﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  op 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  181 
  

  

  an 
  hour, 
  keeping 
  the 
  temperature 
  at 
  175° 
  until 
  the 
  stalk 
  is 
  

   thoroughly 
  cured. 
  

  

  TREATMENT 
  OF 
  TOBACCO 
  AFTER 
  CURING. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  stalk 
  is 
  cured 
  thoroughly 
  dry 
  the 
  fires 
  are 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  die 
  out. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  wide 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  after 
  treatment. 
  It 
  is 
  agreed 
  that 
  the 
  plants 
  cannot 
  

   be 
  safely 
  stripped 
  in 
  the 
  moist, 
  warm 
  weather 
  which 
  fol- 
  

   lows 
  the 
  curing 
  season, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  loss 
  of 
  color. 
  

   The 
  plant 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  drying 
  barn 
  always 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  

   greenish 
  tinge. 
  In 
  the 
  after 
  treatment 
  this 
  fades 
  away, 
  and 
  

   it 
  takes 
  on 
  a 
  solid 
  bright 
  yellow, 
  uniform 
  throughout. 
  The 
  

   crop 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  with 
  fires 
  out 
  and 
  doors 
  open 
  for 
  

   thirty-six 
  hours, 
  until 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  handled. 
  Some, 
  however, 
  

   recommend 
  throwing 
  wet 
  straw 
  on 
  the 
  flues, 
  which 
  is 
  kept 
  

   moist, 
  and 
  the 
  tobacco 
  thus 
  is 
  steamed 
  at 
  a 
  safe 
  tempera- 
  

   ture, 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  at 
  once 
  into 
  "order" 
  for 
  removal. 
  It 
  is 
  

   then 
  "bulked 
  down" 
  in 
  the 
  packing-house 
  on 
  the 
  sticks, 
  

   butts 
  out, 
  in 
  square 
  piles. 
  This 
  improves 
  the 
  color 
  and 
  

   straightens 
  out 
  the 
  leaves, 
  rendering 
  them 
  smooth 
  and 
  neat 
  

   in 
  appearance. 
  Many 
  farmers 
  allow 
  it 
  to 
  lie 
  in 
  bulk 
  for- 
  

   only 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  and 
  then 
  rehang 
  it, 
  crowding 
  very- 
  

   closely, 
  to 
  prevent 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  color 
  from 
  atmospheric 
  

   changes. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  best 
  opinion 
  favors 
  more 
  

   permanent 
  bulking 
  down, 
  in 
  such 
  order 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  

   handled 
  without 
  breaking, 
  the 
  leaf 
  soft 
  and 
  stem 
  hard. 
  

   Those 
  who 
  thus 
  bulk 
  down 
  rehang, 
  to 
  come 
  in 
  order 
  for 
  

   stripping. 
  After 
  it 
  is 
  stripped, 
  it 
  is 
  tied 
  in 
  hands 
  of 
  si« 
  to 
  

   twelve 
  leaves: 
  bright 
  wrappers, 
  six 
  ; 
  fillers, 
  eight 
  ,-■ 
  smokers, 
  

   ten 
  to 
  twelve, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  some 
  rehung 
  and 
  orowded 
  

   closely, 
  but, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  practice, 
  it 
  is 
  bulked 
  down 
  

   on 
  sticks, 
  heads 
  out, 
  each 
  grade 
  by 
  itself, 
  and 
  carefully 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  carpets, 
  to 
  exclude 
  light, 
  the 
  colors 
  being 
  very 
  

   sensitive 
  to 
  light 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  air. 
  In 
  this 
  condition 
  the 
  

   color 
  is 
  fixed, 
  and 
  after 
  two 
  months 
  in 
  balk 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  

   subject 
  to 
  change. 
  

  

  Fine 
  tobacco 
  is 
  packed 
  in 
  tierces 
  of 
  from 
  350 
  to 
  800 
  

   pounds, 
  each 
  grade 
  by 
  itself, 
  or 
  it 
  is 
  sold 
  loose 
  at 
  the 
  barn 
  

   or 
  carried 
  loose 
  to 
  market, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  piles 
  and 
  

   sold 
  at 
  auction. 
  Dealers 
  buy 
  enough 
  of 
  each 
  grade 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  

   cask, 
  when 
  they 
  prize 
  lightly 
  and 
  ship 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  mar- 
  

   kets. 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  