TOBACCO. 



TOBACCO. 



The same writer thinks that firing has been 

 carried to great excess, very much to the injury 

 of tobacco, of late years, both in smoking it too 

 much, and parching and curing it too rapidly. 

 The smoke is a very objectionable flavour, 

 and the excessive parching makes the leaf too 

 crisp, and destroys the valuable elasticity. It 

 should be well cured, with as little fire as pos- 

 sible. Some cure it very well without fire. 



Several years ago, a great number of plant- 

 ers took up the impression, that the purchasers 

 were fond of hard-fired tobacco, from the erro- 

 neous opinion of some of them, who said they 

 liked to smell the effects of fire, because it 

 was an evidence that it was well cured ; but 

 they have since discovered their error, and no 

 one is now fond of the smell of smoke, which 

 is a great objection in every market in Europe 

 as well as in America. 



The following additional observations rela- 

 tive to curing tobacco, are furnished by the 

 same authority. 



Sunning the tobacco is very necessary after 

 cutting ; but it should not be kept in the field 

 any longer than to kill and make it sufficiently 

 limber for removal to hang on sticks upon a 

 scaffold at the tobacco-house, where it should 

 hang in open airy order, at first letting in the 

 sun well upon the stalks. In this way the butt- 

 end of the stalks and big ends of the leaves 

 and stems will get a great deal of the sun's 

 heat, which they require in curing. And as 

 fast as the leaves contract and draw up from 

 heat, and in drying, the plants should be moved 

 up nearer to each other, in closer and closer 

 order, to prevent the lower parts of the leaves 

 from being exposed to the sun. 



It would be a great advantage to split the 

 stalks, as it facilitates the curing 1 very much. 

 They should be split from the top down within 

 2 or 3 inches of the cutting point. The plants 

 thus split should straddle the sticks, and the 

 sticks should range north and south, so that 

 the morning's sun will shine on one side of the 

 stalks, and the evening's on the other. In this 

 manner it should take the sun and open air 

 night and day, until it becomes well cured, 

 and until the stalks, and stems, and leaves get 

 dry. Showers of rain, and even heavy showers, 

 in this situation, while the leaf continues green, 

 are of little disadvantage ; because they only 

 wet a small part, viz.: the under side of the 

 leaves, which are now uppermost. Nearly all 

 of the rich ingredients are concentrated on the 

 upper side of the plants as they stand growing. 



But hot, sultry spells of rainy or very damp 

 weather, of many days continuance, will 

 mould, mildew, rot, or wash it to destruction, 

 particularly after a considerable progress in 

 curing. And when the winds come from the 

 eastward, preceded by several damp, cloudy 

 days, you may count upon a long spell, and 

 then you should commence housing before the 

 rain sets in, or much falls ; and use fire as the 

 weather may require. 



The firing should be in close houses ; the 

 closer the better. And the more windows, the 

 better, all with tight shutters, to shut out the 

 damp in long wet spells, and let it in when 

 wanted to bring the tobacco in order. No to- 

 1050 



bacco can be finally well cured without coming 

 and going frequently. You cannot have any 

 command of your tobacco as regards weather, 

 without close, tight houses, which are of very 

 great importance. 



Five fires dispersed are enough for a room 

 20 feet square ; and they should not be large, 

 but burn free, steady, and gradual, and would 

 be the better of never going entirely out, if you 

 intend curing by this destructive mode. But 

 why make fires in the house at alii As 

 smoke is now so very objectionable, why not 

 do the little firing that may be necessary in 

 very long wet or damp spells, to prevent mould, 

 mildews, &c., in the manner that plank is 

 steamed and dried at saw-mills? by stoves, 

 or by running a ditch or two through the house, 

 and covering this with flat slabs of rock, or 

 arching it over with brick, and making the fire 

 at one end, out of doors. The heat and smoke 

 thus procured will be enough in a close house, 

 with the windows all shut, to prevent mould, 

 mildew, &c. 



Those who cure without firing, or with as 

 little as possible, let it remain after it turns 

 yellow until the stalks and stems as well as the 

 leaves get dry, in the open air and sun, if 

 the weather permits, or in the house by the aid 

 of fire, if necessary. But if the stalks, stems, 

 and leaves get dry before the leaves get suffi- 

 ciently yellow, let the tobacco hang until it be- 

 comes very high indeed from wet or damp wea- 

 ther, and bulk it in this damp, soft, high order, in 

 very large bulks, in a very close room, and cover 

 well with straw, &c., with heavy weights on 

 the top, and let it remain till it gets warm ; ex- 

 amine it every three to four hours night and 

 day, and as soon as it yellows sufficiently, 

 hang it up in the house, if the weather be wet 

 or very damp, and fire it moderately and gra- 

 dually until dry. 



The best kinds of woods to use are those 

 which make the most heat and weakest smoke. 

 The kinds best for smoking bacon are the worst 

 for firing tobacco, since the smoke flavour has 

 become objectionable. 



Another correspondent of the Farmer's Re- 

 gister shows, by observations of the thermome- 

 ter, the precise degrees of heat to which the 

 tobacco is subjected in the different stages of 

 firing. He has also furnished valuable in- 

 formation in relation to other points connected 

 with the curing process. In warm weather, 

 says this writer, we hang from 8 large plants 

 to 10 small ones on each stick; the sticks 

 should be carried immediately into the house, 

 and placed 8 or 9 inches apart. The sticks 

 having been regularly arranged throughout the 

 house, the process of curing then comes on. 



My practice for several years, with but little 

 variation, has been to regulate the sticks, the 

 day after cutting and next morning. Com- 

 mence with small fires, so as to raise the ther- 

 mometer to 90 ; this heat should be continued 

 from 36 to 48 hours, which we call the warm- 

 ing or preparatory fire : (the small yellow 

 | tobacco, when cut, requiring a shorter prepara- 

 ] tion than lar^e, thick, green tobacco;) the heat 

 should then be raised gradually 10, and con- 

 ! tinued 4 or 5 hours thus continuing to raise. 



