The 1st crop of leaves may be secured during the year following that of planting. This develops and matures somewhat later than that from older plants, and in Italy it is not collected until the end of August or the 1st of September; but there are reasons for believing that in the United States, especially in the Northern States, the collection of leaves from native varieties should be made much earlier, because the summer is much shorter, and the habits of the varieties grown differ from the Sicilian. Macagno has shown (Chem. Soc. Journ., xxxviii., p. 733) that the leaves from the upper side of the branches contain much more tannin than those below, and that especially in the lower leaves the percentage of tannin is much higher in June than in August. All the leaves, except the young and tender ones of the extremities of the branches, are stripped off and placed in baskets, in which they are carried to a threshing-floor, where they are spread out in thin layers to dry. Here they must be frequently stirred and turned over, for which purpose a fork with wooden prongs is employed. In the fall, when growth is finished, and before the leaves have had time to become red, those remaining on the extremities are collected. To this end, the branches are broken just below the tuft of leaves, and the latter are allowed to remain suspended from the branch by a piece of bark not detached, and left in this condition until nearly or quite dry. They are then collected and treated in the same manner as other leaves, but the product obtained in this way is always of inferior quality. After the 2nd year, crops of larger quantity and superior quality are obtained, and the collection is made in a different way, and much more frequently. The two methods followed in Sicily are (1) pruning, and (2) defoliation. The first, which is the more ancient, but much less costly, requires less care, and is simple and rapid; but it is injurious to the future condition of the plant, and the quantity of subsequent crops. The second, though slower, serves to better maintain the vigour of the plant, and the uniform quantity of the crop from year to year; in consequence, it reduces the necessity for frequent renewal of stocks.