150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



woiilcl not have their tobacco taken down and stripped before 

 this time, if the work were done for nothing. Their theory 

 is, that by the repeated dampening and drying of the leaf 

 while it remains on the stalk, and by the process of freezing 

 and thawing, the juice of the stalk runs down into the veins 

 of the leaf, by which the leaf becomes more even in color, 

 of better quality and heavier. 



There is always more or less risk in taking down tobacco 

 in cold weather, without the stalk is cured as well as the 

 leaf, as otherwise the frost as it comes out of the stalk will 

 stain the leaf with which it comes in contact while in the pile 

 before it is stripped. This stain, or water color, when it 

 does affect the leaf, is a permanent injury. 



There is also the same liability to discoloration of the leaf 

 if the tobacco is taken down quite early in the season, while 

 the stalk is quite green and full of sap ; and still further, if 

 the tobacco is taken down quite early in the season, when 

 the weather is warm, and the stripped tobacco is placed in a 

 pile, or rank as it is often called, it will most surely heat in 

 the pile. When it once becomes warm or hot, either before 

 it is stripped or after, it is a very difficult matter to bring it 

 to a proper temperature afterwards, without exposing it too 

 much to the drying influences of the atmosphere. 



There is but little danger of its sweating or " warming up," 

 as it is called, in cool weather, if it is cool itself when 

 packed down, without it is too damp to be merchantable. 

 When it has warmed up to any considerable degree, it has 

 become injured in weight and in appearance, especially the 

 latter, if it has been necessary to handle it over for repack- 

 ing. 



In this locality, the tobacco leaves, after being stripped 

 from the stalks, are usually tied in bundles (single bundles 

 are best) of about six pounds each ; these are packed in piles 

 or ranks, as referred to before, two bundles wide, with the 

 butts outward, and the tips of the leaves overlapping each 

 other enough to have the pile level when it is pressed 

 down, and are left in this condition a few weeks for the 

 butts to become dry, or till the crop may be sold in this 

 State. 



Without the grower has good facilities for sorting, and 



