TOBACCO. 197 



as the stalk is then succulent and brittle, and the operation is 

 easily performed. About twelve leaves should be left, not 

 counting the sand leaves, which are pruned off and discarded. 

 If topped at the proper stage, early and even maturity is 

 obtained. 



After topping, suckers appear, which should be removed 

 when small. 



Harvesting and Curing. — These are two most critical 

 operations. Unless the leaf is properly ripe, good colour cannot 

 be got in curing. If harvested too early, the green colour is 

 retained, and if too late the leaf is uneven in colour, brittle, 

 and lacking in elasticity and fineness. 



If the tobacco is to be air- or sun-cured, the leaf should 

 be hai'\'ested just before it is thoroughly ripe. For flue- and 

 fire-curing the tobacco should be fully ripe. 



EiPENiNG. — " At about the time the leaves of the plant, as 

 a whole, have reached their maximum power of elaborating 

 the food supply, the flower head begins to develop. This food 

 supply, consisting of starch and other similar substances, is 

 carried from the leaf into the seed-head, to furnish the neces- 

 sary food for the development of the seed. This accomplished, 

 the leaves have completed their full task, and they now pass 

 into the period of gradual decay. In practice, however, the 

 plant is topped so that the seeds are not allowed to develop. 

 Making a last effort to reproduce itself, the plant now sends 

 out secondary shoots or suckers, which are again removed by 

 the grower. Thus the food built up by the leaves is not carried 

 to other parts of the plant, but accumulates in the leaves 

 themselves. The result is that both the size and the body of 

 the leaf are increased. This accumulation of reserve materials 

 in the leaf induces ripening." 



The lower and middle leaves should be ripe in about 90 

 days from the date of transplanting. 



The principal indication of ripeness is a decided change in 

 colour from dark green to a greenish-yellow. If the leaf is 

 heavy in texture, the yellow may show only in flecks or spots. 

 Another indication of ripeness is the change in texture of the 

 leaf from soft and pliable to being rough and brittle, due to 

 the accumulation of starch granules within the cells. 



For flue-curing, the leaf should be a greenish-yellow when 

 fully ripe, so that the green colour is reduced to a minimum 

 before the tobacco is placed in the curing barn. 



Methods op Harvesting. — There are two methods prac- 

 tised : — (1) Whole plant, and (2) single leaf. 



