46 TOBACCO CULTURE IN THE WEST INDIES 
midrib of a large number of leaves, said string is then 
hung in the barn attached to the poles or wires. By cut- 
ting the plant stalk with a pair of leaves attached the poles 
are used for direct support, the pair of leaves hanging 
astride the pole. When the whole plant is cut, strings are 
run through or Jooped around the base of the stalk and 
the whole plant hung up in like manner as the single leaves. 
In fields under shade two main crops are sometimes 
grown in one season, so as soon as the first crop has been 
harvested the stalks are pulled up and a second erop plant- 
ed. Usually however the stalks are cut off near the 
ground, allowing rattoons to spring up. These rattoons then 
produce another crop, and often two rattoon’ crops are har- 
vested, depending largely on the fertility of the field. A 
well fertilized field yields, not alone a good first crop, but 
also good rattoon crops, whereas a poorly fertilized field 
yields a poor first crop and no rattoons. 
CURING BARN 
There are no strict rules governing the size of the cur- 
ing barn, nor the material of which it should be made but 
there are certain requirements that must be complied with. 
In a well constructed barn it should be possible to control 
the air current, the hght, the temperature and the humid- 
ity but this is very difficult in the ordinary barn as con- 
structed to-day. The draft passes directly through the 
doors or ventilators and the leaves hanging nearest these 
openings always receive more air than those in the middle 
of the barn. The same is true of the light, although the 
ventilators are not open to admit the direct rays of the 
sun, the leaves cure unevenly if not subjected to the same 
