222 TOBACCO LEAF. 



so skillful have the growers become, even with this 

 crude process, that a good cure can be expected in the 

 vast majority of cases, unless the crop has been dam- 

 aged, or improperly grown in the field, and unless exces- 

 sive fogs and dampness prevail at curing time. It is a 

 phase in the existence of the crop that is looked forward 

 to with great anxiety, and the grower breathes a sigh of 

 relief when the curing is safely over and the crop is 

 stripped and cased without injury. 



The first point to avoid is the too rapid drying of 

 the leaf. Drying is not curing, and the terms are in no 

 way synonymous. The change of color and condition 

 in the leaf is largely due to a process of fermentation, 

 which takes place in the hanging tobacco, and for which 

 a certain amount of moisture in the leaf is necessary. 

 If the leaf is dried too rapidly, this fermentation is 

 either prevented altogether, or checked to some extent, 

 thereby affecting the result disastrously. As far as pos- 

 sible, the air in the shed, during the whole curing proc- 

 ess, should be kept in such a condition that the tobacco 

 will never become quite dry and brittle ; it should never 

 crumble when handled. To this end, after the first two 

 weeks following the hanging, the sheds should be kept 

 tightly closed during dry weather, and if opened it 

 should be at night, or for a while upon damp and misty 

 days. If the buildings are kept closed, the great amount 

 of moisture evaporated from the tobacco will keep the 

 air sufficiently damp, even in dry weather. 



The second principle is to keep the air in the shed 

 from excessive dampness, which, with heat, causes a 

 destructive fermentation or rotting, which is entirely 

 different from the fermentation of the curing process. 

 For this reason, the buildings should be kept well 

 opened and ventilated the first week or two after hang- 

 ing, that the fresh currents of air may carry off the 

 large amount of moisture evaporating from the tobacco, 



