Except in the Georgia-Florida area, the leaves of each lot are tied into 
hands, of about 30 leaves each, and replaced on the sticks for hauling to mar- 
ket. If the tobacco is not to be immediately taken to market, it is again 
bulked. In the Georgia-Florida areas, the sorted lots of leaves are placed on 
sheets without tying in hands, and are delivered to market in this manner. 
Fire-curing (fire-cured types) 
Type of barn. The old type of barn used for fire-curing is built of logs 
and the cracks daubed with mud. These barns are small, but generally high 
enough for 5 sets of tier poles. Modern barns (fig. 25) are frame buildings, 
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. 26) and temperatures kept low until it is completely yellowed. Tempera- 
tures 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 tc 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, as these 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 stripped 
and sorted. Three principal grades are usually made, mainly on the basis of 
body and the position of the leaf on the stalk, amd these may be further sub- 
divided on the basis of size and color. The tobacco is then tied into "hands" 
for marketing. 
Curing Perique tobacco 
The curing process for Perique is peculiar, and no other tobacco is cured 
in just the same way. The entire plant is cut, and by means of a nail driven 
at an angle through the butt of the stalk, each is hung separately 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. This process gives Perique its characteristic 
aroma. It is cured wholly in its own juice, without any other ingredients. It 
is allowed to ferment for about nine months, under this pressure, and is then 
ready for market. 
EGS 
