THE CURING OF TOBACCO LEAF 



The "curing" of tobacco leaf is the process 

 of drying out which has for its object the fol- 

 lowing specific actions : 



(1) The expelling of the sap and superfluous 



moisture. 



(2) The completion of the "yellowing" pro- 



cess and the fixing of the desired 

 color. 



(3) The preservation of the juices, etc., 



which give the characteristic flavor 

 and aroma. 



(4) To give the necessary toughness and 



suppleness to the leaf. 



The first part of the curing is done by the 

 grower in curing sheds on the farm immediately 

 after the cutting of the crop ; the final part, or 

 the fermentation part is usually done by the 

 leaf dealer or manufacturer in special buildings 

 called leaf-houses. 



There are three methods of curing in use 

 by the growers, i. e., sun curing, air curing, and 

 artificial heat curing. In the case of the 

 tobacco known as Perique the curing process is 

 more or less peculiar to itself. "Sun" and 

 "air" curing are much slower processes than 

 the curing by artificial heat. 



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