﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  of 
  Virginia. 
  219 
  

  

  was 
  "tci 
  pull 
  the 
  leaves 
  from 
  the 
  stalks 
  as 
  they-ripen 
  and 
  

   haug 
  them 
  on 
  cords, 
  to 
  be 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  air" 
  (Rev. 
  

   Hugh 
  Jones, 
  Present 
  Slate 
  of 
  Virriiniq,, 
  1724). 
  In 
  after 
  time 
  

   they 
  s[)lit 
  the 
  stalks 
  and 
  hung 
  the 
  plants 
  astraddle 
  of 
  sticks, 
  

   as 
  is 
  now 
  generally 
  practiced 
  in 
  Virginia. 
  

  

  The 
  early 
  planters 
  cured 
  their 
  crops 
  mostly 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  

   and 
  air. 
  " 
  In 
  March 
  or 
  April 
  the 
  tobacco 
  was 
  conveyed 
  to 
  

   the 
  storehouse 
  and 
  dried 
  with 
  fire. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  Salt 
  was 
  used 
  

   in 
  passing 
  tobacco 
  through 
  the 
  s-^^-eat." 
  In 
  time 
  "smoke 
  

   was 
  considered 
  a 
  prime 
  agent 
  in 
  keeping 
  tobacco 
  sound. 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  Small, 
  smothered 
  fires 
  were 
  used, 
  made 
  of 
  bark 
  

   and 
  rotten 
  wood." 
  The 
  fires 
  were 
  increased 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  

   year 
  until 
  log 
  fires 
  were 
  built 
  in 
  three 
  rows 
  upon 
  the 
  barn 
  

   floors, 
  which 
  dried 
  out 
  the 
  green 
  tobacco 
  in 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  

   five 
  days. 
  The 
  firing 
  process 
  prevailed 
  generally 
  in 
  both 
  

   Virginia 
  and 
  Maryland, 
  and 
  was 
  kept 
  up 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  

   of 
  years. 
  Maryland 
  finally 
  abandoned 
  it; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  

   shipping 
  district 
  of 
  Virginia 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  the 
  mode 
  practiced, 
  

   except 
  that 
  less 
  fire 
  is 
  now 
  used 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  of 
  1812-14 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  col- 
  

   ored 
  tobacco 
  for 
  export 
  caused 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  

   curing 
  in 
  both 
  Virginia 
  and 
  Maryland. 
  After 
  being 
  cut 
  

   and 
  hung 
  upon 
  sticks, 
  the 
  tobacco 
  was 
  either 
  placed 
  upon 
  

   scaffolds 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  to 
  yellow 
  and 
  then 
  housed, 
  or 
  it 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  house, 
  without 
  fire, 
  until 
  it 
  had 
  

   yellowed 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  heat 
  without 
  curing 
  

   dark. 
  Many 
  planters 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  states 
  learned 
  to 
  cure 
  a 
  

   beautiful 
  piebald 
  or 
  spangled 
  leaf, 
  which 
  commanded 
  high 
  

   prices 
  in 
  Richmond 
  and 
  in 
  Baltimore. 
  In 
  the 
  former 
  cit}' 
  

   it 
  was 
  called 
  " 
  piebald 
  ;" 
  in 
  the 
  latter, 
  " 
  spangled." 
  

  

  Open 
  wood 
  fires 
  constituted 
  the 
  only 
  mode 
  of 
  curing 
  by 
  

   artificial 
  heat 
  until 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1828 
  or 
  1829, 
  when 
  flues 
  

   w^ere 
  first 
  used 
  in 
  Virginia, 
  Dr. 
  Davis 
  G. 
  Tuck, 
  of 
  Halifax 
  

   county, 
  being 
  the 
  originator 
  of 
  the 
  flue 
  constructed 
  inside 
  

   the 
  barn, 
  for 
  which 
  he 
  obtained 
  a 
  patent. 
  This 
  plan, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  adopted 
  by 
  but 
  few 
  planters, 
  and 
  soon 
  fell 
  into 
  

   disuse. 
  

  

  About 
  this 
  time 
  began 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  charcoal 
  as 
  fuel 
  for 
  cur- 
  

   ing 
  tobacco, 
  enterprising 
  planters 
  in 
  Halifax 
  and 
  Pittsylva- 
  

   nia 
  counties, 
  Virginia, 
  and 
  in 
  Caswell 
  county, 
  North 
  Caro 
  

   lina, 
  being 
  among 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  substitute 
  it 
  for 
  wood. 
  The 
  

   results 
  were 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  induce 
  others 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  new 
  pro- 
  

   cess, 
  and 
  thus 
  it 
  spread 
  from 
  farm 
  to 
  farm 
  throughout 
  

  

  