Growing tobacco is only half the battle. Having raised a crop to a state of perfection, the next object is to cure it for the market. This branch of the business demands fully as much care and skill as the purely agricultural part preceding it, and is perhaps equally influenced by the weather. The best crop ever grown may be completely spoiled by injudicious conduct during the drying, &c., while a growth of moderate quality may be made the most of by extra care and trouble.
Harvesting.—The leaf being matured, it should be harvested only after the dew is off the plants, and not on a rainy day. There are two modes of harvesting—gathering the leaves singly, and cutting down the whole plant. Gathering single leaves admits of removing them from the plant as they ripen; the bottom leaves are removed first, and the top ones are left some time longer, until they have attained full maturity. The cultivator is thereby enabled to gather his crop when it possesses the greatest value. This plan necessitates, however, a great amount of labour, and, in a hot climate, the single leaves are apt to dry so rapidly as not to attain a proper colour, unless stacked early in heaps. But stacking in heaps involves great risk of the leaves heating too much, and developing a bad flavour, whereby the tobacco loses more or less in value. For Indian circumstances generally, cutting the whole plants is better than gathering the leaves singly.
For cutting down the plants, a long knife or chopper is used. A man takes the plant with his left hand about 9 inches from the ground, and with the knife in his right hand, cuts through the stem of the plant just above the ground. If the plants are sufficiently “wilted,” he may lay them on the ground and proceed to cut down others; if, however, they are so brittle as to cause the leaves to be injured by laying them down, he should give them to another person, to carry them at once under shade. During bright weather, the plants should not be allowed to lie exposed to the sun on the ground, or they will become sun-burnt, and lose in value. A temporary shed should be erected; it might be simply a light roof of palm-leaves or thatched straw, supported by poles; a large tree standing near will also serve the purpose. Under this shade, parallel rows of posts are put up, and on the posts, light poles or strong bamboos are fixed horizontally. The parallel lines should be about 4½ feet apart and the horizontal poles about 4–5 feet from the ground, according to the height of the tobacco plants. Rods are cut in lengths of 5 feet, and laid over the parallel bars, so that they will project about 3 inches at each end. A very light and convenient shelter sometimes used for sun-drying in America, consists of rods laid crosswise, supported on four upright poles, and covered with a sloping roof of boards. The plants that have been cut are immediately brought into the shade, tied in pairs, and hung across the rods. They must not be hung so close as to press each other, and the rods should therefore be 6–12 inches apart. The framework should be so large as to allow of one day’s cutting being hung. The plants are left thus for one day, during which time they will be wilted sufficiently to allow handling without tearing the leaves. In a very dry wind, mats or other cover should be laid against the plants most exposed to it, or their leaves will dry rapidly, shrivel up, and remain green. Next day the leaves are carted to the drying-shed. A cart supplied with a framework, in order that the plants may be hung as they were hung under the shade, is the best means. Perpendicular uprights at each corner of a cart or waggon are fixed together by horizontal poles. The plants may be hung so close as not to press heavily on each other, 200–400 being brought to the shed at one time.
As a general rule, Judson Popenoe thinks “tobacco should be cut in about 2 weeks from topping, at which time the leaves assume a spotted appearance and appear to have fulled up thicker; double up the leaf and press it together with thumb and finger, and, if ready to cut, the leaf where pressed will break crisp and short. Do not let your tobacco get over-ripe, or it will cure up yellow and spotted: it is better to cut too soon than too late. Take a hatchet or short corn-knife, grasp the stalk with the left hand, bend it well to the left, so as to expose the lower part of the stalk, strike with the knife just at the surface of the ground, let the stalk drop over on the ground without doubling the leaves under, and leave it to wilt. The usual practice is to worm and sucker while the dew is on in the morning, and as soon as the dew is off to commence cutting. There are some who advocate cutting in the afternoon, say 3 o’clock; let it wilt and lie out until the dew is off next day, and take it in before the sun gets hot enough to burn it. I prefer the first plan, because a heavy dew may fall on the tobacco, and next day be cloudy, leaving the tobacco wet and unpleasant to handle. After cutting, allow the tobacco to wilt long enough to make the leaves tough, so that they can be handled without tearing. Great care is now necessary to keep the tobacco from sun-burning; cutting should be commenced as soon as the dew is off, and all that is cut should be housed by 11 o’clock, unless it is cloudy; from 11 to 2 o’clock the direct rays of the sun on the tobacco, after it is cut, will burn the leaves in 20 minutes; after 2 P. M., as a general thing, there is no danger of such burning, the sun’s rays not striking direct on the tobacco. Have a waggon at hand, with stiff boards, 12 feet long, laid on the running gears; as soon as the tobacco is wilted so that it can be handled without breaking, commence loading on both sides of the waggon on the front end, lapping the tobacco the same as loading fodder, keeping the butts out on both sides—build about 2 feet high, and so on until loaded.”
Any one accustomed to the cultivation of the crop, says Bishop, “knows when it is ripe,—the veins of the leaves are swollen, the leaves begin to look spotted and feel thick and gummy. The ends of the leaves will crack on being doubled up. After it is ripe, the sooner it is cut the better, as it is liable to injury by frost or hail, and will not increase in weight as fast as the worms eat it, and the leaves get broken by catching them. The plants will generally ripen from the 1st to the 15th of September; they should not be cut immediately after a heavy rain unless in danger of frost, as a portion of the gum washes out, but should be allowed to stand 2–3 days. The cutting should not begin until the dew is off; a cloudy day is best, for when the sun shines hot, they will not have time to wilt sufficiently before they will sunburn, which may be known by the leaves turning white and looking puckered. Commence on one side of the piece, laying the plants all one way, in order to facilitate loading. The plants may, most of them, be broken off easily, by gently bending them over one way and another. Small plants, which will not break, may be sawed off with an old saw or cut with a hatchet. If the sun shines too hot, the plants should be turned over carefully to prevent burning. After lying an hour or two to wilt sufficiently, so as not to break by handling, they may be carted to the barn.”
In the words of Schneider, “when the plant begins to yellow, it is time to put it away. It is cut off close to the ground, by turning up the bottom leaves and striking with a tobacco-knife, formed of an old scythe—such knives as are often used for cutting corn. Let it lie on the ground for a short time to wilt, and then carry it to the tobacco-house, when it may be put away in three different modes, by ‘pegging,’ ‘spearing,’ and ‘splitting.’ Pegging tobacco is the neatest way and best, yet the slowest. It is done by driving pegs about 6 inches long and ½ inch or less square into the stalk, about 4 inches from the big end of the stalk; and these pegs are driven in with a mallet, in a slanting direction, so as to hook on to the sticks in the house. It is then put on to a ‘horse,’ which, by a rope fixed to one corner, is pulled up in the house and there hung upon the sticks, which are regulated at proper distances. A ‘tobacco-horse’ is nothing more than three small sticks nailed together so as to form a triangle, each side being 3–4 feet long. Spearing is the plan I pursue; because it is neat enough and decidedly the quickest plan. A rough block, with a hole mortised in it, and a little fork a few inches from the hole for the tobacco-stick to rest upon, one end being in the hole and a spear on the other end of the stick, is all the apparatus required; the plant is then, with both hands, run over the spear and thus strung upon the sticks, which, when full, are taken to the house and hung up at once. There are ‘dart-spears,’ like the Indian dart, and ‘round spears.’ Either will do. ‘Splitting’ tobacco is admired by many, who contend that it cures brighter, quicker, and is less likely to ‘house-burn’ or injure from too thick hanging. This mode is pursued easily by simply splitting, with a knife made for the purpose, the plant from the top to within a few inches of the bottom, before it is cut down for housing.”
Another planter observes that “when a plant begins to ripen, it will gradually assume a ‘piebald’ or spotted appearance. As the ripening advances, the spots will become more distinct and individualized. When the spots can be distinguished at the distance of 10 steps, and the leaves of the plant turn down, become stiff to the touch, and their ends curl under, the plant is ripe, and should be cut. From the moment it has arrived at maturity, it begins to decay. Remember that all the plants in your crop are to be hung after they are cut—hung on something, and by something. Prepare a knife—a butcher-knife answers well—have it sharp—enter it at the top of the plant, where the top was broken off. Enter it centrally; press it downwards, dividing the stalk into two equal portions. Continue it downwards till within 5 inches of the ground. Withdraw the knife, and cut off the stalk close to the ground. The plant is now cut. Lay it on the ground with the lower end towards the sun. The plants should be placed in rows as they are cut, in order to facilitate the labour of gathering them. There is one caution to be heeded in cutting tobacco, and that is, do not let it be burnt or blistered by the heat of the sun. In some varieties of tobacco this will be effected in one hour; in others, not so soon. But this danger can be evaded in two ways: first, by cutting late in the evening; second, by throwing it in the shade, or covering it so as to weaken the power of the sun. Some varieties of tobacco will wilt (that is, become soft or limber) in 2 hours; others, in a longer time, according to the degree of sun-heat.”
Bishop tells us that when “the plant begins to yellow or turn spotted, it is time to put it away. It is cut off close to the ground, turning up the leaves, and cutting off close to the roots, by a single stroke of a hatchet, or tobacco-knife, made of an old scythe, such as are used in cutting up corn. After cutting, let it lie on the ground a short time to wilt, when it may be handled without danger of tearing the leaves; it is then to be taken to the house to be ‘hung.’”
The condition of the leaf, according to Pursley, may be judged in the following manner:—“When the tobacco is ripe, it has a yellow faded colour, and becomes brittle; the surface of the leaf is rough and ridged. By bending the leaf short between the fingers, it will break before it will double. The sticks to hang it on should be in readiness. The best mode of hanging or stringing is with a V-shaped spear, made of iron or steel. The spear has a socket, large to admit the end of the stick. The sticks should be sharpened at one end, to fit the socket; should be 4 feet 6 inches in length, 2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. A stick of these dimensions will hold 8 plants. The tobacco should be cut off just below the bottom leaf, then turn the plant upside down, and let it remain so till the sun wilts it. When it is wilted it can be handled without breaking; then it should be taken up and laid in piles of 8 stalks each, placing the butts of the stalks towards the sun, to prevent it from sun-burning. When it is sun-burnt it turns black, and it cannot be cured any other colour than black, which ruins its sale. The sticks should be strewed along, one stick to a pile; place the spear on the end of the stick, and set the stick upright; then take up the tobacco, one stalk at a time, and thrust it on the stick, letting the spear pass through the stalk, about 6 inches from the butt end; then take the spear off and take up the stick, and shake the tobacco out straight, and set the stick up with the butts towards the sun.”
Some tobacco-growers, remarks Pursley, “prefer splitting the stalk from the top down to within about 6 inches of the butt, then hang it on the sticks. But I cannot agree with them, for it is more difficult to handle, and is apt to slip off the stick, when moving it; besides, the tobacco cured in this manner is not so heavy as if it was speared. It dries out quicker by being split, but the substance evaporates instead of remaining in the leaf. I am not certain that it injures the taste of the tobacco, but I am certain that split tobacco is lighter than that which is speared. Some prefer hanging the tobacco on scaffolds in the field until it is ready to be put in the barn and cured by fire. But it is the safest to house it as soon as it is strung on the sticks. Scaffolding is done by placing poles on forks, about 4 feet apart, and 4–5 feet from the ground; then hang the tobacco between the poles, letting the ends of the sticks rest on the poles. This procedure is unsafe, for the rain may come and saturate the tobacco and wash off the gum, thus making it light and chaffy.”