220 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
attendant on the destruction, or rather the prevention of a crop 
of weeds, being of so ordinary a nature that they are not likely 
to be overlooked by those who are at all anxious tor the welfare 
of their plants, and the reward of their previous attention. 
The symptoms of approaching maturity in the leaves consist 
in their becoming corrugated, or rough and wrinkled on the 
surface; and when fully ripe, they appear mottled with yellow 
spots on the raised parts, whilst the veins and depressed por¬ 
tions continue to retain their usual green colour. W hen this 
state is arrived at, and there is also a prospect of fine weather, 
let the most mature leaves be carefully removed from the stem, 
and be spread out in the sun throughout the day; they will 
soon become so far “ wilted,” as the Americans express it, 
that they may be moved about and bent in any direction with¬ 
out breaking. If the weather does not happen to be favourable 
to this exposure, the same end must be attained by spreading 
or hanging them in an open shed or hovel: in either case they 
must be completely withered, so as to avoid the loss which 
would be sustained by reason of their natural brittleness of 
texture during any subsequent removals. 
When this degree of flexibility is attained, the leaves are to 
be laid on a heap or heaps according to quantity ; and if left thus 
about twenty-four hours, there will be found to have commenced 
a process of fermentation, technically called a “sweat:’ they 
will then require turning, and in doing this, those which were 
formerly innermost should be brought to the outside of the heap, 
and the reverse. The longer (within limit) that they continue 
in this position, the deeper coloured will be the tobacco. Arter 
about three or four days they should be temporarily fastened 
together in pairs, and suspended across a pole or line in the 
same covered situation, but leaving a small interval between 
each pair: here they undergo another drying. In about a 
month they will be in a fit state to be taken down ; but this 
should be done only in damp weather, for, under other circum¬ 
stances, the loss occasioned by the breaking and crumbling of 
the leaves would be considerable; whereas by imbibing a portion 
of moisture from the atmosphere, which they readily do, such 
a degree of pliability is secured as to effectually prevent any 
serious loss. They should now be laid again in heaps, in regular 
order, and be pressed firmly by heavy weights; fermentation 
