THE CrLirRE OF TOJIACCO. 99 



such distances are likely tn 1)6 uioie imposing than useful. It is 

 oettei- to build many small bains rather than have a few inordinately 

 large. 



The same style of barn may be used for- the air-ciiiing of all , 

 toljaccos, and may also be used foi' the curing of tol laocos by open wood 

 or charcoal fires. In case of the flue-cuied tobaccos, these barns would 

 1)6 too large to properly maintain the heat necessary for the fixing of 

 the coloui- in the leaf, so that foi' this method f>f curing there must be 

 a special type of barn erected. 



Flue-Cuping' Barns for Yellow Tobaeeo. -As will be remem- 



1 lered the curing of y elli iw ( .r gold leaf tobacco takes 1 >ut foui' oi' five days, 

 and during that time requires well regulated, and at times, intense 

 heats. The bains ai'e not large, being of a size that can be filled 

 Viy a few people in a vei'y shoit length of time, the idea being that all 

 the tobacco in the liain should be in the same condition, and that the 

 curing process should be started at once. These barns are usually from 

 sixteen to twenty feet square, and in height, eighteen feet to the eaves. 

 Thioughout Ameiica they ai'e constiucted, as a rule, of pine logs dove- 

 tailed into each othei' at the corners. Sometimes, ho\A-ever, the frame 

 is constructed of light timbers and hea-\'il_v sheathed with boards. The 

 main feature in the construction of these barns is to prevent the escape 

 of heat lequiied, or the ingi-ess of cold air when it is not wanted. The 

 bai'ii has Ijut one dooi- and the tobacco is carried in thi'ough this. At 

 the ground there are several small ventilators that can be opened at 

 will and used foi- the entrance of cold air. In the I'oof, or in the gable 

 end, there ai'e ventilators foi- the purpose of allowing the escape of hr^t 

 ail' and nioistuie. These ventilators are so constiucted that they may 

 be opened and closed at will from the ground. At one end of the 

 building a small shed-roof is erected, and under this shed are 

 '■oustiucted two brick arches oi' furnaces. From each of these arches, 

 which extend about a third of theii' distance into the barn, runs a 

 twelve-inch iron tlue. These flues extend along the dirt floor to the 

 ')pposite end of the Ijarn, and then return at a slightly greater elevation 

 to neai- the point where they staited, where they pass through an 

 'opening in the barn, and carry the smoke into the open aii'. These 

 bains are often burned. Care should be used in the con.stiuction, to 

 avoid the placing of woodwork against the furnaces or the hot flues. 

 There is no leason why these barns cannot be constructed of brick, and 

 rodfed with galvanized iron. In such a building, the iron should be 

 •:i ivered with thatch to prevent the influence of the outside air upon 

 the inside tempeiuture. In America the cost of these barns, fully 

 equijjped with flues, is only from fifteen to twenty pounds. The 

 leason for this is the extreme cheapness of material in the districts 

 where this method of curing is used. Each barn will cure one filling a 

 week, so that where there has Vjeen a succession «i plantings, a baiii 

 will do service several times in a season. 



Other Barns ; a Florida. Barn. — This barn is constructed for 

 the curing of cigar leaf, but may be used for the curing of any tobacco 

 with the exception of the yellow. It is ninety-six feet long by thirty- 

 six feet wide ; is sixteen feet from the sills to the plate, and thirteen 

 feet from the plate to the ridge pole of the roof. The tier poles are 

 four feet apart each way, so that there ai-e four tiers with the plate tier 

 and below, and two tiers above the plate. Where the priming or single 



