33 





Sun curing is the method of curino; in the open air, 

 while firing is the process of curing as above stated, either 

 by open fires or flues in the tobacco barn. The latter 

 method is the one generally practiced in the tobacco sec- 

 tions in Virginia, North Carolina, and to some extent in 

 the west, and is considered the best way of curing cutting 

 leaf. 



Method of Curmg. — Tliere are two common methods 

 practiced of handling tobacco for curing, — the older and 

 long favored method of cutting and hanging the whole 

 stalk with the leaves attached, and the method of detach- 

 ing the leaves from the stalk before hanging, — a method 

 which is comparatively new in this country, but is em- 

 ployed to considerable extent in Germany and France. 



These methods are too long to be discussed fully in this 

 bulletin for the purpose of passing on the merits of either. 



A recent experiment conducted at the IsTorth Carolina 

 Experiment Station, with a view to settling the matter, 

 indicates that a comparison between the weight of one- 

 half a crop of tobacco cured on the stalk and the other 

 half cured separate from the stalk shows a difference of 



