The sorted lots of leaves are placed on burlap sheets and delivered to 

 market. Prior to 1965 only Georgia and Florida growers sold tobacco in this 

 manner, while Carolina and Virginia farmers tied their tobacco into "hands" 

 or small bundles. At the present time only a minute quantity of flue-cured is 

 sold in tied form. 



Fire-curing (fire-cured types) 



Type of barn . The old type of barn used for fire-curing was built of 

 logs and the cracks daubed with mud. These barns were small, but generally 

 high enough for 5 sets of tier poles. Modern barns (fig. 23) are frame build- 

 ings, much larger, with passageways through which a loaded wagon or truck may 

 be driven directly beneath the tier poles. 



Fire-curing operation . Fire-cured tobacco is harvested by stalk-cutting. 

 Usually no heat is required during the first stage of the curing, in which the 

 leaf begins to yellow. After the tobacco has been in the barn from 3 to 5 

 days, slow fires of hardwood or hardwood sawdust are started on the floor 

 (fig. 24) and temperatures are kept low until the leaf is completely yellowed. 

 Temperatures are then increased and the higher heat maintained until the leaf 

 tissue is pretty well dried out. Altogether, the fires are kept burning for 3 

 to 10 days in some sections, and 10 to 40 days in others. 



The main objective in fire-curing is to give the leaf a special smoky 

 taste and aroma, which is accomplished through contact with the smoke from the 

 open fires. Care is taken to regulate the proper combination of heat, humidi- 

 ty, and ventilation in order to prevent injury to the leaf, and to protect it 

 against mold and discoloration through scalding. Caution is also used in 

 guarding against the danger of barn fires, which can result in the loss of 

 entire crops. 



When the plants are thoroughly cured and have absorbed enough moisture to 

 make them pliable, they are removed from the sticks and the leaves removed and 

 sorted. Three principal grades are usually made, mainly on the basis of body 

 and the position of the leaf on the stalk, and these may be further subdivided 

 on the basis of size and color. The tobacco is then tied into "hands" or 

 bundles for marketing. 



Curing Perique tobacco 



The curing process for Perique is unique. The entire plant is cut, a 

 nail is driven at an angle through the butt of the stalk, and the plant is 

 hung from wires stretched across the curing barn. After 8 to 14 days, when 

 the leaves have dried and turned brown, they are stripped from the stalks, 

 formed into small twists, and packed in casks under great pressure until they 

 turn black. Every few days during the first month, the tobacco is taken out, 

 loosened, and put back again under the pressure. The process gives Perique 

 its characteristic aroma. It is cured wholly in its own juice, without any o- 

 ther ingredients. It is allowed to ferment for about nine months, under this 

 pressure, and is then ready for market. 



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