74 THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO. 



safe. Tliis sweat kills the fungi and if carried out thoroughly will 

 also destroy the spores. The tobacco is not likely to lie of the highest 

 cjuality. 



" Saltpetre "—The mould-like appearance that often comes over 

 tobacco while curing and fermenting is called "saltpetre" and is due 

 to a saline ettlorescence caused l)y the presence of large quantities of 

 salts in the leaf, as potassium, "sodium, calcium, and magnesia. A 

 light brushing and a spray of a four per cent solution of acetic acid 

 will remove this for the time. 



DAMAGE BY WIND AND HAIL STORMS. 



Heavy wind storms often break off' the upper leaves of the plant 

 and whip the lower leaves around ou the gmuud until they are liadly 

 torn. The planting of tobacco in sheltered fields is the onh' measuie 

 that can be adopted against damage by the wind. Where there aie no 

 natural wiudljreaks the planting of large numbers of rapid growing 

 trees is to be recommended. A temporary e.xpedient is to plant 

 several rows of mealies (Indian maize) on the windward side of the 

 field. Strips of mealies may also be sown at intervals of six or eight 

 rods throughout the tobacco field. If leaves are accidentally broken 

 off the tobacco plant when it is nearly ready to harvest, they may be 

 gathered up and cured. 



Even a very light hailstorm will injure the value of a leaf for 

 wrapper purposes, and a very heavy hailstorm will entirely desti'oy 

 the whole plant. Whei-e a plant has been badly broken it may lie 

 cut ott' near the ground and a sucker left to develop a new plant. 



In some localities in Europe a method of breaking up hailstorms 

 and preventing damage to the vineyards is j^ractised. It consi.sts in 

 the simultaneous dischai'ge of many cannon that have previousl}' Iieen 

 placed at ditt'erent points in the district. When this practice has l.ieen 

 fully tested and its merits more fully determined it may lie feasible to 

 undertake it in the more thickly settled tobacco distiicts. 



Throughout America certain ccimpanies will, for a premium ni 

 about four per cent, insiu'e the tobacco crop against damage by hail or 

 wind. The amount of the damage is usually determined by a 

 committee of non-interested tobacco men, who are appointed for 

 the special case and are remunerated for their services by the 

 insurance company. 



CURING. 



Curing is not merely drying, but is a chemical process the exact 

 changes and reactions of which are not fully understood. The qualitv 

 of a toliacco is made in its growth; curing but fixes or further 

 develops those qualities. A liadly grown toliacco cannot be made 

 into a high-class product by any process of curing, although bv skill 

 in handhng it may have latent or slightly developed good <|u'alities 

 brought out and emphasized, and it "may also have its bad points 

 partially suppressed. A very fine tobacco may be absolutely ruined 

 by lack of skill in the curing process. 



The process may be said to commence the moment the plant is 

 cut and to continue until no further change takes place in the leaf. 



