406 



TOBACCO SHEDS. 



employed for " firing " the tobacco in the sheds. Formerly, 

 the tobacco sheds at tha South looked more like the rude 

 huts of the herders on the pampas of South America, than 

 buildings devoted to the curing of tobacco. Tobacco barns 



OLD CONNECTICUT TOBACCO SHED. 



and sheds are built of a great variety of material, and in 

 various ways, according to the manner of building where the 

 tobacco is grown. Thus in the Connecticut valley, such 

 sheds or barns are large and commodious frame buildings ; 

 at the South and West, many of them are built of log's ; in 

 Cuba, of slabs covered with palm leaves or thatched. In 

 Turkey, of stones covered with rough boards, and daubed 

 with mud. 



In selecting a site for the tobacco shed, not only should its 

 proximity to the tobacco field be considered, but also the 

 ground on which it is to be built. It should always be 

 erected on dry ground, rather than upon moist, so that 

 no dampness may arise and injure the leaves in curing. The 

 tobacco shed should also be built on an elevated spot, so that 

 a free circulation of air may be had, which is hardly possible 

 if built on low ground or among trees or in the woods as at 

 the South. This applies more particularly to sheds where 



