CUEING TOBACCO. 213 



dry. The result was a perfect cure of a lemon color 

 requiring only 75 hours. 



Another modification of the process was made by 

 Mr. T. C. Anderson, of the Champaign district of North 

 Carolina, which he says will always give good results if 

 the tobacco yellows well and is allowed to remain on the 

 hill until it is thoroughly ripe. His instructions are, 

 that it must be cut and put in the barn as soon as possi- 

 ble, from five to seven plants on a stick, arranging the 

 sticks in the barn ten inches^apart in warm weather and 

 eight inches in cool weather. Start the fires at once. 

 In warm weather run the temperature up to 100 ; in 

 cool weather to 75. Keep the heat to this point for six 

 hours ; raise to 105, hold at this point for five or six 

 hours ; raise to 110, at which point hold for 10 or 12 

 hours, until the tobacco is yellow enough to commence 

 drying the leaf ; then raise to 118 or 120. When this 

 temperature is reached, throw the doors open and reduce 

 the heat to 105; then run the heat up to 120; open 

 the doors and let the temperature fall back to 105. 

 Repeat this four or five times. This dries off the sweat 

 that causes trouble at this stage of curing. Close the 

 doors then and hold the heat at 120 for three hours, or 

 until the leaves on the bottom tier are about half cured, 

 then raise the heat to 128. Open the doors and reduce 

 the heat to 115; then close the doors and elevate the 

 temperature to 130 in three hours; then to 135 in five 

 hours, or until the leaves are cured ; then to 145 for 

 three hours ; then to 150 for two hours ; then 155 for 

 three hours ; then to 160 for two hours, and so on to 

 180, and hold at this until stalk and stems are cured. 



It is apparent, from a careful study of these differ- 

 ent formulas, that every curer must exercise judgment 

 as to when to increase and when to decrease the heat. 

 He must watch some particular plant and be governed 

 by its condition. The greatest danger to be feared is 



