THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO, 11 



on racks in the sun, care Leing taken that it is shaded enongli, 

 dining the wilting period, to prevent sun-burning. Tliese racks 

 are placed near a building, so that the tobacco may be cai'iied under 

 shelter upon the approach of a stoini. This additional handling of 

 the tobacco, whenever the weather conditions are unfavourable, involves 

 a lai'ge annjunt of labour, so that the acreage grown is necessarily 

 lijuited. The presence of ni\ich sugai' in this tobacco renders it 

 very liable to the attacks of moulds, so that, unless careful attention 

 is given to the handling and storing of this sun-cured toljacco, 

 thei'e will be heavy losses. The room where this tobacco is stored 

 should be fitted with a stove so that the tobacco may be kept dry in 

 wet weather. Little money is made out of this rlass of tobaccn in 

 America, and it is largely' grown Viy pour faiiiicrs whose families 

 assist them in the hanflling of the crop. 



Fire Curing'. — This is a system whereby the tobacco is hung in 

 bai'ns and cured l:iy means of open wood fires, the heat and smoke of 

 wdiich both have an important jiart in the process. 



The greater poition of the toljacco shipped to Eurfjpe and 

 Africa is cured by this method. In the early times, tobacco tliat 

 had been heavily smoked was afile to withstand the ocean voyage 

 far better than tobacco that had been cured in the air. In tinjc, 

 however, the European palates and olfactories have become si> 

 accustomed to its ci-eosotic flavour and " ham " odoui- that it is 

 cho.sen in preference to the better tobaccos. At the time of writing 

 the demand seems to be changing from this ''fired" tobacco to the 

 better types, and it appears ]jrobable that in time this tobacco \\\\\ 

 lai'gely disappear from the markets. 



The tobacco is hai'vested with the .stalk, and after lieing allo\^'ed 

 to wilt foi' a short time is hauled to the barn, placed a.stride 

 the curing sticks at the I'ate of from six to eight plants to each 

 four foot stick, and hung on the rafters or poles. The ti'liacco is 

 allowed to hang until it becmues a rich yellow colour; to leifili 

 this stage, will, proliably, require four or five days. This yello\\- 

 colour is oAving to a chemical change in the chlorophyl of tlie 

 plant, due to absence of sunlight. When this stage is reached, small 

 slow fires are started on the floor under the hanging jjlants. The 

 heat is not pei-mitteil to rise above 90'^ for at least twelve hoiu's, 

 and then is gradually increased until it reaches 150' in four 'ir five 

 days, when the tobacco should be diy and the fire may be allowed 

 to burn out. Even then the .stem will be full of moisture, and, 

 as soon as the heat is lowered, the watei' of the stem \\\\\ s]jread 

 out through the fibre of the leaf and make it soft. A new iire is 

 then built to again dry the leaf, and this is repeated whenever 

 the leaf shows a tendency to become soft. This second drying is 

 jiai'ticularly required if the lighter shades are desired in the leaf. 

 It should be understood that this cui-ing prijcess must be gradual, 

 foi- if the heat is allowed to rise too soon, oi- i-apidly, it will coi.ik 

 the leaf and give it a bluish tinge. If the fires ai'e started liefore 

 the leaf has Ijecome sufllciently yellow, the leaf will be stiff, and 

 have but little flexibility. For the English markets the tobacco is 

 cut before fully ripe, resulting in an olive green colour. If firing be 

 delayed too long the tobacco may suffer from "pole burn.'' There 

 will also be losses from this trouble, if the leaf be allowed to 

 hang in a verv moist condition in the barn during or aftei- cuiint;. 



