86 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



making natural ventilation, but if jou have a very tight roof, 

 such as a tarred paper roof, you must have a ventilator at the 

 top. Heat alone is of no benefit in moist weather, because the 

 moist air must be allowed to escape. While the increase in 

 temperature enables the air to take up more moisture it cannot 

 continue to do that forever, but soon becomes saturated at the 

 higher temperature. 



Mr. Searlj:. Does not any kind of heat, open or closed, 

 help when tobacco is puffing and preparing to sweat ? I have 

 used large stoves open at the top, with drafts on each side at 

 the bottom, and a large sheet-iron cover to prevent the direct 

 heat coming in contact with the tobacco over the stove. If the 

 heat is too strong I dig a hole and let the stove down as low as 

 I want it. 



Dr. Garnek. I shouhl recommend the use of heat when 

 pole sweat is threatened. The man Avho sits down and allows 

 his tobacco to rot under such conditions is doing exactly the 

 same thing as if he allowed his crop to spoil in the field. Until 

 we develop a better system use charcoal. 



Mr. Searle. How would coke do ? 



Dr. Garner. 1 cannot recommend coke because it has a 

 great deal of sulphur in it. While burning, the sulphuric acid 

 will be given off and will be likely to bleach the tobacco and 

 ruin it, when an open fireplace on the floor is used. If used in 

 a furnace, so that the gas w^ill be carried ort*, this objection will 

 not apply. 



Mr. Lyman Crafts. I would like to ask if there are not 

 conditions possible in the second stage of curing when the 

 application of heat would do more harm than good ? Suppose 

 the air outside is thoroughly saturated w^itli water for a con- 

 siderable period, and the temperature is down to 40° or 50° 

 F., would not the application of heat without ventilation cause 

 the tobacco to throw off much more moisture than it would 

 without heat, and would not that do, more harm than good ? 



Dr. Garner. Yon have brought out an excellent point. 

 We must guard against low temperature, as T have said, in the 

 first stage of curing, l)ut we know that low temperature will 

 stop pole sweat, and if the temperature in the second stage is 

 anvwhere from 40° F. down to freezing', I think it would be 



