According to Bishop, it usually requires about 12 weeks to cure the plants thoroughly, that is, so that there is no more juice in the leaves or leaf-stems; it matters not if the main stalk is not dry, you need not expect it, and there will be green leaves that will not cure but freeze while green and are worthless. He calculates that to “hang an acre of good tobacco requires a building about 30 by 24 feet with 15-feet posts. Two girths should be framed into the posts on all sides of the building; one 5 feet above the sill, and the other 10 feet above, to rest the poles on, also to nail the covering boards to. This gives a space of 5 feet for each tier of plants. Have a beam run across the centre of the building, with a post in the middle with girths to correspond with those on the side, extending lengthwise through the middle of the building for the poles or rails, each 12 feet in length, to be laid upon; or if sticks are to be used (as hereafter described) lay rails or poles once in 4 feet for the sticks to rest upon. Place a ventilator upon the centre of the roof, and have one board in every 4 feet hung on hinges, to be opened or closed at pleasure. If made with a floor and a cellar underneath, to let down the tobacco into when ready stripped, it is all the better. We will now return to the crop, and commence hanging it. A common way of doing it is by tying with common twine. Tie the end of the string tightly around the butt of one plant, and by placing it against the side of the pole nearest you, put another plant on the opposite side and carry the string over and around it, placing the plants alternately on each side of the pole until filled, then fasten the string, place the pole in the right place (it should be nearly right before it is filled), and commence on the next one in like manner, having some one to hand the plants as wanted. As to how thick to hang it depends upon the size of the plants, but in good-sized tobacco about 9 inches on each side is close enough, that will be from 30–32 on each pole of 12 feet; place the poles 15–18 inches apart. Another method of hanging, much practised and approved by many, is to hang on slats or sticks sawed out 4 feet long, 1¼ inches wide, and ⅝ inch thick. Chestnut timber is generally used here. The common lath answers very well for this purpose. An iron made something like a chisel is used to slip on to one end of the sticks, which are sharpened a little at one end to receive it. It is made about 8 inches long, wedge-shaped at the small end, and a socket ½ inch by 1 inch to slip on to the sticks. When ready for use have a place fixed near where you unload, to hold one of these sticks out at right angles from a post and about 4 feet from the ground. Let the plants be handed you from the load and slip them on the stick, piercing the stalk about 6 inches from the butt; put 6 or 7 plants of medium size on each stick, thicker if smaller; when hung it will appear as in Fig. 9. As each stick