f 422 ] 



best time for harvesting is morning as soon as the dew is off 

 the plants. They should lie for some time in the sun, say for 

 two hours, to make them sufficiently wilted, so that they can 

 be handled without breaking. Care should be taken not to let 

 them become too much sun-burnt. It is better to cut whole 

 plants(close to the roots) than gather the leavessingly. Harvest- 

 ing should be delayed for two or three days if there be heavy 

 rainfall, which washes away the gummy matter of the leaves. 



643. Drying and fermenting, Immediately after the 

 plants are conveyed to the house, they should be hung up 

 on strings beneath the roof of a well ventilated house 6 

 inches apart Cow-sheds are commonly used by the raiyats 

 for this purpose, but this gives a bad flavour to the to- 

 bacco. The plants should remain hanging for more than two 

 months, or until the) are quite dry. When very hot or strong 

 winds blow, the windows and doors of the house should be 

 closed. In very dry weather, the floor of the shed should 

 be occasionally sprinkled with water, in order to keep the 

 air of the room sufficiently moist. In June, when the rains 

 commence again, the plants are taken down, stripped and 

 handled, Best, medium, and worst qualities should be sepa- 

 rated at the time of stripping. 16 to 20 leaves are tied up 

 into one bundle. These are put into large heaps 3 to 4 feet 

 square by 5 to 6 feet high and well pressed down with hands. 

 The leaves are transfered from one place to another at inter- 

 vals of about a week or so ; fresh heaps being made, top 

 leaves going into bottom and bottom leaves coming to the top. 

 This transference also involves examination of the leaves. Care 

 should be taken to prevent excessive heating, 9oF being the 

 maximum limit. At the end of the rains the leaves are 

 considered to be fully cured and quite ready for sale. The 

 heap may be broken up earlier, if so desired. 



644. Methods of curing in vogue in Bengal. The modes 

 of curing differ in the different districts ; and it would be 

 well to cite here the systems of curing in Rangpur, Jalpaiguri, 



