196 



TOBACCO LEAF. 



the boards burned away, the hardened clay walls will 

 stand a long time, if the clay is suitable for making brick. 

 The inquiry is often made why the barns for curing 

 yellow tobacco are made so small. The reason is that 

 unless the barn is filled with tobacco within the period 

 of twelve hours and the firing begun, it is impossible to 

 cure it of uniform color. For a portion of the tobacco 

 in the barn to remain for twenty-four hours longer than 

 the rest will so impair its quality as to seriously dimin- 

 ish its value. Another reason why small, inexpensive 



FIG. 51. SECTIONAL PLAN OF HOUSE IN FIG. 49. 



Showing Inspection walk, ventilating funnels, and distributers of the fresh air 

 directly upon the leaf. 



barns for curing are preferred is the danger from fire. 

 The loss by fire of a barn which contains the growth 

 of one acre, is not so disastrous as the loss of one con- 

 taining a large portion, or, possibly, all the crop. The 

 tobacco in a small barn cures more rapidly, more 

 uniformly and more perfectly, and may be removed to 

 the packing room within a week, and the barn refilled. 

 The Snow Barn. Capt. W. H. Snow, of North 

 Carolina, has recently patented a barn with flues, or 

 stoves, for curing yellow tobacco. Like many other 

 attempts to patent methods of hanging or curing to- 

 bacco, the patentee's claims are ignored or disputed by 



