No. 4.] TOBACCO RAISING. L55 



which rubber blankets are laid. The air of the room is kept 

 quite (lamp, and at a temperature between 70° and 80 

 day and night. The bulk at once goes into fermentation, 

 the temperature of the tobacco rising from (5° to 10° every 

 twenty-four hours. When it has reached ll. r )° to 125°, or 

 when, for any other reason, it seems best, the whole is taken 

 up, shaken out lightly and rebulked close by. The hands 

 which were on top in the first pile go at the bottom of the 

 second, and those which were outside before, go inside now. 

 If any part of the pile appears at all soggy or too wet, it can 

 be shaken out and dried oft' a little before being put back ; 

 if any tobacco is rather dry, it can be sandwiched in with 

 damper leaf, and at all times the owner can see just what is 

 going on, with a chance to correct what is wrong. This 

 time the temperature rises more slowly, and it may be ten 

 days before the bulk must be again turned oyer. In most 

 cases the second turning suffices, and the temperature begins 

 to fall, showing that the fermentation is complete. At the 

 end of six weeks the tobacco is ready to be sorted, or 

 cased for sale without further sorting. It must, however, 

 be allowed to stand in a warm place until it has cooled oft' 

 sufficiently. It may have, in this condition, a slight 

 sweetish smell, which wholly goes as the tobacco ages. 



This method, or some slight modification of it, I am con- 

 vinced will in time replace very largely both the old-time 

 " natural" sweat and the "forced" sweat in cases, for the 

 reasons already given, — that the wdiole packing and every 

 part of the leaf from tip to butt is evenly finished, giving 

 more even colors than can be got in any other w^ay ; and the 

 whole process can be watched constantly, giving a chance to 

 check any trouble which, unchecked, would do great damage. 

 After tobacco has been fermented, it is much less likely to 

 damage in the case than it was before. 



One thing more. Xo tobacco is at its best as soon as it is 

 fermented. It needs to stand for months in a moderately 

 warm place, and age or "mull," to bring out its finest 

 quality and remove a certain rawness or harshness. AVhat 

 happens to it during this time no one knows, but as to the 

 fact of improvement by aging, I believe there is no question. 



