FIELD CROPS. 545 



deep Into wunn AViiter tmd then holding tlio hands by their butts and 

 shaking- them vigorously until the water was well distributed." rhey 

 were piled on the bulk without layers of trash. The whole bulk weighed 

 about 5,500 lbs. It was covered with trash, woolen blankets and rub- 

 l)er blankets. The temperature of the room was maintained at from 80 

 to )S5' ' F. and the humidity such that a hand of unfermcnted tobacco 

 luiHg in the room remained pliable. 



Five days after the bulk was built, the temperature near the bottom 

 of the pile had reached 115° F., while near the top it was 121° F. At 

 this point the bulk was torn down and the leaves shaken out a little 

 and the pile rebuilt. Between December 23 and January 1 the tem- 

 perature in diti'erent parts of the pile ranged from 110 to 118° F. 

 The bulk was again rebuilt, and the highest temperature reached dur- 

 ing the next 23 days was 113° F. (near the top), while near the bottom 

 of the bulk the highest temperature reached was only 91° F. Exam- 

 ination of the leaf during the latter part of January showed that 

 the gum was gone and the whole body of the leaf thoroughly fer- 

 mented. Later the fermented tobacco was examined by experts. 



"The unanimous opinion of all these gentlemen was that the [fermentation] process 

 was a remarkably successful one. The leaf was of a perfectly even color from the 

 tip to the stem end. 



" The gum was all gone, the leaf was light and elastic, and there had not been the 

 slightest damage during the fermentation. Particular attention was given to the 

 leaves on which the butts of the next layer of leaves rested, as the dealers thought 

 that there some damage must have been done. Careful search was made, but not a 

 single damaged leaf could be found in the bulk. Another point was that of water 

 stain. As stated above, all the hands — except those of lirst wra^jpers — had their 

 ))utts dij^ped in warm water and the leaves shaken out, immediately before putting 

 into the fermenting room. A few of the second wrappers came out of the fermenta- 

 tion with some water stain near the midrib of the leaf, but none on the margin, but 

 the most of the dipped leaves showed no traces of water stain. The second wrappers 

 were dipped just at nightfall and in great haste and probably not sufficient care was 

 taken in shaking them out. If they had been left a few days longer in the first bulk, 

 probably there would have been no water stain, even in the overwet leaves. 



"Our experience has shown that unfermented leaf will bear a good deal oi wetting 

 if it is warm and goes at once into active fermentation. But under no other circum- 

 stances will it bear wetting." 



By comparing the weights of the fermented and unfermented leaf, it 

 was found that a quantity of tobacco weighing 3,076 lbs. before casing 

 and fermenting in bulk was decreased in weight only 8 lbs. after fer- 

 menting and 3 of the grades of tobacco fermented were damper at 

 the end of the process than before they were dampened at the begin- 

 ning of it. The fermented tobacco dried out somewhat rapidly in the 

 cases. 



Physiological studies on Connecticut leaf tobacco, O. Loew 

 (U. S. Dept. A(//:, Rpt. 65^ pp. f)7). — A report is given on some physi- 

 ological investigations of tobacco. The work deals with a number of 



