October, 1908. J 



321 



DRUGS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



FERMENTATION OP TOBACCO. 



The particulars given below on the 

 fermentation of tobacco leaves are taken 

 from Bulletin 15 of the Hawaiian Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, a pamphlet 

 issued to show the possibilities of tobacco 

 growing on a commercial scale in Hawaii, 

 and also to give information as to the 

 best methods of carrying out the various 

 operations connected with the prepar- 

 ation of the crop. They form a continu- 

 ation of the notes on harvesting and 

 curing the leaves that appeared in the 

 last issue of the Agricultural News. 

 After curing has taken place, the tobacco 

 should be sorted in lots of thick, thin, 

 and medium leaves respectively. The 

 different grades are then tied up into 

 bunches containing from fifty to a 

 hundred leaves, and in order to undergo 

 the process of fermentation these 

 bunches are piled up into heaps on the 

 floor of the room specially provided for 

 the purpose. 



The fermentation should follow imme- 

 diately after the grading and sorting 

 process, as the tobacco is then in the 

 best condition. A much better ferment- 

 ation can be secured immediately than 

 after a delay of weeks or months. The 

 tobacco is taken from the sorting room 

 to the fermenting room. If the tobacco 

 is in proper condition when it is placed 

 in the pile— that is, if the leaf contains 

 20 to 25 per cent, of moisture — a rise in 

 temperature will begin at once. The 

 heap of fermenting tobacco leaves should 

 be covered over with a tarpaulin or 

 rubber blanket, excluding all air and 

 retaining all moisture. No weight 

 should be applied. When the building 

 of the fermenting heap has been finished, 

 the temperature of the room should be 

 heated to from 85° to 95°, and should be 

 kept at that figure until the pile of 

 fermenting tobacco reaches the same 

 degree of heat. As the temperature in 



the pile of tobacco increases above 90° 

 the air temperature should be permitted 

 to remain about 10° lower than the 

 increasing temperature of the pile. The 

 higher the temperatures in the ferment- 

 ing pile the cjarker the colour of the 

 finished leaf. Under no circumstances 

 must the temperature of the fermenting 

 tobacco be permitted to rise above 

 136° F. As soon as the temperature in 

 the middle of the pile, which is the 

 hottest, reaches 100° F., the pile should 

 be torn down and re-arranged on the 

 floor near by. The leaves that pre- 

 viously formed the bottom, sides, and 

 tops are placed in the centre of the new 

 pile, while the leaves that were in the 

 centre of the first heap, become the out- 

 side, bottom, and top of the second pile. 

 This process should be continued 

 throughout the various re-arrangements 

 of the pile. An important poin b is to 

 maintain a constant degree of humidity 

 in the fermenting room. The air in the 

 fermenting room should never be per- 

 mitted to become dry, but should always 

 show from 85° to 90° of humidity, irres- 

 pective of the temperature. 



In the first stages of fermentation, 

 large quantities of ammonia are set free, 

 and there is a considerable evolution of 

 ammonia throughout the whole ferment- 

 ation process. As soon as the ferment- 

 ation is complete, the tobacco is ready for 

 the final sorting. 



A second fermentation takes place in 

 the bale. It is a slower one and the 

 temperatures do not rise very high, but 

 it seems to be quite important in fixing 

 character in the leaf. This second 

 fermentation mellows the tobacco and 

 tends to improve the aroma. The bales 

 should be placed in the warehouse for at 

 least six months before selling. The 

 warehouse should be clean, dry, and 

 cool, and no other goods stored with the 

 tobacco.— A\ gricultural News, Vol. VII., 

 No. 161, June, 1908. 



