1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



149 



tained," it is desirable to do so. Those who en- | remain in the sun, or open air, until the leaves 

 gaf e in topping should immediately, when they j are somewhat wilted, so as not to be liable to in- 

 pause in the work, wash their hand's, as the acrid i jury, as when just cut. Then place as many 

 juice of the plant will produce soreness of thumb plants on a pole as can be conveniently carried, 



and fingers. The cut below shows a plant nearly 

 mature. 



Suckering. 



Suckers, which may start from every leaf, should 

 be removed from the plant as soon as they ajipear 

 after top])ing. Like worming, it must be prompt- 

 ly and faithfully done, and may be done in con- 

 nection with worming, provided both can be equal- 

 ly well done at the same visitation. It would be 

 quite im])ossil)le for all employees to do both 

 equally well at the same time. Let the grower 

 dictate as to this matter according to his experi- 

 ence. So important was suckering formerly re- 

 garded in Virginia, and so surely is it that suck- 

 ers injure the quality of the tobacco, that at one 

 time penal laws were enacted to prevent negli- 

 gence in this respect. Below is a cut of a plant 

 that needs suckering. 



and remove them to the drying-house, where the 

 tobacco is hung upon the frames prepared to re- 

 ceive it, leaving a small space between the two 

 plants, that air may circulate freely and promote 

 drying. As drying advances, the stalks may be 

 brought nearer together, and thus make room for 

 more." The following cut shows the mode of 

 hanging tobacco on poles. 



Harvesting. 

 Says a Cuban grower, "Tobacco should never 

 be cut before coming to maturity, which is known 

 by the leaves becoming mottled, coarse, and of a 

 thick texture, and gummy to the touch, at which 

 time the end of the leaf, by being doubled, will 

 break short, which it will not do to the same ex- 

 tent when green. It should not be cut in wet 

 weather (nor immediately after a rain, if it can be 

 avoided,) when the leaves lose their gummy sub- 

 stance so necessary to be preserved. . . . The 

 grower should be on his guard not to destroy the 

 quality of his tobacco by cutting it too soon. 

 AVhen the cutting begins, a quantity of forked 

 stakes are set upright with pules thereon to sup- 

 port the tobacco and k^ep it from the ground. 

 Cut the plants obhquely even with the ground. 

 The person employed should sU-ike the lower end 

 of the stalk of the plant two or three times with 

 the blunt side of his knife, so as to rid it as much 

 as possible from sand and dirt ; then tie two 

 stalks together and place them carefully across 

 the poles prepared to receive them. Thus they 



"In drying tobacco," says a Cuban grower, "all 

 damp air should be excluded, as should be dry- 

 ing winds. Drying should be moderately pro- 

 moted, except in rainy weather, when the sooner 

 the drying is effected the better ; for it is a plant 

 easily affected by the changes of the weather af- 

 ter the drying is begun. In damp weather it is 

 liable to mildew, changing the color of the leaf 

 to a pale yellow, and from this to a brown. When 

 the middle stem is perfectly dry, it can be taken 

 down and the leaves stripped from the stalk and 

 put in bulk to sweat. This is^to make tobacco of 

 them ; for before this process, when a concentra- 

 tion of its better qualities takes place, the leaves 

 are always liable to be affected by the weather, 

 and cannot well be considered as being anything 

 but common leaves partaking of the nature of to- 

 bacco, but not actually tobacco. The leaves are 

 to be stripped from the stalks in damp or cloudy 

 weather, when they are more easily handled and 

 the separation of the different qualities rendered 

 easy. The good leaves are kept by themselves 

 for 'wrappers' or 'caps,' and the defective ones for 

 'fillings.' " 



Paoli Lathrop says, "It will be fit to harvest 

 two or three weeks after topping. Cut it and let 

 it lie on the ground till it is wilted sufficiently to 

 handle without breaking the leaves, avoiding too 

 much exposure to the sun, for sunburning ren- 

 ders the leaf as worthless as if frost-bitten. When 

 removed from the field to the building for curing, 

 it is passed from the load by one man to another, 

 who hangs it by tying the twine round the first 

 plant, and running it over the pole, then,. with 

 one turn of the twine, secures every plant till the 

 pole is filled, then fastens the twine. If the pole 

 is twelve feet long, hang from thirteen to fifteen 

 plants on each side and place the poles eighteen 

 inclies apart from centre to centre. For the first 

 few days after it is housed, give it plenty of light 

 and air to guard against sweat, which would cause 

 great injury. When all danger from this source 

 is past, keep the building closed, and let the to- 

 bacco hang till the stems of the leaves are well 



