646 THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



and the stick taken to the barn. Growers should note that in the barn 

 the sticks must have sufficient space to allow a free current of air to pass 

 through the tobacco ; it is a great mistake to let the leaf be crowded 

 together in the shed. Tobacco which shows every promise on the scaffold 

 of securing a good colour is often spoilt by neglect of this precaution, and 

 the result is a dark and dingy coloured leaf. __ 



There is another point which growers would do well to observe : they 

 should see that when on the scaffold the leaf does not get burned by the sun. 

 If it is not possible to place the scaffold in such a position that it will be 

 shaded during the middle of the day, a covering of cheese-cloth should be 

 passed over all the leaf to break the rays of the sun, so that it may go into 

 the barn of a yellow colour instead of a dark-brown. Tobacco on the scaffold 

 should never be allowed to get wet ; and a good cure cannot be expected if 

 this happens. 



Flue Curing. 



To successfully flue-cure leaf, the grower must have considerable experi- 

 ence. Few barns of tobacco can be cured alike, and almost every one 

 requires different treatment. In a very short space of time a barn full of 

 leaf may be totally spoiled through neglect, lack of knowledge, or a little bad 

 judgment. 



To cure in this manner special buildings are necessary ; they must be 

 draught-proof, and so finished that heat and moisture cannot escape ; and 

 they must be erected of materials which will permit the interior to be 

 effected by outside temperature to only a minimum degree. Iron erections 

 are, therefore, totally unsuitable, while brick is expensive. It is suggested 

 that the building should be erected of wood or pise. The inside dimensions 

 of a building suitable to cure the crop of 6 or 7 acres would be 16 feet by 

 16 feet, and 17 feet high, with a spacing of 3 feet 6 inches vertically between 

 the tiers on which the sticks of tobacco are hung when harvested on the 

 stalk, and 2 feet when the leaves have been " primed." Two furnaces 

 should be provided at one end of the building, and from it flue-piping of 

 heavy Russian iron should run round inside, with the outlets between 

 the two furnaces. Ventilators are necessary at both the top and bottom 

 of the building, and may be provided by two rabbit-hutch types on 

 each of the four sides at the bottom, and two cupola ventilators at the top. 

 Plans will be forwarded to any grower desiring to erect such a building on 

 application to the Department of Agriculture. 



As already stated, considerable experience is necessary to successfully flue- 

 cure tobacco, and no definite rules can be laid down, as each type of leaf is 

 a factor of importance, and each barn-full differs from its predecessors. 



There are three stages in curing. They may be stated as follows : — 

 (1) Yellowing, (2) fixing, (3) killing. No fixed formula can be given, but 

 if the following is taken as a basis the grower will, after curing a few 

 barns, be able to modify or vary the process in some respects to give him 

 the desired results. 



As soon as the barn is full close the building right up, start the fire going, 

 and bring the temperature up to 90 degrees Fah. Keep it at this point for 

 eighteen to thirty-six hours, according to the condition of the leaf, limiting 

 the time to the shorter period in the case of leaf that is quite ripe, and 

 allowing the full period where the leaf is not so well matured. If the leaf 



