“X. We come now to consider the last operation in the field, ‘cutting’ the crop. In this, as in topping, a man of judgment, experience, and fidelity is needed. An inexperienced hand, one without judgment, and particularly one who is indifferent to the interests of his employer, will slash away, right and left, not knowing or not caring whether the tobacco he cuts be ripe or green, doing more damage in a few hours than his whole year’s wages would compensate for, even could they be garnished. “Therefore, be on hand to see for yourself, and do not delegate the duty to any less interested party, that a crop managed well, it may be, so far, from the initial plant-bed, should not be spoiled in the closing work by an incompetent or unfaithful cutter. “Be there, too, to see, in this supreme hour, that injury from sunburn is warded off by the timely removal, to the shade, of the plants that have been cut, or by a proper covering, where they lie, against the scorching rays of the sun. The neglect of this precaution has played havoc with many a crop when brought under the auctioneer’s hammer. “XI. We should have no space to describe the different methods of ‘curing’ tobacco, as, for instance, ‘sun-curing,’ ‘air-curing,’ ‘flue-curing,’ ‘open-fire-curing,’ &c., even though the whole subject had not been gone over again and again in previous reports of this Department. We can only say of this operation, as of all others connected with the production of tobacco, that much depends on its proper doing, and that, as much as possible, it should have the personal superintendence of the owner. “But the crop may have been brought along successfully even to the completion of this operation and ‘lack one thing yet,’ if it be not now properly manipulated. “Therefore, go yourself, brother planter, into your barns, see with your own eyes, and not through the medium of others; handle with your own hands, and _know of a surety_ that the tobacco hanging on the tier-poles is in proper order for ‘striking’ and ‘bulking,’ and act accordingly. “When, later on, it is being ‘stripped,’ ‘sorted,’ and tied into bundles, or ‘hands,’ as they are often called, be there again, _propria persona_, to see that it is properly classed, both as to colour and to length, the ‘lugs’ going with lugs, the ‘short’ with short, the ‘long’ with long, &c. Instruct those sorting that when in doubt as to where a particular leaf should be put, to put it at least one grade lower than they had thought of doing. Thus any error will be on the safe side. “Prize in hogsheads to weigh what is usually called for in the market in which you sell, and, above all, ‘let the tobacco in each hogshead be as near alike as possible, uniform throughout, so that the ‘sample,’ from whatever point it may be taken, can be relied on as representing the whole hogshead,’ and that there be left no shadow of suspicion that ‘nesting’ has been attempted, or any dishonest practice even so much as winked at.