According to Perry Hull, stripping, or, as he terms it, “picking,” should not take place till about December; “at least not until the _fat stems_ (main stems of the leaves, which are not thoroughly cured at the butt-end) have mostly or all disappeared, which they will have done by that time, if the crop reached maturity before harvesting. The operations of picking and assorting are by many, who make only two classes or qualities of the tobacco, carried on at the same time. By far the preferable way is, especially if there is a very large crop to pick, to take off the leaves during damp or wet weather, tie them into bundles of 15–20 lb., with twine, and pack it away into cellars, or wherever it can be kept without drying up. It can then be assorted in any kind of weather, thus gaining considerable time, as two will pick and tie up in this way as much during one wet spell as 6 hands would, assorting and hanking up, at the same time. Another reason why the last practice is preferable is, that, by the former, the assorting can be but indifferently done; whereas, by the last, it can be done as carefully as desired. Tobacco should not be allowed to get too wet before picking; in fact, should not be allowed to get wet at all, so as to feel wet, only just damp enough to make the leaves pliable, so as to handle and pack without breaking or feeling husky. If allowed to get wet, before picking, it is next to impossible to get it dried to the proper state again so uniformly but that some of the leaves will still be too wet, while others will be dry enough to crack and break. So if the rains are long enough to get it too wet, which they often are, by all means let it remain upon the poles until the next wet spell.”