TOBACCO CULTURE. 63 



is more or less prevalent, and is due to the presence of a 

 fungus, against which no protection has yet been found. 



Frenching is a more or less serious disease in many lo- 

 calities being particularly prevalent upon clay or badly 

 drained lands. It is far more common in wet than in dry 

 seasons. It shows itself in the buds of the plants, which 

 become a sickly yellow, and the leaves instead of attaining 

 a natural growth develop long, thick, fleshy growths, wholly 

 unlike the normal leaf, often being simply long, narrow 

 masses of foliage, possessing almost no resemblance to the 

 typical foliage of the plant. Such tobacco is absolutely 

 worthless. For the disease, no remedy can be suggested, 

 although thorough drainage of lands where it has appeared 

 is a preventive measure. 



The most important disease of the curing leaf is Pole 

 sweat or House-burn. This is the product of bacterial in- 

 fection or partial decomposition of the tissues of the leaf, 

 superinduced by hot murky weather, or too close packing 

 in the barn. Rapid drying is a protective measure. The 

 disease results in change of the color of the leaf from the 

 natural greenish yellow to a deep brown, and the whole leaf 

 becomes transformed from its natural fine textured condi- 

 tion to a soggy mass without elasticity or strength. No cure 

 has been suggested, but thorough ventilation of the curing 

 barn, and the use of artificial heat for rapid drying after the 

 first stage is past, are the most practical means of prevention. 



Stem Rot attacks the leaf in the later stage of curing and 

 shows itself in the presence of whitish patches of mold upon 



