Edible Products. 



160 



The best method of cutting is to lay hold of the top of the stem with the left 

 hand, bend the plant over a little, and cut it off at the level of the ground, taking 

 care not to injure the young ratoons that are springing from below the surface. 

 The cut plant may then be turned upside down, and the base of the stem, as far as 

 the first good leaf, cut off (at the base of the ripe plant there are usually one or two 

 small leaves that are over-ripe, spotted and blistered, and of very little value com- 

 mercially). They are then laid on tlie ground in heaps of three or four plants in 

 the interval next to that in which the workman is cutting, each man taking two 

 rows, on each side of him. Whilst it is much better if the plants are allowed to 

 remain on the ground all the night, it is more advisable to cut in the morning 

 if the weather is at all unsettled ; the only difference is that great care is necessary 

 to prevent the plants getting scorched when lying on the ground to ' quail '; they 

 must remain in that position until the leaves have lost their brittleness and have 

 become pliable, and as soon as they have reached that state they must be removed 

 into the curing house, or some other shady place. If the plants are cut in the after- 

 noon, there is no danger of their getting scorched, and they are as pliable as kid skin 

 the following morning. There is an idea among the Cubans that the tobacco burns 

 better if a heavy dew falls on the leaves after the plants are cut. If the cutting 

 is done in the afternoon, do not take the plants from the ground to the house until 

 the dew has dried off them, and if it is decided to cut in the morning do not com- 

 mence until the dew has disappeared. 



To secure sufficient tobacco for the three days' cold sweating a cutting right 

 through the field should be made every five or six days rather than every day, cutting 

 out, of course, only the ripe tobacco ; should there be indications of continued rain 

 storms, every effort should be made to cut as much ripe and nearly ripe or ' full' 

 tobacco as possible; if rain happens to fall without due warning, the ripe tobacco 

 may be cut during the following day and a half, but if it is not cut by that time it 

 must be left, as the moisture has then got up into the plant and turned it green again 

 or unripe ; in this case the plants must remain in the field until they ripen again. 



When the plants are carried to the house preparatory to tying and hanging, 

 they must be spread out as thinly as possible, say, three or four plants deep ; for if 

 allowed to remain in heaps for more than half an hour, they will ferment, get hot, 

 and spoil. It is hardly necessary to point out that the greatest care should be exer- 

 cised in the handling of the plants from first to last so as not to break the leaves. 



Tying and Hanging. 



When all the cut plants have been transferred to the tobacco house, the work 

 of tying and hanging should be commenced and continued until the whole has been 

 safely hung in pairs upon the bars ; the tying material must be passed around the 

 stem and under the leaf that is nearest the base and then drawn tight to prevent the 

 plant slipping out of the tie. The pairs of plants must be placed at a distance of 

 4 inches to 6 inches from each other, so that they just touch without pressure ; a 14-f eet 

 bar will usually hold from thirty-four to forty pairs of plants. As the bars are filled 

 they are packed close together on the lowest barradera and are allowed to remain so 

 4or three days and nights or seventy-two hours ; at the end of this time the bars are 

 spread out to a distance of one foot or 15 inches apart ; giving the bars a shake to 

 separate any leaves that may be sticking together, filling up the top barraderas first, 

 one foot apart when the atmosphere is very dry, and 15 inches when moist. In re- 

 arranging the bars care should be taken to open out the plants at each end that are 

 liable to slide towards the middle of the bar during removal, for if several pairs are 

 allowed to remain packed together, fungus will make its appearance and cause what 

 is known as ' sweated ' tobacco. 



