132 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Aug., 1922. 



purposes, may be just as good as the best grades of cigarette leaf for 

 its particular use; tlicrefore those types suitable for pipe and roll 

 cannot under any circumstances be considered as inferior or low-grade 

 leaf. 



Up to the present we have nearly always found a good demand 

 for leaf suitable for tlie manufacture of cigarettes ; even to-day this 

 demand exists. Soil and climatic conditions affect the quality of leaf 

 very considerably, and in most cases the type of tobacco produced is 

 decided by these two factors. Now, in a number of our larg-er tobacco- 

 producing districts we have suitable soil and climatic conditions for 

 the production of cigarette leaf, but with the present methods 

 employed during the curing, a very large percentage of the crop 

 becomes unfit for this jiurpose. Given more attention to the manuring 

 and fertilizing of tobacco lands, suitable varieties, better and more 

 improved methods of curing the leaf, a much higher percentage of this 

 type of leaf could be ]n'odu('od in tliose districts. 



Firld (,f Piet Rctic'E Swazio. 



I'hotv Inj ,/. (h, i: O. 



Further, statistics show that there is a tremendous increase in 

 tlie world's consumption of cigarettes, consequently an over production 

 of this type of leaf will stand a much better chance of being profitably 

 sold on exportation than in the case of a surplus of dark leaf. It 

 would, therefore, seem advisable to encourage tlie production of leaf 

 suitable for the manufacture of cigarettes. 



By thoroughly uJiderstanding the different changes which actually 

 take place in the leaf during the curing process, and carefully study- 

 ing the different methods of curing tobacco, the grower will be able 

 to produce a better quality of leaf and also a higher percentage of 

 cigarette leaf. 



Curing. 



The term " curing " implies something- more than the mere drying 

 out of tlie leaf. During the curing process a number of changes take 

 place in the coiupositiou and properties of the leaf. These changes 

 are both ]ihysiological and chemical. 



