10 THE PRODUCTION OF TOBACCO UNDER SHADE. 
The digging of the holes is a simple operation and consists of 
removing a small portion of the topsoil with a shovel and then deep- 
ening the hole to the desired depth, which should not be less than 3 
feet, by the use of a common post-hole digger. The posts should 
be cut at least 114 feet long and set 3 feet in the ground, this making 
the tent 84 feet high. In lining up the posts the tops should be 
sighted and leveled by lowering or raising a post where necessary, 
and the rows should be kept straight. 
To guy an outside post, a timber not less than 4 feet long and 6 
inches in diameter, to which is attached a No. 9 wire, should be sunk 
in the soil to a depth of 3 feet not less than 6 feet from the base of 
the post, and the other end of the wire made fast to the top of the 
post. nant 
This done, the next thing is to stretch the wire. First, run the 
main No. 6 wires to which the cloth is to be sewed. Make one end 
fast to the top of an outside end post and stretch the wire taut by 
the use of a block and pulleys or some other powerful means of pur- 
chase and fasten it to the top of the post at the other end of the 
field. This wire should be fastened firmly to the top of each post in 
the row. 
After all the main, or No. 6, wires have been put on and fastened, 
cross wires should be run on top of these. At the top of the cross 
rows of posts use No. 9 wire, and at intervals of 4 feet between the 
posts stretch a No. 12 wire, fastening it to the outside wire on the 
sides. At the crossing of two wires, they should be fastened by 
twisting about them a short piece of small wire. No. 16 wire is a 
convenient size for this purpose. At the bottom of the outside 
posts run a No. 9 wire for the purpose of fastening the bottom of 
the side-wall cloth. The frame is now complete and ready for the 
cloth. (See Pl. I, fig. 1.) 
The cloth used for tents comes from the mills sewed into strips 24 
feet wide and usually about 60 yards long. This cloth is run on 
the wires by threading it under one cross wire and over the next one, 
and where the ends of the strips meet they are sewed together. The 
edge of the cloth is now wound around the wire carefully and made 
fast by sewing with strong twine. This operation is repeated until 
the field is covered and the tent complete. (See PI. I, fig. 2.) 
PRODUCING THE SEEDLINGS. 
Nearly every tobacco grower has his own methods of producing 
seedlings. In the essential points they vary but little from those of 
his neighbors, but the details vary considerably. It is well to men- 
tion here that if a grower is successful in producing plants by the 
method he now uses he had better make no change. The methods 
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