The Newtown bee., 1902-08-08

even if no sunlight were intercepted by the cloth, the plants grown under it would yet be Cf different quality from those grown outside.
 The suckers were removed but once, about a week before harvesting. If taken off earlier number of new suck CTS start immediately, higher on the stalk and we believe in the aggregate draw more heavily on the plant than the main sucker which starts near the base, where it has less light.
 About three and half weeks before harvesting, the whole crop was topped by cutting off the flower stems close to the upper leaf of the main stalks. This was done wholly at MT DuBOn's $ suggestion. His experience in growing tobacco convinced him that on account of the shade and the dark rainy weather that had prevailed, the leaf would be too poor and papery unless the shade of the flower stalks was re- moved and the substance was left in the leaves, which otherwise would go into flower and seed. The result fully justified this belief. By taking off the flower head much more light was let in, and had marked effect in ripening the lower leaves. We found that, un- der this treatment, all the leaves on  ly than is usual with our domestic to- baccO.
 It is not at all easy for one of limited experience to determine when the leaf is ready to pick. The signs of ripeness tected certainly, without long experi- ence. The ripe leaf is likely to be lighter green than the unripe, it shows yellowish cast on the tip and the edges near the tip, and small spots of darker green appear on it's surface. The whole plant at this time takes on a yelloWish green shade.
 Remembering the misjudgment of the last year when the crop was picked before it was ripe, we endeavOred to err, if at all, in the other direction in 1901.
 A part of the tobacco-from 7,8OO square feet or little less than one fifth of an acre-waS picked or ''primed" from the stalks in the field, and hung on strings in the way which iS commonly known and which has been fully described in our last report. Three primingS were made, about seven leaves at'each priming, and all were made within three or four days, beginning August 2S.
 ul-lI Ol UllC Clop " lldI sCoOCu on the stalk three or four days later. To do this, each stalk was cut in two and hung on hook lath, the tops with ten hooks, the bottoms with eight hooks to the ldth. These were hung in the barn and cured in the usual way.
 The cost of picking the leaves, bringing them to the barn and hang ing them after stringing, is probably hardly greater than that of cutting, spearing, teaming and hanging the plants harvested in the usual way. The plants on an acre of land weigh at harvest time about lS,5OO pounds, of which $500 pounds, or 4a tons, are stalks. The work of cutting, spear ing, hauling and lifting carefully into place 4f tons of stalks is not any less than that of picking the leaves sep arately, hauling them to the barn and lifting them into place.
 The twine used proved perfectly adapted to it's use. It was rough enough so that the curing leaves did not slide on it and so strong that there was no breakage during the; cure. It is called '16-ply White Peer less Cotton Twine," and cost in l0O- pound lots 194 cents per pound. A pound of this twine measures l,2OO