Ocr. 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
225 
little holes to form, which lowers the value of 
the leaf. If the tobacco gives promise of being 
"wrapper"— that is, if it is light green, very 
sound in leaf, and of desirable size— it should 
be primed at an early stage of ripening. If 
however, appearances indicate that it will 
prove filler " tobacco, it should be allowed to 
thoroughly ripen. 
In the (Jagayan Valley it is customary to 
make five gatlaeriugs of the ripened leaves at 
intervals of eight days The native cuts the 
leaves while (hey are hot and drooping, col- 
lects them on his left arm until the bundle is 
too large, when it is placed on carts and 
hauled to the sheds. \ 
The different primings should be kept 
separate in the shed, so that they can be fer-| 
mented separately, as each set of leaves from 
different parts of the plant requires different 
treatment in the subsequent fermentation, 
THE CROP PKOM THE SUCI<;ERS. 1 
If the soil is rich and the season favourable 
a second profitable crop can be produced from 
the suckers. The first suckers, of coarse should 
be broken off from time to time ; otherwise, 
they will sap. hinder, and check the growth of 
the leaves. When all of the leaves have been 
primed from the original stalk except four or 
six leaves at the top, two suckers should be 
allowed to grow from the bottom of the stalk. 
These will be well started by the t'me the top 
leaves of the original stalk are ripe. The stalk 
should then be cut just above where the 
suckers sprout, and cultivation should begin 
at once, by carefully placing soil up around 
the old stubble. The suckers should not be 
allowed to have more than six or seven leaves 
e;ich. The growth of these will be rapid, and 
they will mature early. Usually these are not] 
each style of shed. Some are broad and flat 
others narrow and tall. The broad, flat type of 
barn is to be preferred, for the tobacco cures 
more slowly, and better results are obtained. 
The interior of the shed is so constructed that 
frequent tiers of rafters and posts allow ample 
support for hanging the tobacco. The doors 
and windows should be arranged with the 
idea of giving very thorough ventilation when 
open. The manipulation of the barn or curing 
shed is entirely governed by the condition of 
the weather and the nature of the tobacco, and 
no fixed rules can be given. Considerable care 
and judgment must be exercised in the curing 
of the crop, and as the conditions vary in each 
case from year to year, only experience can 
determine Just what is to be done to meet the 
new problem in the curing shed. ; The process 
requires a few weeks, especially if the leaves 
have been primed. The crop is considered 
thoroughly cured when the midribs of the 
leaves are cured : it is then ready to be taken 
to the packing house for sorting, fermenting, 
and baling. 
Very much of the value of tobacco depends 
upon ihe infinite care that is taken through- 
out the whole period of , its production, and 
thorough consideration of all the details should 
be shown in the fermentation, grading, and 
sorting, The fermentation has two purposes. 
The first is to insure the proper texture, glossy 
appearance, and colour to the leaf. It brings 
out the characteristic ^Jroperties of the leaf, 
which are hardly ajjparent when the leaf is 
cut in the field. It is, furthermore, necessary 
to press the tobacco into bales, so that it can 
be shipped in compact^form. The best results 
are obtained when bulk fermentation is prac- 
*ticed. In this method, the leaves are assorted 
Fig. 3, — Framework for 
primed, but the stalks should be cut. In 
northern Luzon these mature in about three 
weeks, and, in years of great humidity, a 
second crop of suckers is allowed to grow. 
After harvesting, the tobacco is carried to 
the sheds for drying and curing. These sheds 
are usually large enough to hold the crop from 
a number of small fields. Many different 
kinds of drying sheds are used and differences 
of opinion prevail as to the relative merits of 
the cheese-cloth covering. 
into piles, depending on what part of the 
stalk they have been taken from. Layer 
after layer of leaves are placed together, 
until piles of more than 1 metre are 
reached. The temperature in the pile gra- 
dually rises, and frequently thermometers are 
inserted to determine the exact degree of heat 
which is never allowed to become excessive, 
or the tobacco will be injured. The piles are 
frequently turned over, to secure the propev 
