102 TOBACCO. 



house should be kept closed; they should also he kept 

 closed if there is much dampness in the atmosjahere occa- 

 sioned by heavy and continuous rain. Dampness causes 

 mildew, which shows itself first in the points of the leaves, 

 and is the commencement of the rot. Under these circum- 

 stances, and to check this evil, it is convenient to spread, 

 or part the poles a little ; and if the rains, or the excess 

 of humidity continue, fires should be kindled and smoke 

 made in the curing-houses, opening at the same time the 

 doors and the windows, so as to facilitate the circulation 

 of air whilst the smoking is going on. 



" After the tobacco is thoroughly dry, it should be 

 placed on the highest beams, or pegs, of the framework 

 which support the poles, squeezing them compactly 

 together. This must be done in the morning whilst the 

 leaves are soft, and all this should be done with a view of 

 protecting it from the effects of change in the atmosphere. 

 The house should, after this, be kept closed, until it is 

 time to make the heaps. 



" The object of heaping up the tobacco is to produce a 

 second fermentation, so as to equalize the colour of the 

 leaf and wear out of it that excess of gluten or resinous 

 matter which is natural to the plant ; this fermentation 

 makes the leaves more silky and ductile, and gives them 

 a more agreeable flavo ur. The place for making the heaps 

 should be prepared beforehand, in one or more of the 

 rooms of the tobacco-house, by making a kind of box 

 lined with yaguas (sheets of palm-tree bark) at the bottom 

 and the sides, the base is a boarding on which should be 

 placed a sufficient quantity of dry plantain leaves, which 

 serve as a bed for the heaps. 



