The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1873-10-15
The CuIp Process.

In our California exchanges, we find full par
ticulars of the mode of treating the tobacco leaf
in the process of curing by Mr.. CUPS patent.
1t is so simple that it would hardly seem possible
that the entire nature of the to acco could be
changed by it. This years experiments will give
it fair test, as over FIVE hundred acres have
been planted near Gilroy, and are now probably
being harvested and cured.
I'm curing cigar tobacco. the plant, instead of
being hung up vertically by the butt in barn.
according to the old method, is by the Culp pro-
cess taken into close building aud there put in
piles two feet high aud allowed to remain ten
| hours or more, until temperature of about 100
degrees is reached then hung up horizontally
until the surface moisture on the leaves dries !;
perhaps two or three days then piled again till
they reach heat of 100 degrees, usually twenty
four hours and hung ten days or more till dry,
and finally stacked. When the plants are put
into piles the second time some leaves are green
and Others yellow and tie green come out yellow
and the yellow is converted into brown aud in
the third piling all assumes the brown color The
stacking in bulk, for six months, gives mellow
ness to the favor, and brightness and uniformity
to the tint The curing, previous to stacking
can be done in six and sometimes in three weeks.
The fermentation is Indispensable and to secure
this, the house must be tight and provided with
heating apparatus, and the temperature inside
must never fall below seventy degrees Chewing
tobacco is hung in the field, on portable racks
soon after cutting, and allowed to remain week
or more till the leaves are yellow 10 general col
or; then piled on the ground two feet deep flor
perhaps twelve hours till the fermentation causes
heat of ITO degrees; then hung on the racks
again until the leaves and stalks are dry and
finally stacked ready for the manufactured
There are two main new ideas in Mr. Culp's
processes-ons is hanging horizontally, and the
other is fermentation in piles. The advantages
claimed are that the tobacco is better in quality
than any other cured elsewhere; that it is more
uniform 10 quality. and that there is none of the
great damage that frequently results from very
dry or very wet weather in the curing season in |
Cuba and Kentucky. On account Of the dryness |
of the atmosphere, the old style of curing would |
"e'ei ''A'0 N0eu P'Vue1uie III SdIIIOfnla' De-
sides, under the system OF hanging vertically the
butt up, the sap in the stalk could not run into
The leaves and thu leaves resting upon each other
could not dry evenly, thus causing great losses
The climate of California is very favorable to the
growth of the plant, and large area will proba,
bly, be cultivated in tobacco in a few years. The
growing season being much longer than on the
Atlantic side, the plant after having been cut
down grows up again, and thus produces two
crops of chewing and four of cigar tobacco from
the same stalk. The total average yield per acre
is 5000 pounds of cured chewing and 1900
pounds Of cigar tobacco. The old style Of curing
costs three times as much as the Culp method;
the quality is inferior and the yield less" Eose