Defoliating tobacco harvester

In a machine for removing leaves from vertically standing plant stalks, said machine having an endless defoliating means with a downwardly inclined front portion and an upwardly inclined rear portion, said defoliating means having a plurality of longitudinally spaced stalk receiving and leaf removing apertures, a mobile frame supporting said defoliating means, and means for moving said mobile frame and said defoliating means so that the horizontal velocity of said apertures on said inclined portions is substantially equal and opposite to that of said mobile frame so that as a stalk enters and passes along an aperture on the inclined front and rear portions the stalk remains substantially upright as the aperture moves along the stalk, the improvement comprising, said defoliating means having a plurality of picker bars defining said apertures, each of said picker bars having parallel side members connected by parallel front and rear members, the side members having forward and rearward portions providing, with the front and rear members, an aperture for receiving a stalk, said forward and rearward portions disposed at approximately 110.degree. to each other.