CONNECTICUT VALLEY CIGAR LEAF TOBACCO. 183 



early in the fall when the stalks are green, there is more danger of the 

 tobacco heating. 



When hung on a string, a man at each end of the pole pushes the tobacco 

 into a bunch in the middle of the pole. One man with a sharp knife then 

 cuts the string, another hands the bundle to the man lower down, and 

 it is piled as before. 



Pruned tobacco is simply stripped off the string and at once made into 

 bundles. 



A tobacco damp lasts only a short time, and the farmers must get down 

 as much tobacco as possible. To keep the tobacco from drying as soon 

 as it is taken down, it must be covered in order to shut out the wind and 

 retain the moisture. The crop after it is taken down must be kept 

 damp and the shed closed as tightly as possible to keep out the wind. 



Stripping. 

 As soon as possible after the tobacco is taken down stripping begins. 

 With the stripping crew on either or both sides of the pile a section is un- 

 covered, each plant is taken up, and the leaves rapidly picked off one by 

 one. The stripper holds the stalk in one hand and strips the leaves with the 

 other, beginning at the butt. The leaves are placed in the stripping boxes 

 which are of different sizes, 36 by 12 by 12 inches being about the average. 

 The box is made with one side hinged. First, string is placed in the box at 

 four different places, then the box is lined with paper. After the box is full 

 the paper is brought over the top, the strings tied, and the bundle taken 

 out of the box by opening the hinged side. The bundles vary in weight, 

 but average from 35 to 40 pounds each. The bundles are then ready for 

 delivery to the place agreed upon at the time of sale, either to a local 

 sorting or packing shop or shipping point. 



Hauling to Market. 



Through personal investigation it has been fomid that the most common 

 initial haul from the field to the sorting shop or shipping point in Massa- 

 chusetts is about 3 miles, but some farmers haul their tobacco less than 

 1 mile, while others haul 10 miles or more. Transportation charges vary 

 according to the distance from the farm to the shipping point, and from 

 the sliipping point to the manufacturer. 



An average two-horse load contains about 150 bundles of tobacco of 

 30 pounds each, or 4,500 pounds. Two loads per day would make 9,000 

 pounds. The team and driver cost about $9.50 per day. This would 

 make the cost per pound of tobacco $0.00106, or a little over one-tenth 

 of a cent per pound, or 10 cents per 100 pounds. 



As a matter of fact, the cost of hauling tobacco from the farm to the 

 warehouse or shipping point is very insignificant, since such a large value 

 can be hauled at a load. The tobacco is mostly hauled on sleds during 

 the winter months wliile snow is on the ground, which makes it possible 

 to haul a load of very large bulk, weight and value. 



