comes from the metal flues of the heating 

 apparatus originally used in curing barns. It is 

 yellow to reddish-orange in color, thin to medium 

 in body, and mild in flavor. 



Flue-cured tobacco is the principal export type, 

 accounting for more than 75 percent of all 

 tobacco leaf exported. Currently about 500to550 

 million pounds (226 to 249 million kilograms), or 

 two-fifths, of the flue-cured crop is exported 

 annually. 



Cigarettes account for 95 percent of flue- 

 cured usage in the United States, with smoking 

 and chewing tobacco accounting for the 

 remainder. 



Class 2 — Fire-cured is medium to heavy in 

 body, light to dark brown in color, and strong in 

 flavor. It acquired the name because of the smoky 

 flavor and aroma received from "firing" over open 

 fires in the curing barns. It is used for making 

 snuff, roll and plug chewing tobacco, strong 

 cigars, and heavy smoking tobacco. Production 

 currently amounts to 40 million pounds (18 

 million kilograms) annually, about half of which is 

 exported. 



Class 3— Air-cured is cured under natural 

 atmospheric conditions, usually without the use 

 of supplementary heat, except to prevent damage 

 in damp weather. 



(a) Light air-cured is normally very thin to 

 medium in body, light tan shaded toward red to 

 reddish brown in color, mild in flavor, and is used 

 chiefly in making cigarettes. It is usually 

 combined with flue-cured and small quantities of 

 imported tobacco to form the blends for cigarette 

 manufacture. Each of the two types, burley and 

 Maryland, has special characteristics. 



Burley, on an area basis, is the most widely 

 grown single type in the United States. It is 

 produced in eight principal States, and about 630 

 million pounds (285 million kilograms) are pro- 

 duced annually— more than one-fourth of all the 

 tobacco grown in this country. 



Burley is desired for cigarette blends because 

 of its flavor and aroma. Cigarettes currently 

 account for over 90 percent of the domestic con- 

 sumption of burley. In addition to its use in ciga- 

 rettes, it also goes into the manufacture of pipe 

 tobaccos, and plug and twist chewing. Exports 

 have ranged between 90 and 115 million pounds 

 (41 and 52 million kilograms) annually in recent 

 years. 



Maryland is usually considered to have ideal 

 burning qualities for use in cigarette blends. 

 Production hasaveraged about 30 million pounds 

 (14 million kilograms) annually in recent years. 

 Exports have been declining and now total 8 to 12 

 million pounds (3.6 to 5.4 million kilograms) a 

 year. 



(b) Dark air-cured is medium to heavy-bodied 

 and ranges from light to medium brown in color. It 

 is used in the manufacture of the same products 

 as fire-cured types— mainly chewing tobacco and 

 snuff, but also to some extent for smoking 

 tobacco and cigars. Annual production is de- 

 creasing, and now amounts to 14 to 20 million 

 pounds (6 to 9 million kilograms). Exports are 

 about 2 million pounds (0.9 million kilograms) a 

 year. 



Classes 4-6, cigar leaf types, are classified 

 according to the use of the tobacco in cigars— as 

 filler, binder, or wrapper. However, wrappertypes 

 may be used for all three purposes, and some 



A field of fire-cured tobacco ready for harvest. 



