S CIRCULAR 249, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
the primed leaves are laid carefully therein. The leaves are then 
taken to the curing barn where they are strung on sticks about 4% feet 
long. <A string is attached to one end of the stick, and by giving a 
turn of the string around pairs or small bunches of leaves they are 
held in place on the stick and are spaced sufficiently to allow the 
circulation of air. When the stick is full the string is tied. Sticks 
of tobacco are hung on poles arranged in tiers in the barn. 
Flue-cured tobacco gets its name from the distinctive heating 
apparatus employed in the curing barns. * This consists of fireboxes 
with large iron flues to give off heat. The fireboxes open on the 
outside of the building and extend about 6 feet into the building. 
They may be made of stone covered with sheet iron or of brick arched 
AMA 2198 
FIGuRE 3.—One of the older type curing barns in the flue-cured district of North 
Carolina. Logs were used in the construction and the cracks were chinked 
with mud. Most curing barns are now of frame construction and sheathed. 
over. The smoke is conveyed through an iron flue extending from 
the firebox to the far side of the barn and back, with the exit on the 
same side of the building as the firebox and somewhat higher. Most 
of the heat is given off by the flues. Usually a barn has two fireboxes. 
A typical log curing barn in the flue-cured district is illustrated in 
figure 3. Most barns, however, are of frame construction, although 
a few modern ones are built of hollow tile or cement blocks. Many 
of the older barns made of logs and chinked with mud are still in use. 
During the curing a wood fire is kept in the fireboxes (fig. 4) and a 
constant vigil is maintained over temperature conditions within the 
building by means of a thermometer suspended where it can be scanned 
through a small window. Due to the rising cost of wood as fuel, the 
use of oil heaters of various types is increasing. The heat is carefully 
regulated to provide a moderate temperature at first so as to produce 
yellowing, then increased to remove moisture from the leaves, and 
continued until the midribs are dry. From 3 to 5 days are required 
to cure out a barn of tobacco, after which the door is opened to permit 
