452 CURING. 



D'Almirda says that in Java, the leaves are gathered and 

 tied up in bundles of fifteen, twenty or thirty, and suspended 

 from bamboo poles running across the interior of the shed, 

 where they are left to dry for twenty days or more, accord- 

 ing to the state of the atmosphere. 



As soon as the plants have been hung in the shed the 

 process of 



CUKHSTG 



begins. If fully ripe at the time of harvesting, the plants 

 will " cure down " very fast and take on a better hue than 

 when they cure less rapidly. During cool weather the doors 

 and ventilators should be left open that the plants may have 

 a free circulation of air and cure the faster. When, however, 

 the weather is damp, they should be closed, to avoid sweat- 

 ing and pole rot. When a light leaf is desired, the tobacco 

 shed should be provided with windows to let in plenty of 

 sunlight, which has much to do with the color of the leaf. 

 When a dark leaf is desired, all light should be excluded. 



The time necessary for the curing of the plants will 

 depend upon the ripeness of the plants as well as the weather 

 during curing. There are three kinds or methods of curing, 

 viz : air curing, sun curing and firing, or curing by flues. 

 Air curing is the curing of the plants in sheds or barns. 

 Sun curing is the process of curing in the open air, while 

 " firing " is the process of curing by " smoke," the common 

 method employed at the South and to some extent at the West. 

 This is the common way of curing cutting leaf, while air 

 curing is the manner of curing cigar leaf. Tatham, already 

 quoted, gives the following account of the process as per- 

 formed in Virginia of 



"SMOKING THE CHOP." 



" From what has been said under the head of hanging the 

 plant, it will be perceived that the air is the principal agent 

 in curing it, but it must be also considered that a want of 

 uniform temperature in the atmosphere calls for the constant 

 care of the crop-master, who generally indeed becomes 



