THE CURING OF TOBACCO LEAF 
The “curing” of tobacco leaf is the process 
of drying out which has for its object the fol- 
lowing specific actions: 
(1) The expelling of the sap and superfluous 
moisture. 
(2) The completion of the “yellowing” pro- 
cess and the fixing of the desired 
color. 
(8) The preservation of the juices, etc., 
which give the characteristic flavor 
and aroma. 
(4) To give the necessary toughness and 
suppleness to the leaf. 
The first part of the curing is done by the 
grower in curing sheds on-the farm immediately 
after the cutting of the crop; the final part, or 
the fermentation part is usually done by the 
leaf dealer or manufacturer in special buildings 
called leaf-houses. 
There are three methods of curing in use 
by the growers, i. e., sun curing, air curing, and 
artificial heat curing. In the case of the 
tobacco known as Perique the curing process is 
more or less peculiar to itself. “Sun” and 
“gir” curing are much slower processes than 
the curing by artificial heat. 
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