470 TOBACCO PRODUCTION 



are as many as are ordinarily left to the plant in some regions, while 

 in others as many as twenty may be left. 



Suckering. After the plant is topped it sends out suckers in 

 the axils of the leaves. If these are allowed to grow they damage 

 the quality of the leaf. Ordinarily these are removed soon after 

 they form or when two to four inches long. Others appear after 

 this and must be removed in time or they will injure the tobacco. It 

 is customary to sucker only once in Wisconsin and that just before 

 harvesting. This practice is not usual. 



Priming. Priming is the term applied to the removing of the 

 lower leaves of the plant that are practically ruined by dragging in 

 the soil and becoming dirty and frayed. Sometimes the priming is 

 done at the time of topping. Bottom leaves are removed until those 

 left are above danger of injury from the ground, and then the plant 

 is topped until as many are left as it is desired to mature. In other 

 cases the priming is done before or about the time of ripening. 



Tobacco Rotations in Different Regions. Strict rotation is 

 followed no more closely with tobacco than with other farm crops. 

 The crop often follows itself, and in other cases is just fitted in 

 where it is handy or where it is thought a crop can be grown. The 

 Virginia Experiment Station has done some valuable work in work- 

 ing out rotation for tobacco that keeps up the fertility of the land 

 and at the same time produces good quality of leaf. One recom- 

 mended for the sun-cured district is: First year, tobacco; second 

 year, wheat; third and fourth year, grass; fifth year, corn with 

 crimson clover cover crop ; sixth year, cow peas ; seventh year, red 

 clover. The following year tobacco would be grown again. If wire 

 worms and cut worms are bad the clover would be omitted and the 

 tobacco would follow the peas. 



The Virginia Station recommends the following rotation for 

 dark and flue-cured tobaccos: First year, tobacco; second year, 

 wheat; third, fourth, and probably fifth year, grass. Herd's grass 

 seems to be one of the best crops to precede flue-cured tobacco. 



In Pennsylvania some very good rotations are followed. A 

 three year rotation is: (1) Wheat, (2) grass, (3) tobacco. This is 

 made a four-year rotation by inserting corn between grass and 

 tobacco. 



