 

 ground about four feet wide, and as long as you wish 

 the pile to be, and commence by laying a row on one 

 side of the platform with the buts out, then on the 

 other side in the same way, letting the tips lap about 

 six inches, or just enough to keep the pile level ; pro- 

 ceed in this way, laying on each side alternately till 

 all is packed ; lay the hands as close to each other as 

 possible, not sprawled out like an open fan, but com- 

 pactly. Lay some boards on top of the pile and put 

 on just weight enough to keep them snug. Some 

 boards or blankets should be put at the ends of the 

 pile to keep it from drying up. The seconds and 

 fillers are packed in the same way ; they may be 



