1 Noyv., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 343 
arranged as to make it very open or very close as desired, with ventilation at 
top and gables; the gable windows hung upon pivots, so as to be opened or 
closed as desired; also openings on sides, extending from base board to eaves, 
and base board hung upon hinges, so as to be lifted up and give bottom 
ventilation to create currents of air when other openings are closed. By this 
means you can create light currents when not too much is needed—doors in 
the ends of the shed. For the first ten days or two weeks after the housing 
the shed should be kept open, unless you have hard and very drying winds, in 
which case the windward side should be closed to prevent too rapid drying. 
After this the shed should be kept closed during the day if the weather is 
drying, and open at night if the weather is not damp or foggy. The idea is to 
keep the leaf in a moderately soft or pliable condition during the curing process, 
and never letting it get dry and harsh; and sometimes it is necessary to 
sprinkle the floor to prevent this. On the other hand, it should not be allowed 
to get wet, or it will rot ; but keep the air in the shed moderately moist, and 
thus keeping the tobacco-curing at a uniform rate all the time. If there 
should be a continued wet spell, and there is danger of the tobacco getting too 
soft, it is then well to have a heating stove with pipe running outside, and 
build fires just enough to keep the air at a proper humidity, being careful not 
to get it too dry. If the wet weather continues only for a day or two and 
then turns off drying, open your shed until it has dried out, and then proceed 
as before. During the last stages of the curing, light should be excluded, as 
strong light will injure the colour. With these instructions you must use 
your own best judgment as to how to proceed under any special conditions. 
The time required to cure a shed of tobacco is from eight to twelve weeks, 
depending upon the season. 
Stripping or handing up should not begin until the stalk and stem are 
thoroughly cured, and in taking down the tobacco for this purpose it should 
be done when the tobacco is coming in condition, and never when it is drying 
out. If it gets too soft, then let it alone until it dries out completely, and you 
get another season. When tobacco is drying out you cannot tell its proper 
condition, as the stem is likely to be surcharged with moisture ; and when put into 
bulk, this is distributed back into the leaf, and the tobacco gets too soft and 
will damage. The proper condition for cigar tobacco is when the leaf is 
pliable, and the stem just soft enough not to break in working; when in this 
condition it is ready to strip and bulk. In assorting, put leaves of same colour 
and same length together ; put those perfectly sound, partly sound, and the 
inferior each in a class to itself. In packing the tobacco down to be sweated, put 
it on a raised floor, having the floor tight, that no dampness may penetrate. A. 
end of bulk have double row of boards to bulk against. In bulking, make two 
rows, heads out and tails lapping in the middle 5 or 6 inches; cover over the 
bulk well, and put on weights to press 1t down; watch it carefully, and see that 
it does not get too hot; if found to be getting so, shake out and rebulk, but 
this will be unnecessary if condition is made right at the start. After it has 
been in bulk four or six weeks, it should be then put into boxes and well 
pressed down, leaving a space of 1 inch between the butts and the end of the 
box. Pack heads towards end of box, and tails lapping in centre. A box 
3 feet 8 inches long, and 28 inches square at end, should hold 350 lb. to 4.00 lb. 
Do not squeeze up the tobacco in the hand, either in bulking or packing boxes. 
MARKET GARDENING. 
In this issue we commence a series of articles by Mr. H. W. Gorrie, Horti- 
eulturist at the Queensland Agricultural College, on the subject of market 
gardening. ‘These articles cannot fail to prove of great interest and value, not 
only to amateur gardeners, but also often to professionals, as they are the 
outcome of many years of practical experience. 
