X TOBACCO 217 



leaves from the plants in pairs, throwing the best leaves — Cutting the 

 the wrappers, on one side, and the inferior leaves — the p^alrs.^ '" 

 fillers, on the other. The leaves are then hung close to- Withering, 

 gether on the sticks, each kind of leaf being kept separate, 

 and they are allowed to remain in the sun until they wither. 

 The withering makes the leaves tough, and prevents them 

 being broken when they are handled. The withering process 

 being accomplished, the sticks laden with tobacco leaves ^re 

 carried to the drying house, where they are hung up, the 

 sticks resting by their two ends on beams or bars put up to 

 support them. 



In the second system of cutting, each plant is cut close to Cutting the 

 the ground and laid on one side to wither in the sun. Then ^ 0^^^"*. 

 the plants are tied up in large bundles with bands about 

 eighteen inches wide, and the bundles are carried to the 

 drying house. Flat bands are used in order that the leaves 

 may not be injured when they are tied up. 



Care must be taken not to cut the leaves until they are Leaves not 

 quite ripe, or inferior tobacco will result. The leaves take before they 

 almost three months to mature from the time of the germi- ^^^ "p^' 

 nation of the seed, and they exhibit the following character- 

 istics when they are ripe : — The surface is gummy to the How to dis- 

 touch, and if the end of a leaf be doubled up it will break off ripe leaves, 

 short ; the colour is a yellowish green, and spots appear in 

 places, and the edges and the tips of the leaves usually curl 

 downwards. Cutting should not be done on a wet day ; Cutting to 

 and, if the weather be favourable, a sufficient time in the dry weather 

 morning must be allowed for the dew drops to dry up. If 

 rain come on during the harvesting, all cutting must be 

 stopped, and the leaves that have been reaped should be 

 carried to the drying house with all speed. 



Tobacco- House. — Some authorities give very minute 

 details regarding the building of the drying house, but 

 this may be left to the taste and the ingenuity of the 

 tobacco planter, who has to remember that the structure is 



