19 



TOPPING AND STJCKERING. 



The tobacco should be topped after a certain period of growth, 

 which can only be determined b}^ field experience. The nature of 

 the plant being to reproduce itself, a flower bud appears. If left 

 to grow it will branch, flower, and bear eventually a large number 

 of seed pods and innumerable seeds. If the plant is permitted to 

 flower it destroys the value of the leaf. As soon as the flower bud 

 appears and can be removed without injury to the young and tender 

 leaves at its base it must be pinched out with the thumb and finger. 

 The terminal flower bud having been taken out, the plant will pro- 

 duce lateral branches from the axils of the upper leaves. These must 

 be in turn removed without injury to the leaves. This removal of 

 the flower bud creates a diseased or abnormal condition in the plant, 

 and this diseased condition, artificially produced, governs the whole 

 curing and fermentation process after the leaf is harvested. Leaves 

 from plants which have been, permitted to flower or produce seeds 

 can neither be properly cured or fermented, and the product from 

 • such is woody and worthless. The crop is not tobacco unless the top- 

 ping and suckering is rigidly carried out. The quality of the to- 

 bacco in the market depends in a large measure upon this manipula- 

 tion in the field. 



HARVESTING THE LEAF. 



There is no hard and fast rule to indicate when the leaf is ripe. 

 It is largely a matter of judgment to be determined by long practice 

 and experience. The harvesting of the crop requires a great deal 

 of skill, knowledge, and judgment. 



The first selection of wrapper, binder, and filler is made on the 

 plant. The wrapper grades, being the highest priced tobacco in 

 the market, demand the greatest skill in selection. TTrapper tobacco 

 should be harvested underripe to preserve the elasticity, and obtain 

 the light colors, which present trade requirements demand. The 

 three grades — wrapper, binder, and filler — should not be harvested 

 at the same time, but each should be taken from the plant separately. 

 Leaves that would have been suitable for wrapper, but which have 

 in any way become broken or injured, should be left on the plant to 

 produce filler. It will not do to harvest broken wrapper leaves and 

 treat them as such. Binder, which consists of the intermediate grade 

 between wrapper and filler, can be alloAved to become thicker than 

 the wrapper qualhr. All other leaves at maturity become filler. 

 Xone of these grades should be permitted to go past maturity. It is 

 better to harvest underripe than overripe. The harvesting can be 

 carried on in any weather in Hawaii, whether rain or sunshine. 



