The Tobacco Plant 105 



the planter judges that the middle ones are of equal 

 strength to those already gathered they are stripped, 

 and the upmost leaves left to strengthen, in this way 

 obtaining a crop of uniform quality. 



Even when approaching maturity the plant is 

 liable to disasters. Very wet weather produces a 

 blight known as ' firing', and the extreme heat and 

 drought infects the leaf with hard, brown spots, 

 which perforate the leaves and destroy the value of 

 the crop. Thus from the day of sowing to its final 

 harvesting the tobacco plant demands and receives 

 constant care, attention, and the judgment experience 

 alone can bring. 



About the beginning of September the crop is 

 gathered. As they ripen the leaves become rougher, 

 thicker, and of a yellowish-green colour. The gather- 

 ing of the leaves requires great judgment, and is 

 always entrusted to the most experienced hands. 

 Reference has already been made to the gathering of 

 the leaves at intervals to obtain uniformity of quality. 

 As a rule the plant is cut down at once by severing 

 the stem close to the ground. Only such plants as 

 appear fully ripe are cut down, the rest being left for 

 a short time longer, but the planter has always fear 

 of frost before his eyes. Cut down in the early 

 morning, the plant is carefully laid on the ground and 

 exposed to the heat of the sun for the day, the juicy, 

 brittle leaves thus becoming wilted, or flaccid, and 

 bendable without breaking. Before evening the 

 leaves are carefully collected and stored in sheds. 



Then comes the curing of the tobacco, as fully 

 important and anxious a process as any of the pre- 



