14 THE PRODUCTION OF TOBACCO UNDER SHADE. 
removed.) The third priming may be taken off about a week after 
the second, and the fourth, or top-leaf priming, can follow as soon after - 
the third as time will permit. The tobacco of this top priming is not 
very valuable and should it not be harvested for two or three weeks 
after the third priming there will not be any great loss unless there is 
a freeze. 
By priming is meant picking the leaves from the stalk in the field. 
The first priming consists of taking off three or four of the bottom 
leaves; the second, from four to six leaves; the third, all but two 
leaves on top of the plant, and the fourth, the remaining leaves. 
The leaves, when taken off, are laid in piles along the row. (See PI. 
III, fig. 2.) A primer picks the leaves from two rows and puts his 
primed leaves on the row to his right. Another man priming the 
two rows to the right of the first primer puts his primed leaves on 
the row to his left. In this way, two adjoining rows contain all of 
the primed leaves from four rows of tobacco. A man takes a basket 
(see Pl. III, fig. 2) and going between these two rows picks up the 
primed leaves and carries them to a wagon with a special rack on 
which they are drawn to the shed or curing barn. Great care should 
be taken not to jam or press down the leaves in the basket so as to 
bruise them. 
In the barn are laths with string attached on which the leaves are 
sewn with a needle. (See Pl. IV, fig. 1.) This string is fastened to 
the laths by means of a saw-cut about one-half inch deep in each 
end. The string is run through the cut, wound once about the lath, 
and returned through the cut. This holds the string firm. From 
32 to 40 leaves, according to their size, are put on each string, face 
to face and back to back, and the string is fastened to the other end 
of the lath. These leaves when hung as described are called a ‘‘lath” 
of tobacco, and these laths are now hung on tier poles in the barn to 
cure. 
CURING. 
The curing is an important process, for much can be done to add 
to the quality of the tobacco at this time and if the weather is damp 
and rainy much needs to be done to prevent the tobacco from being 
ruined. Tobacco requires from twenty to thirty days to cure and 
during this period it needs constant care. 
If the barns are properly built the curig is done with a certain 
degree of accuracy. A model barn for this purpose should not be 
larger than 100 by 40 feet and 20 feet to the eaves. (See PI. V, figs. 
1 and 2.). The walls of the barn should be made of ship lap siding, 
so that they can be tightly closed. A horizontal ventilator, 6 inches 
wide, should be placed every 30 inches on the sides of the barn and 
hung on hinges so that it can be easily opened and shut. By this 
arrangement, when the ventilators are open there is a circulation of 
air through the barn between the layers of tobacco. 
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