

TEMPERATURE, MOISTURE, AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY 

 OF STORED TOBACCO • Y 

 Dana P. Childs, J. E. Overby, and B. J. Watkins-' 



SUMMARY 



Flue- cured tobacco is aged for a minimum of 2 or 3 years. During this period, the 

 tobacco mellows, develops a characteristic aroma and color, and improves in burning 

 quality. Despite the many years that have passed since producers first began aging 

 tobacco, the amount of published data on the temperature and moisture of the commodity 

 during storage is meager. While in storage, tobacco is subject to attack by insects. 

 To better understand the ecology of insects that attack tobacco, we obtained data on out- 

 side and warehouse temperatures and relative humidities, and on the effects of these 

 factors on temperature and moisture of tobacco in storage. These data were obtained 

 during 1967 from a tobacco warehouse in Wilson, N. C. 



INTRODUCTION 



Tobacco is normally aged for a few years before it is considered ready for use. 

 The length of the aging or storage period depends on the type of tobacco, and the demand 

 for raw tobacco. While in storage, tobacco is exposed to possible invasion and damage 

 by insects. 



One of the types of tobacco aged for 2 to 3 years or often longer is flue-cured. In 

 the United States it is stored primarily in the Middle Atlantic States. The tobacco is 

 usually prized in wooden hogsheads 4 feet long and 4 feet in diameter to a net weight of 

 approximately 950 pounds. The hogsheads are stored in unheated warehouses. One of 

 the most common structures used for tobacco storage consists of a composition flat 

 roof, concrete floor, and sheet-metal sidewalls. Side and roof vents are the main 

 source of ventilation. 



Although the tobacco industry considers the storage period essential for fermen- 

 tation of raw tobacco, temperature and moisture conditions during this period are 



— Entomologist, biological laboratory technician, and former biological laboratory 

 technician, respectively, Stored- Tobacco Insects Investigations Laboratory, Richmond, 

 Va., Market Quality Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



