46 TOBACCO CULTURE. 



or object for which it is grown will determine the actual 

 amount of topping to be performed. From ten to eighteen 

 leaves should be left to mature, according to the character 

 of the plant, and the kind of tobacco raised. Checking the 

 natural growth of the plant, by removing the flower stalk, 

 results in the pushing out of large numbers of suckers. 

 These must be carefully removed before they attain suf- 

 ficient size to sap the vitality of the plant, or divert growth 

 from the leaves. "Suckering" is very necessary just before 

 harvesting for, if not removed at this time, suckers will con- 

 tinue to grow during the curing of the plant, and seriously 

 lessen the quality of the crop. Cigar Tobacco is usually 

 suckered twice; heavy shipping tobacco from four to five 

 times. The latter is not harvested as early after topping, as 

 the former. 



HARVESTING. 



Tobacco, like all other crops, has a well-defined con- 

 dition of ripeness, at which time it should be harvested. If 

 delayed too long, deterioration results. A tobacco planter 

 without experience usually has much difficulty in determin- 

 ing the proper stage of ripeness. To an expert, the proper 

 condition is readily detected by a characteristic change in 

 color of the leaf: the dark green appearance is succeeded 

 by a lighter shade, which first appears in mottles, or spots, 

 gradually spreading until the entire leaf is involved. A 

 test is often made by pressing a folded leaf between thumb 



