i a CIRCULAR 435, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



percent. Tobacco packed in domestic, or winter, order will lose from 

 1 to 2 percent. 



The loss in weight from dirt and sand in handling these types is so 

 low as to be almost negligible. The average dirt and sand loss does 

 not exceed 0.5 percent. 



Kentucky and Tennessee fire-cured tobacco is packed in hogsheads 

 slightly larger than those used in the packing of flue-cured and Virginia 

 fire-cured, and the average weight per hogshead is about 1,450 pounds 

 net. It is stored in warehouses in the same way as flue-cured and 

 Virginia fire-cured, except that it is never racked more than two tiers 

 high. The storage loss of these types of tobacco packed in the 

 English order averages about 1.5 percent the first year, 1 percent the 

 second year, and 0.5 percent the third year. When packed in conti- 

 nental, or stiffened, order the storage loss averages about 2 percent the 

 first year, 1.5 percent the second year, and 1 percent the third year. 

 When packed in domestic, or winter, order the storage loss averages 

 about 4 percent the first year, 2 percent the second year, and 1 percent 

 the third year. 



The stemming loss on Kentucky and Tennessee fire-cured tobacco 

 ranges from 20 to 28 percent, averaging about 24 percent. Kelatively 

 small quantities of this tobacco are stemmed as the greater part of that 

 used in domestic manufacture is in snuff and practically none of that 

 exported is stemmed prior to export. 



HENDERSON STEMMING, TYPE 24 



Henderson Stemming is also known as northern fire-cured or 

 northern dark-fired tobacco. It is produced in Webster, Hopkins, 

 McLean, Union, and Henderson Counties of Kentucky, which are just 

 north of the district in which type 22 is grown. It is marketed at 

 Henderson and Madisonville, Ky. The annual production ranges 

 from 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 pounds. 



The harvesting and curing methods are the same as for types 22 and 

 23 except that the fires are not kept burning in the curing barns for 

 quite so long a period. The tobacco of this type in the Madison ville 

 locality is somewhat larger and coarser than the fire-cured tobacco of 

 the eastern and western districts. In the territory nearer Henderson 

 the same varieties or strains of seed are used for the production of this 

 type as for the air-cured type called Green Kiver. In fact, in some 

 years many of the farmers of this district air-cure their tobacco, whereas 

 in other years they fire-cure it. The practice in this respect is depend- 

 ent largely upon weather conditions and upon the prices being paid 

 respectively for fire-cured and dark air-cured tobacco. A large per- 

 centage of Henderson Stemming was formerly exported, and as most 

 of it went to the United Kingdom it was usually stemmed and shipped 

 in strip form. At present, a smaller percentage is exported and very 

 little is stemmed before being packed. 



The auction-sales marketing system prevails in this territory. The 

 markets open about the middle of December and the selling season 

 lasts until about the middle of March. In former years when the 

 greater part was stemmed, practically all the strips were air-dried. At 

 present, most of it is put through redrying machines. The loss in 

 weight from dirt and sand shaken off in handling averages about 1 per- 

 cent. The loss in weight through redrying, including the dirt and sand 

 loss, averages about 10 percent for domestic order and about 14 per- 



