The spacing of plants in the fields differs widely among types and class- 

 es. The width between rows averages 3 to 4 feet, with the plants 12 to 24 

 inches apart in the rows. This spacing allows for 5,000 to 11,000 plants per 

 acre. 



The cultivation methods of tobacco crops are similar to those practiced 

 for other row crops. The main purpose is to keep the soil loose and eliminate 

 weeds and grasses. The soil must be well drained and aired. Two to four cul- 

 tivations are made on most types, the last one being when the tobacco is about 

 knee high. 



Topping . When the plant begins to mature and produce flowers, it is 

 topped by breaking or cutting off the upper portion of the plant at about the 

 third leaf below the flower. This allows the remaining leaves to draw addi- 

 tional nutrients and thus become larger, thicker, and heavier. Upon removal 

 of the flower lateral buds or "suckers" begin to develop and grow in the leaf 

 axils in an attempt to replace the terminal bud. Since the purpose of topping 

 is to increase the size and weight of the leaves, these suckers must be re- 

 moved at intervals either by hand or controlled by the use of chemicals. The 

 time and height of topping can have great effects on the yield and quality of 

 the cured leaf and are among the most critical decisions the grower must make. 



The number of leaves remaining on the plant after topping usually varies 

 from 18 to 26 in the flue-cured, Maryland, bur ley, and cigar types, and about 

 14 in the fire-cured and dark air-cured types. 



HARVESTING AND CURING 



Harvesting 



When the crop is mature, 60 to 90 days after transplanting, it is har- 

 vested by one of two methods: (1) by "priming," in which the leaves are 

 picked individually from the plant as they ripen; or (2) by "stalk-cutting," 

 in which the entire plant or stalk is cut. 



Much of the success in curing tobacco depends on its being harvested at 

 just the right stage of maturity—neither too ripe nor too green. This is a 

 critical point in the production of good quality tobacco. The leaves begin to 

 turn a yellowish color as they mature and it takes an experienced eye to re- 

 cognize the proper stage of ripeness. Such experience is gained only through 

 long years of growing and harvesting tobacco crops. 



The harvesting of tobacco is still accomplished by hand labor. True, 

 mechanical harvestors are now available for flue-cured tobacco, but the costs 

 and reliability of such a specialized machine prohibits widespread use of 

 these machines on small acreages. 



(1) Priming . Flue-cured and cigar wrapper tobaccos are harvested by the 

 priming method (figs. 8, 9, & 1% . Puerto Rican filler is also harvested al- 

 most entirely in this way. Beginning at the bottom, two to four leaves are 

 picked from the stalk at a time. The fields are gone over 4 to 6 times at 

 weekly intervals to get all the leaves at the right stage of ripeness. 



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