444 TOBACCO LEAF. 



the fermentation even for all the tobacco, but each hand 

 is shaken out, as, otherwise, the leaves will stick 

 together and be uneven in color, and it may be impos- 

 sible to pull them apart without tearing. It may be 

 necessary to repeat this turning of the bulks six or eight 

 times before the process is complete. Often two bulks 

 are mixed, if one is rather too damp and the other too 

 dry. When the fermentation is done, the leaves are very 

 carefully sorted as to both size and color, are tied into 

 hands, these put in carottes and baled to 'age' for one 

 or two years. They are first put into a warm room to 

 cool down and finally into a cooler storage. While this 

 process of fermentation is much more expensive than 

 that of fermenting in the case, it has the great advan- 

 tage that the time required is much less, and the whole 

 process can be watched and controlled, whereas, when 

 sweated in the case, there is absolutely no supervision or 

 control possible." 



Both spring and fall planting, in most parts of 

 Florida, have advantages and disadvantages, but it is 

 probable that the fall planting will become quite as gen- 

 eral as spring setting. Fall tobacco in Florida will be 

 in no more danger from frost than is the spring crop at 

 the North, while the fall crop escapes grass and weeds, 

 grasshoppers, and most of the worms and other pests. 

 Only about one-fourth as much rainfall is needed for 

 the crop in October, November and December, as during 

 April, May and June. It is believed, also, that this late 

 crop will average in quality superior to the spring crop, 

 especially for fillers, as is the case in Cuba. 



The best soil for this crop in Florida, Col. Moodie 

 finds, after studying experiments in all parts of the 

 State, to be a light, sandy loam, well drained, fine and 

 friable, with no crude limestone cropping out, and par- 

 ticularly should it be free from loose arenaceous or so- 

 called "rotten" limestone, common in many parts of 



